The main tourist route through this charming, small South Florida city, Highway A1A, as well as the beach itself, resemble a typical beach community of the mid-20th Century. Twenty settlers established the town of Deerfield in 1898. The "Beach" part of its name was added in the 1930's to increase tourist appeal. The Hillsboro River, which formed the northern boundary was later dredged into a canal that linked the town with Lake Okeechobee, 45 miles to the northwest.