The Citys history begins in 1877, when the first non-native glimpsed at the swamps, dense vines, saw palmetto, wild fig trees, cabbage palms, and pine groves along Hillsboro River which empties into the Atlantic. To the south, Key West and Miami were flourishing villages. To the north, Palm Beach was gaining renown as a fashionable winter resort. By 1890, a few houses appeared along the meandering Hillsboro River, which was named after the Earl of Hillsborough who was granted this land by King George III of England in the late eighteenth century. By the spring of 1896, Henry M. Flagler had extended his Florida East Coast Railroad down the coastline into Miami. The railroad opened up the tropical wilderness, pressing parallel against the Atlantic shore, which until then had been inhabited primarily by local fauna and Seminole Indians who lived inland.

On June 22, 1898 a post office was established at Deerfield, Florida to serve a population of 20 settlers. It is said this name was chosen because of the numerous deer that grazed along the Hillsboro River. This river formed the northern boundary of Deerfield.The Town of Deerfield incorporated on June 11, 1925. George Emory Butler, Jr. was elected as the first mayor. 1925 also saw the opening of the first public library, which was serving a population that had climbed to 1,300 residents. In 1939, the name of the town was changed to Deerfield Beach and the population numbered about 1,800.