Coconut Creek became an incorporated city on February 20, 1967. Because of "Butterfly World" (a butterfly park with more than 80 species and 5,000 individuals), Coconut Creek styles itself as The Butterfly Capital of the World. Since its establishment in 1988, Butterfly World has been expanded to include the world's largest free-flight hummingbird aviary, a lorikeet aviary, an aviculture research center and the home of the Passiflora Society International (to encourage research on passion flowers, a primary food source for many species of butterflies).

Coconut Creek itself is mainly a developer-driven community, but one that was designed and laid-out with plenty of trees, waterways, parks and landscaped roads. Coconut Creek is a certified "Community Wildlife Habitat," the first in Florida and 11th in the nation. At the same time, Coconut Creek is adjacent to a local landfill nicknamed "Mt. Trashmore." Technically Mt. Trashmore is the Monarch Hill Renewable Energy Park but something about its design and/or operation has added foul odors to the atmosphere for years. There's an agreement in place now that prohibits food and other decaying materials from being added to the landfill... but it's the decaying of those materials that produces the renewable energy.

The largest employer in Coconut Creek is Broward County Public Schools. Second largest employer: Seminole Coconut Creek Casino.