Pembroke Pines began as an agricultural area devoted to dairy farms. Scattered small subdivisions began to appear right after World War II. One of those subdivisions was named "Village of Pembroke Pines" and it incorporated as a village under that name in 1959. Developers contested the incorporation and a legal battle began which ended with the incorporation of the City of Pembroke Pines.

That original subdivision was tiny and the city grew by annexing property around it. Then came Hurricane Andrew in 1992. That impacted southern Florida pretty badly and many residents from Miami and south moved north to Pembroke Pines. By 1999, the City of Pembroke Pines was ranked the third fastest growing city in the country.

The population of Pembroke Pines is up more than 18% from 2000.