Broward County came into existence on October 1, 1915, when Dade and Palm Beach Counties were partitioned to form a new county. Named for early-20th-century Florida governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, the county has grown to become renowned for nationally acclaimed restaurants, residential areas, colleges, universities, and shopping along Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. A major American metropolitan area, Broward County today is home to a branch of Florida International University, as well as the campuses of Nova Southeastern University, Broward College, and Florida Atlantic University. As of 2016, the population of Broward County was approximately 1.8 million people, making it Florida's second-most populous county and the 17th-most populous in the United States.
