Fort Lauderdale’s reputation as the mecca for college students during spring break started in the mid-1930s. The area really became popular when the book and then the movie “Where the Boys Are” hit the market in 1958 and 1960 respectively. By the 1980s, about 350,000 students swarmed the beach during their winter vacation. That number dropped by 90% after tough laws were enacted in 1989. But the numbers slowly rose again until now Fort Lauderdale Beach is as crowded as ever.
