Palm Beach County, Florida

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Palm Beach County, Florida
Seal of Palm Beach County, Florida
Seal
Map of Florida highlighting Palm Beach County
Location in the state of Florida
Map of the U.S. highlighting Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded April 30, 1909
Named for Palm Beach, Florida
Seat West Palm Beach
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
2,386.33 sq mi (6,181 km²)
1,974.11 sq mi (5,113 km²)
412.22 sq mi (1,068 km²), 17.27%
Population
 - (2010)
 - Density
1,320,134
669/sq mi (258.2/km²)
Website www.co.palm-beach.fl.us

Palm Beach County is the largest county in the state of Florida in total area, and third in population.[1] As of 2010, the county's estimated population was 1,320,134,[2] making it the twenty-eighth most populous in the United States. Over 40 percent of the county's population lives in unincorporated areas near the Atlantic coast.

Palm Beach County is one of three counties comprising the South Florida metropolitan area. The county was formed in 1909. It is the area's[clarification needed] second oldest. Its largest city and county seat is West Palm Beach (Central County), which has an incorporated population of over 105,000 and an unincorporated population of 250,000. Boca Raton (South County), is the second largest, having a population approaching 90,000. Boynton Beach (South County), is the third largest city, with a population nearing 70,000 residents.[3]

With wealthy coastal towns such as Palm Beach, Jupiter, Manalapan, and Boca Raton within its limits, as well as equestrian mecca Wellington and golfing haven Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach County is Florida's wealthiest county, with a per capita personal income of $44,518 as of 2004.[4]

Contents

[edit] History

Among the first residents in Palm Beach County were African Americans and many of whom were former slaves or immediate descendants of formers slaves who had escaped to the State of Florida from slave plantations located in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Runaway African slaves started coming to what was then named Spanish Florida in the late 17th century and they found refuge among the Seminole Native Americans.

Henry Flagler, who made his home in Palm Beach, was instrumental in the county's development in the early 20th century with the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway through the county from Jacksonville to Key West.

Palm Beach County was created in 1909. It was named for its first settled community, Palm Beach, in turn named for the palm trees and beaches in the area. The County was carved out of what was then the northern portion of Dade County, comprising part of the areas now occupied by Okeechobee and Broward counties, part of Martin and all of Palm Beach county, initially including all of Lake Okeechobee. The southernmost part of Palm Beach County was separated to create the northern portion of Broward County in 1915, the northwestern portion became part of Okeechobee County 1917 and southern Martin County was created from northernmost Palm Beach County in 1925. About three-quarters of Lake Okeechobee was removed from Palm Beach County in 1963 and divided up among Glades, Hendry, Martin and Okeechobee counties.[5]

The African American population provided significant labor for the building of the county, its hotels, houses and Flagler's railroad.

Palm Beach County was among the last school districts in the nation to integrate, in 1971.

[edit] Geography

View of Lake Okeechobee from Pahokee.

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 2,386.33 square miles (6,180.6 km2), of which 1,974.11 square miles (5,112.9 km2) (or 82.73%) is land (making it the second-largest Florida county by land area, after Collier County) and 412.22 square miles (1,067.6 km2) (or 17.27%) is water,[6] much of it in the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Okeechobee.

The boundaries of area code 561 exactly match the county's. Originally, it was part of area code 305, and later area code 407.

[edit] Municipalities and census-designated places

[edit] Incorporated

The county has 38 municipalities in total. The municipalities are numbered corresponding to the attached image. Municipality populations are based on the 2010 Census.[7]

Map of incorporated cities.
# Incorporated Community Designation Date incorporated Population
24 Atlantis City 01959 1959 2,005
2 Belle Glade City 01928-04-09 April 9, 1928 17,467
37 Boca Raton City 01925-05 May 1925 84,392
30 Boynton Beach City 01920 1920 68,217
33 Briny Breezes Town 01963-03-19 March 19, 1963 601
18 Cloud Lake Town 01947 1947 135
35 Delray Beach City 01911 1911 60,522
17 Glen Ridge Town 01948 1948 219
32 Golf Village 01957 1957 252
23 Greenacres City 01926 1926 37,573
34 Gulf Stream Town 01925 1925 786
16 Haverhill Town 01950 1950 1,873
36 Highland Beach Town 01949 1949 3,539
29 Hypoluxo Town 01955 1955 2,588
7 Juno Beach Town 01953-06-04 June 4, 1953 3,176
6 Jupiter Town 01925-02-09 February 9, 1925 55,156
5 Jupiter Inlet Colony Town 01959 1959 400
20 Lake Clarke Shores Town 01957 1957 3,376
10 Lake Park Town 01923 1923 8,155
25 Lake Worth City 01912 1912 34,910
27 Lantana Town 01921 1921 10,423
38 Loxahatchee Groves Town 02006-11-01 November 1, 2006 3,180
28 Manalapan Town 01931 1931 406
13 Mangonia Park Town 01947 1947 1,888
9 North Palm Beach Village 01956 1956 12,015
31 Ocean Ridge Town 01931 1931 1,786
1 Pahokee City 01922 1922 5,649
14 Palm Beach Town 01911-04-17 April 17, 1911 8,348
8 Palm Beach Gardens City 01959 1959 48,452
12 Palm Beach Shores Town 01951 1951 1,142
19 Palm Springs Village 01957 1957 18,928
11 Riviera Beach City 01922-09-29 September 29, 1922 32,488
21 Royal Palm Beach Village 01959-06-18 June 18, 1959 34,140
3 South Bay City 01941 1941 4,876
26 South Palm Beach Town 01955 1955 1,171
4 Tequesta Village 01957 1957 5,629
22 Wellington Village 01995-12-31 December 31, 1995 56,508
15 West Palm Beach City 01894-11-05 November 5, 1894 99,919

[edit] Unincorporated census-designated places

[edit] Adjacent counties

Palm Beach County borders Martin County to the North, the Atlantic Ocean to the East, Broward County to the South, Hendry County to the West, and extends into Lake Okeechobee in the Northwest, where it borders Okeechobee County and Glades County at one point in the center of the lake.

[edit] National protected area

[edit] Demographics

[edit] 2000 Census

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1910 5,577
—
1920 18,654 234.5%
1930 51,781 177.6%
1940 79,989 54.5%
1950 114,688 43.4%
1960 228,106 98.9%
1970 348,753 52.9%
1980 576,863 65.4%
1990 863,518 49.7%
2000 1,131,184 31.0%
2010 1,320,134 16.7%

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 1,131,184 people, 474,175 households, and 303,946 families residing in the county. The population density was 573 people per square mile (221/km²). Approximately 41% of Palm Beach County's population resides in unincorporated areas within the county. There were 556,428 housing units at an average density of 282 per square mile (109/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.05% White http://www.muninetguide.com/states/florida/Palm_Beach.php |title=Demographics of Palm Beach County, FL |publisher=MuniNetGuide.com |accessdate=2008-03-11}}</ref> 13.80% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.98% from other races, and 2.38% from two or more races. 12.44% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. In relation to ancestry (excluding the various Hispanic and Latino ancestries), 10% were Italian, 9% German, 8% Irish, 8% American, 6% English, 4% Russian, and 4% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.[9]

There were 474,175 households out of which 24.90% reported children under the living in the household, 50.80% were married couples living together without children, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.90% were non-related individuals. 29.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.89.

Age ranges found in the county were 21.30% under the , 6.60% aged 18 to 24, 27.00% aged 25 to 44, 22.00% aged 45 to 64, and 23.20% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. Overall, the female to male ratio was 100:93. The female to male ratio for those over the was 100:91.

The median household income was $45,062, and the median income for a family was $53,701. Males had a median income of $36,931 versus $28,674 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,801. About 6.90% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Languages

As of 2000, 78.36% of all residents spoke English as a primary language, while 11.89% spoke Spanish, 2.81% French Creole, 1.12% French, 0.76% Italian, 0.68% German, and 0.52% of the population spoke Yiddish. In total, 78.36% spoke English as a primary language, while 21.64% spoke languages other than English.[10]

[edit] Elections

 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2011)

Palm Beach County has trended heavily towards Democrats in recent presidential elections. It was the center of a worldwide media storm in 2000, when it appeared to have made a difference in the balloting for the election between eventual winner George W. Bush over Al Gore. A major source of controversy was the butterfly ballot used in Palm Beach County, which prompted many voters to later claim that they mistakenly voted for Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore because of the design of the ballot. Buchanan had an unexpectedly strong showing in the county.[citation needed] In the end, Gore carried the county, but Bush captured the state by just 537 votes (out of nearly 5 million cast, a difference of .009%) after the recount was effectively halted by the US Supreme Court. (Bush vs. Gore)[citation needed]

Presidential Election Results 1960-2008
Year Democrat Republican
2008 61.50% 342,527 37.90% 211,163
2004 60.35% 328,687 39.05% 212,688
2000 62.27% 269,754 35.31% 152,964
1996 58.06% 230,687 33.68% 133,811
1992 46.36% 187,869 34.63% 140,350
1988 44.07% 144,199 55.47% 181,495
1984 38.32% 116,091 61.67% 186,811
1980 36.37% 91,991 56.79% 143,639
1976 48.68% 96,705 49.45% 98,236
1972 27.18% 40,825 72.35% 108,670
1968 28.08% 32,837 53.19% 62,191
1964 46.91% 43,836 53.09% 49,614
1960 39.72% 29,871 60.28% 45,337

[edit] Economy

Previously W. R. Grace and Company had its headquarters in unincorporated Palm Beach County, near Boca Raton.[11][12] Prior to its closing, the Boca Raton headquarters had about 130 employees. On January 27 it announced it was closing the Boca headquarters and moving its administrative staff out of state along with some employees.[13][11]

[edit] Government

The Florida Department of Corrections operates the Glades Correctional Institution in an unincorporated area in Palm Beach County near Belle Glade.[14]

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Expressways

I-95 and Florida's Turnpike are controlled-access expressways that serve Palm Beach county. Southern Boulevard (signed FL 80/US 98), which runs east-west through central Palm Beach County, is a partial freeway from Interstate 95 in West Palm Beach to US 441/FL 7 in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach. In the late 1980s, there were plans to construct two additional expressways in Palm Beach County. One was to be an 11.5 miles (18.5 km) toll freeway from Royal Palm Beach to downtown West Palm Beach. It would have run between Belvedere Road and Okeechobee Boulevard; necessitating the destruction of several homes and churches along its path. The other proposed route was a northern extension of the Sawgrass Expressway which was to be called "University Parkway". The University Parkway would have snaked around suburban developments west of Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Boynton Beach; its path bordering the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.[15][16] Ultimately, both expressways were canceled due to opposition from county residents.[17][18][19]

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Railroads

[edit] Airports

[edit] Public transit

  • PalmTran provides bus service throughout Palm Beach county.

[edit] Seaport

The Port of Palm Beach is located in Riviera Beach, where Celebration Cruise Line operates 2-day cruises to the Bahamas.

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary and secondary schools

All of Palm Beach County is served by the School District of Palm Beach County. As of 2006, it was the 4th largest school district in Florida and the 11th largest school district in the United States. As of August 2006, the district operated 164 schools, including 25 high schools, and, as of July 22, 2006 had an additional 33 charter schools, with seven more scheduled to open in August 2006.[20] Newsweek listed three Palm Beach County high schools in the top 50 schools in the list 1200 Top U.S. Schools - Atlantic Community High School, Suncoast High School and the Alexander Dreyfoos School of the Arts, all public magnet schools.[21]

[edit] Colleges and universities

[edit] Public libraries

Palm Beach County Library System operates public libraries.

[edit] Sports

The Palm Beach Imperials are an American Basketball Association 2006 expansion franchise.

The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Single-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins and the Palm Beach Cardinals are a Single High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Both teams play their games at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter.

Currently, the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins conduct their spring training at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter.

Prior to the construction of Roger Dean Stadium, the Montreal Expos and Atlanta Braves held their spring training at Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach. The West Palm Beach Expos, a Single-A affiliate of the Montreal Expos, also played their games there.

[edit] Annual events of interest

[edit] Places of interest

[edit] Media

[edit] See also

Portal icon Miami portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.stateofflorida.com/Portal/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=95
  2. ^ "2010 Census Data". United States Census Bureau. 2011. http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
  3. ^ Twenty most populous counties in America
  4. ^ "Florida Fun Facts Q&A". The Palm Beach Post. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/state/funanswers.html. Retrieved 2008-10-18. 
  5. ^ Palm Beach County - County history - Accessed August 14, 2009
  6. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
  7. ^ "See "Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place" for Florida". 2010 Census. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. http://factfinder2.census.gov/. 
  8. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  9. ^ "Palm Beach County, FL Detailed Profile". city-data.com. http://www.city-data.com/county/Palm_Beach_County-FL.html. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
  10. ^ "MLA Data Center Results for Palm Beach County, Florida". Modern Language Association. http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=12&county_id=99&mode=geographic&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r. Retrieved 2007-12-08. 
  11. ^ a b "Grace Announces Relocation To Columbia, Maryland." W. R. Grace and Company. Retrieved on June 29, 2011. "The restructuring will entail a relocation of approximately 40 people, including senior management, from Grace's Boca Raton, Florida office to its Columbia, Maryland site. A few positions will be relocated to another Grace office in Cambridge, Massachusetts." and "Following the relocation, Grace will close its headquarters office at 1750 Clint Moore Road in Boca Raton, which currently employs approximately 130 people."
  12. ^ "Boca Raton city, Florida." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on June 29, 2011.
  13. ^ to the Columbia, Maryland office. About 40 of the employees went to Columbia, and some employees went to Cambridge, Massachusetts
  14. ^ "Glades Correctional Institution." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 26, 2011.
  15. ^ http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1993-09-28/news/9309280170_1_four-lane-parkway-powerline-task-force
  16. ^ http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1993-09-14/news/9309140116_1_task-force-palm-beach-county-broward-county
  17. ^ http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-03-17/news/8601160782_1_corridor-study-central-county-authority-members
  18. ^ http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-10-16/news/8603020944_1_authority-members-routes-sansbury/2
  19. ^ http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2005-03-06/news/0503050284_1_new-interchange-lanes-palm-beach-county
  20. ^ School District of Palm Beach County "Just the Facts" 2006-2007 - retrieved August 11, 2006 Archived September 23, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ The Complete List: 1,200 Top U.S. Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - retrieved December 9, 2006 Archived December 5, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ [1]

[edit] External links

Portal icon Miami portal
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Palm Beach County, Florida

[edit] Government links/Constitutional offices

[edit] Special districts

[edit] Emergency services

[edit] Judicial branch

[edit] Tourism links

Coordinates: 26°43′N 80°03′W / 26.71°N 80.05°W / 26.71; -80.05

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