Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Template:Infobox City Florida Palm Beach Gardens is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 48,944. The city is in the center of a rapidly developing area just north of West Palm Beach, and has close transportation, entertainment and cultural ties with that neighboring jurisdiction.

Geography

Palm Beach Gardens is located at 26°49′43″N 80°6′36″W (26.828588, -80.109965).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 144.9 km² (55.93 mi²). 144.85 km² (55.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.45%) is water.

History

Prior to development, the land that became Palm Beach Gardens was primarily cattle ranch land and pine forests, as well as swampland further west. In 1959, wealthy landowner and insurance magnate John D. MacArthur announced plans to develop 4,000 acres (16 km²) and build homes for 55,000 people. He chose the name Palm Beach Gardens after his initial choice of Palm Beach City was denied, after an objection to the state legislature by nearby West Palm Beach, which has always considered a future change to that name. He had a plan for a "garden city" so he altered the name slightly.

The "city" was incorporated as a completely "paper town" in 1959, meaning that it existed only on paper. In the 1960 U.S. Census the city officially had a population of 1, apparently a squatter whom MacArthur had allowed to stay on his property. After 1960 however, development occurred rapidly and by 1970, the city had a population approaching 7,000 people. To showcase his new community, MacArthur purchased an 80 year old Banyan tree located in nearby Lake Park, that was to be cut down to enlarge a dentists office. It cost $30,000 and 1008 hours of manpower to move it, and another one was moved the following year. While moving the first banyan tree over the Florida East Coast railroad, the massive tree shifted and disconnected the Western Union telephone and telegraph lines running adjacent to the railroad, cutting off most communications between Miami, 80 miles to the south, and the outside world until the damage could be repaired. These trees still remain at the center of MacArthur Boulevard near Northlake Boulevard and are featured on the city shield to this date.

City growth was slow but steady throughtout the 1970s and 1980s, as the population has still not reached the predicted 55,000 people envisioned by MacArthur. However, the opening of the 1.3 million square foot Gardens Mall in 1988 initiated a new wave of development, as did the sell off in 1999 of approximately 5,000 acres (20 km²) in the city by the John D. and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, which was developed quickly and led to much new growth in the city. Today the Gardens Mall and surrounding shopping precincts along the city's main thouroughfare PGA Boulevard, combine to create one of the premier locations in the southeast, if not the country, including stores such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sur La Table, Urban Outfitters, Container Store and Store House; as well as many outposts of famous pubs and eateries such as Atlanta based The Grape, L.A. based Yardhouse and New York based The Strip House.

Climate

Palm Beach Gardens shares the rest of South Florida's subtropical climate. However do to its slightly more inland and northerly location, the area experiences slightly chillier nights in the winter than more southerly and coastal areas such as Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach. The city suffered much damage to its tropical landscaping in the hard freezes of 1985 and 1989, but has experienced no freezing temperatures since. The city was hard hit by Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Wilma in 2004 and 2005. Much of the city lost power for days at a time after each storm. Most traffic signals and directional signs in the city were destroyed, adding to the post-storm chaos. The state has begun a slow process of replacing all traffic signals hanging from flimsy cables with ones secured tightly to sturdy mast arms in the city, so that destruction of the traffic control system would be minimized by future hurricanes.

Culture and Recreation

The city is well known for promoting a leisure and recreation lifestyle for its residents, often marketed in luxurious settings. It is also known for stringent zoning laws and elaborate landscaping requirements which lend to a leafy and well manicured environment, even on traffic choked thoroughfares. The city is also home to an inordinant number of large gated communities, which incurrs the city some derision as being exclusive. All in all, however, the city still offers a fairly diverse range of housing types and prices, although new construction tends to be very expensive in the city.

The city is also the headquarters for the Professional Golfers' Association of America. The city bills itself as the Golf Capital of the World, and there are 12 champion level golf courses within the city limits including a municipally owned course. Several PGA tournaments have been hosted in Palm Beach Gardens since 1971. The Honda Classic is hosted in March next year (2007) at PGA National located west within in the city limits.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 35,058 people, 15,599 households, and 10,217 families residing in the city. The population density was 243.1/km² (629.6/mi²). There were 18,317 housing units at an average density of 127.0/km² (329.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.78% White, 2.30% African American, 0.11% Native American, 2.15% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.63% of the population.

There were 15,599 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $59,776, and the median income for a family was $74,548. Males had a median income of $50,045 versus $33,221 for females. The per capita income for the city was $42,975. About 3.5% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

In December 1987, the last "missing link" of Interstate 95, running up the eastern seaboard from Miami to the Canadian border opened in the city, paving the way for new development immediately to the north. There are three interchanges on Interstate 95 serving the city and fourth is planned at Central Boulevard. The city also is served by two interchanges on the Florida's Turnpike. Public transit is available to the rest of Palm Beach County via PalmTran, and the Regional Transit Authority is in the planning stages of extending the Tri-Rail Commuter System north from Miami and West Palm Beach, with a proposed station near PGA Boulevard. A trolley system is also proposed to serve the newly developed "downtown" area.

Economy

Ameribank[1], Wackenhut and the Professional Golfers' Association of America have their headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens. The Gardens Mall and Downtown at the Gardens[2] are the center of the city's retail market.

Education

The city is home to the Eissey Campus of the Palm Beach Community College system, which includes the Eissey Theatre for the Performing Arts. The city is also home to two public high schools, one private high school, two middle schools, and numerous public and private grade schools well known for their high level of achievement.

See also

• Palm Beach Community College: local community college with a Palm Beach Gardens campus.

External links

• City of Palm Beach Gardens
• Downtown and the Gardens
• The Gardens Mall
• Website Design - Palm Beach Gardens