Palm Beach County, Florida
Seal
Location in the state of 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]

History[link]

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.

Geography[link]

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.

Municipalities and census-designated places[link]

Incorporated[link]

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.

Unincorporated census-designated places[link]

• Belle Glade Camp(l)
• Boca Del Mar(c)
• Boca Pointe(a)
• Canal Point(bb)
• Century Village(u)
• Cypress Lakes(w)
• Dunes Road(cc)
• Fremd Village-Padgett Island(aa)
• Golden Lakes(r)
• Gun Club Estates(m)
• Hamptons at Boca Raton(e)
• High Point(i)
• Juno Ridge(z)
• Kings Point(g)
• Lake Belvedere Estates(o)
• Lake Harbor(p)
• Lake Worth Corridor(k)
• Lakeside Green(x)
• Limestone Creek(y)
• Mission Bay(d)
• Plantation Mobile Home Park(s)
• Royal Palm Estates(n)
• Sandalfoot Cove(b)
• Schall Circle(v)
• Seminole Manor(j)
• Stacey Street(q)
• Villages of Oriole(h)
• Westgate-Belvedere Homes(t)
• Whisper Walk(f)

Adjacent counties[link]

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.

Natural areas[link]

• Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
• DuPuis Management Area, a 21,875 acre area of protected lands.
• J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, a 60,348 acre area of protected lands.
• Jupiter Ridge Natural Area, a 271-acre preserve in Jupiter, Florida.
• Juno Dunes Natural Area, a 576-acre preserve in Juno Beach.
• Frenchman's Forest Natural Area, a 158-acre preserve in Palm Beach Gardens
• Sweetbay Natural Area, a1,094-acre preserve in Palm Beach Gardens.
• Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area, a 773 acre preserve in Royal Palm Beach.
• Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area, a 97-acre preserve in Hypoluxo.
• Rosemary Scrub Natural Area, a 14 acre preserve in Boynton Beach.
• Seacrest Scrub Natural Area, a 54 acre preserve in Boynton Beach.
• Delray Oaks Natural Area a 25-acre prairie and xeric hammock preserve with a small strand swamp and areas of flatwoods in Delray Beach.
• Leon M. Weekes Environmental Preserve, a 12 acre preserve in Delray Beach.

Demographics[link]

2000 Census[link]

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 (70.6% were Non-Hispanic White,)^[9] 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.^[10]

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.

Languages[link]

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.^[11]

Elections[link]

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 impacted the presidential election that year between eventual winner George W. Bush and 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]}

Economy[link]

Previously W. R. Grace and Company had its headquarters in unincorporated Palm Beach County, near Boca Raton.^[12][13] 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.^[12][14]

Government[link]

The Florida Department of Corrections operates the Glades Correctional Institution in an unincorporated area in Palm Beach County near Belle Glade.^[15]

Transportation[link]

Expressways[link]

• Interstate 95
• Florida's Turnpike

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.^[16][17] Ultimately, both expressways were canceled due to opposition from county residents.^[18][19][20]

Major highways[link]

Federal Highway:

• U.S. 1
• Route 5 (Hidden designation)
• Route 805 (Hidden designation)

Range Line Road:

• U.S. 441
• Route 7

Southern Boulevard:

• U.S.98
• Route 80
• Route 700

Other major highways:

• A1A (Ocean Boulevard)
• 25px Route 807/County Road 807 (Congress Ave)
• 25px Route 809/County Road 809 (Military Trail)
• Route 710 (Bee Line Hwy)

Railroads[link]

• Tri-Rail runs along eastern Palm Beach county, adjacent to Interstate 95 for most of its length. It has stops in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, and Mangonia Park.

Airports[link]

• Palm Beach International Airport
• Palm Beach County Park Airport
• North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport
• Boca Raton Airport

Public transit[link]

• PalmTran provides bus service throughout Palm Beach county.

Seaport[link]

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

Education[link]

Primary and secondary schools[link]

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.^[21] 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.^[22]

Colleges and universities[link]

• Florida Atlantic University
• Lynn University
• Northwood University
• Nova Southeastern University
• Palm Beach Atlantic University
• Palm Beach State College

Public libraries[link]

Palm Beach County Library System operates public libraries, the main one being the West Palm Beach Public Library.

Sports[link]

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.

Annual events of interest[link]

• South Florida Fair
• Sun Fest
• Boat Show

Places of interest[link]

• American Orchid Society Visitors Center and Botanical Garden
• Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
• Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
• Lion Country Safari
• Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, including the Roji-en Japanese Gardens
• Mounts Botanical Garden
• Norton Museum of Art
• Palm Beach Maritime Museum ^[23]
• Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park
• South Florida Science Museum

Media[link]

• The Palm Beach Post
• WPEC-TV 12 News
• Palm Beach Daily News
• New Times Broward-Palm Beach - an alternative weekly

See also[link]

Miami portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Palm Beach County, Florida

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Palm Beach County, Florida

Government links/Constitutional offices[link]

• Palm Beach County Government / Board of County Commissioners official website
• Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections
• Palm Beach County Property Appraiser
• Palm Beach County Tax Collector
• Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
• Clerk & Comptroller, Palm Beach County

Special districts[link]

• Palm Beach County School District
• South Florida Water Management

Emergency services[link]

• Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
• Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue

Judicial branch[link]

• Palm Beach County Public Defender
• Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office, 15th Judicial Circuit
• 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links[link]

• Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches

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

	Okeechobee County and Glades County	Martin County
	Hendry County		Atlantic Ocean
		Palm Beach County, Florida    East
		Broward County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States County seat: West Palm Beach Cities Atlantis Belle Glade Boca Raton Boynton Beach Delray Beach Greenacres Lake Worth Pahokee Palm Beach Gardens Riviera Beach South Bay West Palm Beach Towns Briny Breezes Cloud Lake Glen Ridge Gulf Stream Haverhill Highland Beach Hypoluxo Juno Beach Jupiter Jupiter Inlet Colony Lake Clarke Shores Lake Park Lantana Loxahatchee Groves Manalapan Mangonia Park Ocean Ridge Palm Beach Palm Beach Shores South Palm Beach Villages Golf North Palm Beach Palm Springs Royal Palm Beach Tequesta Wellington CDPs Belle Glade Camp Boca Del Mar Boca Pointe Canal Point Century Village Cypress Lakes Fremd Village-Padgett Island Golden Lakes Gun Club Estates Hamptons at Boca Raton High Point Juno Ridge Kings Point Lake Belvedere Estates Lake Harbor Lake Worth Corridor Lakeside Green Limestone Creek Mission Bay Plantation Mobile Home Park Royal Palm Estates Sandalfoot Cove Schall Circle Seminole Manor Stacey Street Villages of Oriole Westgate-Belvedere Homes Whisper Walk Unincorporated communities The Acreage Boca West Bryant Dahlberg Deem City Dunes Road Loxahatchee Okeelanta Pelican Lake

v t e  State of Florida Tallahassee (capital) Topics Delegations Environment Floridians Geography Government History State Parks Transportation Visitor Attractions Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Regions Big Bend Central Florida Emerald Coast First Coast Florida Heartland Florida Keys Florida Panhandle Forgotten Coast Fun Coast Glades Gold Coast Nature Coast North Central Florida North Florida Northeast Florida South Florida Southwest Florida Space Coast Suncoast Tampa Bay Area Treasure Coast Metro areas Cape Coral–Fort Myers Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach Fort Walton Beach–Crestview–Destin Gainesville Jacksonville Lakeland–Winter Haven Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Naples–Marco Island North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Ocala Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Palm Coast Panama City–Lynn Haven–Panama City Beach Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Port St. Lucie Punta Gorda Sebastian–Vero Beach Tallahassee Tampa-St. Petersburg–Clearwater Largest cities Jacksonville Miami Tampa St. Petersburg Orlando Hialeah Tallahassee Fort Lauderdale Port St. Lucie Pembroke Pines Cape Coral Hollywood Gainesville Miramar Coral Springs Clearwater Miami Gardens Brandon Palm Bay West Palm Beach Pompano Beach Spring Hill Lakeland Davie Miami Beach Counties Alachua Baker Bay Bradford Brevard Broward Calhoun Charlotte Citrus Clay Collier Columbia DeSoto Dixie Duval Escambia Flagler Franklin Gadsden Gilchrist Glades Gulf Hamilton Hardee Hendry Hernando Highlands Hillsborough Holmes Indian River Jackson Jefferson Lafayette Lake Lee Leon Levy Liberty Madison Manatee Marion Martin Miami‑Dade Monroe Nassau Okaloosa Okeechobee Orange Osceola Palm Beach Pasco Pinellas Polk Putnam Santa Rosa Sarasota Seminole St. Johns St. Lucie Sumter Suwannee Taylor Union Volusia Wakulla Walton Washington

Palm Beach may refer to:

Places[link]

Aruba

• Palm Beach, Aruba, a town northwest of Oranjestad

Australia

• Palm Beach, New South Wales, a suburb of the city of Sydney
• Palm Beach, Queensland, a part of the Gold Coast

South Africa

• Palm Beach, South Africa, on the Hibiscus Coast, KwaZulu-Natal

United States

• Palm Beach, Florida, a town in Palm Beach County
• West Palm Beach, Florida, the county seat of Palm Beach County
• Palm Beach County, Florida
• Palm Beach, Illinois
• Palm Beach International Raceway, a motorsports facility in Florida

Hotels[link]

• Palm Beach Hotel (Palm Beach, Florida)
• Palm Beach Hotel (Benidorm), Spain
• Palm Beach Hotel (Kotu), The Gambia

Others[link]

• Palm Beach (film), a 1980 Australian drama movie

See also: Palm Coast

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