West Palm Beach

Sister cities

• Tzahar
• Budva
• Mersin

History

The area that became West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity Lake Worth Country. These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the rest of the world. They included founding families such as the Potters and the Lainharts, who later became leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, which was then an enclosed freshwater lake, named after Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment to the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what later became West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the "Cocoanut House", a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original town's site, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth. The city was incorporated on November 5, 1894. This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South Florida. The town council quickly addressed the building codes, and the tents and shanties were replaced by brick, brick veneer, and stone buildings. The city grew steadily during the 1890s and the first two decades of the 20th century; most residents were engaged in the…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, this city has a total area of , of which is land and (5.26%) is water. Due to vast areas of wetland immediately west of the city's downtown, growth occurred north and south in a linear fashion. Until the 1960s, the city was only several blocks wide but over 100 blocks in length. Large scale development finally expanded westward with improved access and drainage in the 1960s. However, the city boundaries were not expanded much with the exception of the "Water Catchment Area," an uninhabited area in the northwest part of the city. Known as Grassy Waters, it serves as a reservoir for the city drinking water and a nature preserve. Bel Air Historic District: Developed from 1925 to 1935 as a neighborhood for tradesmen and real estate salesmen who helped develop Palm Beach County, some of Belair was originally a pineapple plantation owned by Richard Hone. Hones's frame vernacular house, built around 1895, still stands at 211 Plymouth Road. After Hone was murdered in 1902, his property was sold to George Currie, who created Currie Development Co. But before it was developed, the land was sold to William Ohlhaber, who raised coconut palms and ferns. Eventually, Ohlhaber platted the subdivision and sold off lots. The first house built in the subdivision was Ohlhaber's mission-style home at 205 Pilgrim. Ohlhaber's grandson said Ohlhaber bought the tract to provide dockage for his yacht, but the yacht ran aground in the Gulf of Mexico and never reached Lake Worth. In 1947, Hone's house was bought by Henry Flagler's chief engineer Max Brombacher, and it remains in the Brombacher family today. Belair became West Palm Beach's fourth historic district in August 1993. Much of this urbanized area lies directly west of the city and…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,593
• White Ibis

  Eudocimus albus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,698
• Boat-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus major Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  11,323
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,097
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,278
• Fish Crow

  Corvus ossifragus A.Wilson, 1812 · Aves
  10,062
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,006
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,331

Largest nearby schools

• JOHN I. LEONARD HIGH SCHOOL
  High · GREENACRES · 3,549 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• PALM BEACH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
  High · WELLINGTON · 2,980 students · 21.4:1 ratio
• PALM BEACH LAKES HIGH SCHOOL
  High · WEST PALM BEACH · 2,688 students · 23.4:1 ratio
• LAKE WORTH HIGH SCHOOL
  High · LAKE WORTH · 2,683 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• PALM BEACH GARDENS HIGH SCHOOL
  High · PALM BEACH GARDENS · 2,570 students · 17:1 ratio
• FOREST HILL COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · WEST PALM BEACH · 2,407 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• ROYAL PALM BEACH HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ROYAL PALM BEACH · 2,343 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• WILLIAM T. DWYER HIGH SCHOOL
  High · PALM BEACH GARDENS · 2,206 students · 18.1:1 ratio