West Palm Beach

Sister cities

• Tzahar
• Budva
• Mersin

History

The beginning of the historic period in south Florida is marked by Juan Ponce de León's first contact with native people in 1513. Europeans found a thriving native population, which they categorized into separate tribes: the Mayaimi in the Lake Okeechobee Basin and the Jaega and Ais people in the East Okeechobee area and on the east coast north of the Tequesta. When the Spanish arrived, there were around 20,000 Native Americans in south Florida. The area was subsequently incorporated into the Spanish Empire in the early 16th century. By 1763, Native populations in South Florida had been greatly reduced, and surviving groups were reported to have migrated to Cuba when Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain under the Treaty of Paris (1763), which ended the Seven Years' War. Florida remained under British control until 1783, when Spain regained Florida with the Treaty of Paris (1783) that followed the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War. Other native peoples from Alabama and Georgia moved into Florida in the early 18th century. They were of varied ancestry, but Europeans called them all Creeks. In Florida, they were known as the Seminole and Miccosukee Indians. The Seminoles clashed with American settlers over land and escaped slaves who found refuge among them. They resisted the government's efforts to move them to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Between 1818 and 1858, three wars were fought between Seminoles and the United States government. By 1858, very few Seminoles remained in Florida. 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…

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
  12,496
• White Ibis

  Eudocimus albus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,574
• Boat-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus major Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  11,183
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,030
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,197
• Fish Crow

  Corvus ossifragus A.Wilson, 1812 · Aves
  10,106
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,955
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,356

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