Palm Beach, Florida

Coordinates: 26°42′54″N 80°02′22″W / 26.715°N 80.039444°W / 26.715; -80.039444
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Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach in 2011
Palm Beach in 2011
Flag of Palm Beach, Florida
Official seal of Palm Beach, Florida
Location in Palm Beach County and the state of Florida
Location in Palm Beach County and the state of Florida
Map
Map
Map
Coordinates: 26°42′54″N 80°02′22″W / 26.715°N 80.039444°W / 26.715; -80.039444
Country United States
State Florida
County Palm Beach
Settled (Lake Worth Settlement)c. 1872[1][2]
Settled (Palm Beach Settlement)January 9, 1878[3][4]
Incorporated (Town of Palm Beach)April 17, 1911[2]
Government
 • TypeCouncil–Manager
Area
 • Total7.80 sq mi (20.21 km2)
 • Land3.80 sq mi (9.84 km2)
 • Water4.00 sq mi (10.37 km2)
Elevation
7 ft (2 m)
Population
 • Total9,245
 • Density2,430.26/sq mi (938.52/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
33480
Area code561
FIPS code12-54025[7]
GNIS feature ID288390[7]
Websitetownofpalmbeach.com
The Lake Trail along the Lake Worth Lagoon

The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth. As of 2020, 9,245 people lived there.[6]

History[change | change source]

Palm Beach began as a resort town when Henry Morrison Flagler,[8] a founder of Standard Oil, built the Florida East Coast Railway down the coast of Florida. In the center of the community, Flagler built two luxury resort hotels, the Royal Poinciana Hotel and The Breakers Hotel. West Palm Beach was built across Lake Worth as a service town, and is now a major city.

Flagler's land for houses was bought by people active in the Gilded Age, and in 1902 Flagler himself built a Beaux-Arts mansion named Whitehall, designed by the New York–based firm Carrère and Hastings and helped start the Palm Beach winter "season" by entertaining visitors. The town was incorporated on April 17, 1911.

An area known as the Styx housed many of the servants, most of whom were black. The workers rented their small houses from the landowners. In the early 1900s the land owners agreed to evict all of the residents of the Styx (who moved to West Palm Beach) and Edward R. Bradley bought up much of this land.[9]

References[change | change source]

  1. "1860 - 1879". Historical Society of Palm Beach County. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Story of the Town's Founding". Town of Palm Beach. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  3. Kleinberg, Eliot (January 9, 2019). "From The Archives: Shipwreck, its coconuts led to Palm Beach's name". Palm Beach Daily News. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  4. "Viva Florida 500: History happened here - Palm Beach History". vivafl500.org. January 14, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  5. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT ... - Census Bureau Table". P2 | HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Palm Beach". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. October 19, 1979. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  8. "Madoff scandal stuns Palm Beach Jewish community". Reuters. 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  9. "The Styx: Removal". Palm Beach County History Online. 1910-03-22. Retrieved 2010-10-25.