It is the largest city in Palm Beach County, and at the time of the2020 census, its population was 117,415.[8] West Palm Beach is a principal city of theMiami metropolitan area, which was home to 6.14 million people in 2020.[12] It is the oldest incorporatedmunicipality in the South Florida area, incorporated as a city two years beforeMiami in November 1894. West Palm Beach is located approximately 68 miles (109 km) north ofDowntown Miami.
Old city hall and jailWest Palm Beach in the 1880sWest Palm Beach in the 1960sWest Palm Beach skyline in 2010Aerial viewWide panorama of skylinePanoramic view of West Palm Beach,North Palm Beach andLake Worth, 1915
The beginning of the historic period in south Florida is marked byJuan Ponce de León's first contact with native people in 1513.Europeans found a thriving native population, which they categorized into separate tribes: theMayaimi in the Lake Okeechobee Basin and theJaega andAis people in the East Okeechobee area and on the east coast north of theTequesta. When the Spanish arrived, there were around 20,000 Native Americans in south Florida. By 1763, by the time the English gained control of Florida, the native peoples had been all but wiped out through war, enslavement, or European diseases.[13]
Other native peoples fromAlabama andGeorgia 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 theSeminole andMiccosukee 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 theIndian Territory west of theMississippi River. Between 1818 and 1858, three wars were fought between Seminoles and the United States government. By 1858, very few Seminoles remained in Florida.[14]
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 ColonelWilliam 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 byHenry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grandhotels on the neighboring island ofPalm Beach, acrossLake 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.
On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at Clematis St. and Poinsettia, now Dixie Hwy.) and passed a motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (nowMiami-Dade County).[15] This made West Palm Beach the first incorporatedmunicipality in Dade County and inSouth 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 tourist industry and related services or winter vegetable market and tropical fruit trade. In 1909, the Florida legislature formed Palm Beach County and West Palm Beach became its county seat. In 1916, a new neoclassical courthouse was opened. It has been painstakingly restored to its original condition and is now a local history museum.
The city grew rapidly in the 1920s as part of theFlorida land boom. The population of West Palm Beach quadrupled from 1920 to 1927, and all kinds of businesses and public services grew along with it. Many landmark structures and preserved neighborhoods were constructed during this period. Originally, Flagler intended hisFlorida East Coast Railway to have itsterminus in West Palm, but after the area experienced a deep freeze, he chose to extend the railroad to Miami instead.
The land boom was already faltering when the city was devastated by the1928 Okeechobee hurricane. The Depression years of the 1930s were a quiet time for the area, which saw slight population growth and property values lower than during the 1920s. The city only recovered with the onset of World War II, which saw the construction ofPalm Beach Air Force Base, which brought thousands of military personnel to the city. The base was vital to the allied war effort, as it provided an excellent training facility and had unparalleled access to North Africa for a North American city. Also during World War II, German U-boats sank two dozen merchant ships and oil tankers off the coast of West Palm Beach. Nearby Palm Beach was under blackout conditions to minimize night visibility to German U-boats.[16]
The 1950s saw another boom in population, partly due to the return of many soldiers and airmen who served nearby during the war. Also, the advent ofair conditioning encouraged growth, as year-round living in a tropical climate became more acceptable to northerners. West Palm Beach became one of the nation's fastest-growing metropolitan areas during the 1950s; the city's borders spread west of Military Trail and south to Lake Clarke Shores. However, many city residents still lived in a narrow six-block wide strip from the south to north end. The neighborhoods were strictly segregated between White and African-American populations, a legacy that the city still struggles with today. The primary shopping district remained downtown, centered around Clematis Street.[17]
In the 1960s, Palm Beach County's first enclosed shopping mall, thePalm Beach Mall, and an indoor arena were completed. These projects led to a brief revival for the city, but in the 1970s and 1980s crime continued to be a serious issue and suburban sprawl continued to drain resources and business away from the old downtown area. By the early 1990s there were very high vacancy rates downtown, and serious levels of urban blight.[18]
Since the 1990s, developments such asCityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in theentertainment and shopping district. The city has also placed emphasis on neighborhood development and revitalization in historic districts such as Northwood, Flamingo Park, and El Cid. Some neighborhoods still struggle with blight, crime, and lowered property values caused by the Great Recession, which hit the region particularly hard. Since the recovery, multiple new developments have been completed. The Palm Beach Mall, located at the Interstate 95/Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard interchange became abandoned as downtown revitalized - the very mall that initiated the original abandonment of the downtown. The mall was redeveloped into the Palm Beach Fashion Outlets in February 2014. TheWest Palm Beach station forBrightline, ahigh speed passenger rail service serving Miami,Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, was opened in 2018.[19]
1967 – West Palm Beach Auditorium opens (capacity: 5,000). It would later be sold in 1998 to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Inc (Jehovah's Witnesses) It was renovated and renamed theWest Palm Beach Christian Convention Center.
According to theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the West Palm Beach Canal (C-51)/Stormwater Treatment Area (STA)1 East project was authorized by theU.S. Congress under the Flood Control Acts of 1948, 1954, 1962, 1968, and theWater Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1996. The project is located inPalm Beach County and runs east to west fromWest Palm Beach at Lake Worth to Water Conservation Area (WCA) No. 1 (Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge). The authorized project will provide 30-year flood protection to the urbanized eastern basin and 10-year flood protection to the western basin. All eastern basin features have been completed.[17]
During mediation of the Everglades water quality litigation, a technical plan was developed for resolution of the litigation. The technical plan included a substantially modified C-51 project. The modified plan expands the original 1,600-acre floodwater detention area into a 6,500-acre stormwater detention area. In addition to the flood damage reduction benefits provided by the original project, the modified plan provideswater treatment, reduction of damaging freshwaterdischarges toLake Worth, and increasedwater supply for theEverglades and other users.[17]
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the total estimated cost of the West Palm Beach Canal (C51) is $375.47 million, with an estimated $345.04 million as the Federal Government's cost share. A total of $1.05 million was appropriated for this project by the U.S. Congress in Fiscal Year 2015. The Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request from theU.S. President to the U.S. Congress was for $1 million.[17]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, this city has a total area of 58.2 square miles (151 km2), of which 55.1 square miles (143 km2) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2) (5.26%) is water.
Due to vast areas ofwetland 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.[18]
West Palm Beach skyline from the northClematis StreetComeau Building, Clematis Street
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 90-foot (27 m) 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.[19]
Central Park: Central Park is a collective name for several subdivisions north of Southern Boulevard. It originally was part of the Estates of South Palm Beach (which extended from Wenonah Place to Pilgrim Road east of Dixie Highway). Like other West Palm Beach neighborhoods, the Estates of South Palm Beach boomed after Henry Flagler's descent on Palm Beach. In 1884, James W. Copp, a bachelor in the boating business, borrowed $367.20 from Valentine Jones to buy the land. The ownership of what is now Central Park changed hands many times before being developed. Around 1919, the tropical wilderness was transformed into an exclusive neighborhood with curbed roads, sidewalks, and a pier (at the foot of what is now Southern Boulevard). The neighborhood became part of West Palm Beach in 1926, and was named a city historic district in December 1993. In 1999, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
El Cid: Noted for its Mediterranean revival and mission-style homes, El Cid developed in the height of Florida's real estate boom. In the late 19th century, most land north of Sunset Road was pineapple fields, but the crop dwindled in the early 20th century. Pittsburgh socialite Jay Phipps subdivided the old pineapple fields in the 1920s and named it El Cid after celebrated Spanish hero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, who conquered Valencia in 1094. He was called "Cid," meaning "lord." El Cid became a city historic district in June 1993. In 1995 the neighborhood was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Flamingo Park: Originally a pineapple plantation, Flamingo Park was established by local contractors and developers, who saw the potential in this area—one of the highest coastal ridge sections from downtown West Palm Beach to Miami. Some ridge houses even had ocean views from upper floors. Houses cost about $10,000 to $18,000 in the boom era, and many buyers owned shops and businesses on fashionable Dixie Highway nearby. Recently, residents rallied to have stop signs installed through the neighborhood and banded together to ward off commercial and industrial zoning. Property values are rising as residents renovate and restore Spanish-style houses. Most homes in the neighborhood, developed from 1921 to 1930, are mission style, but nearly every style is represented. There are many Mediterranean revival-style houses along the high ridge line. Only two buildings in the historic district are known to have been designed by architects: 701 Flamingo Drive designed by Harvey and Clarke, and the Armory Arts Center designed by William Manly King. The neighborhood became a West Palm Beach historic district in January 1993 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Grandview Heights: One of the city's oldest intact neighborhoods, Grandview Heights was built as an extension of Palm Beach Heights from around 1910 to 1925. Almost all of Palm Beach Heights and half of Grandview Heights was demolished in 1989 to make way for the proposed Downtown/Uptown project, which became CityPlace. Grandview Heights originally attracted construction workers who helped build the luxury hotels, ministers, and store owners. The neighborhood has one of the city's best collection of early craftsman-style bungalows, as well as some modest, Mediterranean revival-style homes. The neighborhood became a West Palm Beach historic district in 1995 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[43]
Mango Promenade: Mango Promenade became a West Palm Beach historic district in 1995 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Lies just south of Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Northboro Park: An expansion of Old Northwood, Northboro Park was mostly custom houses for upper-middle-class professionals. Most of the houses are Mediterranean revival, mission and frame vernacular. Developed from 1923 to 1940, the neighborhood became the city's second historic district (November 1992) and the historic designation may soon expand north to 45th Street. The oldest building in the neighborhood is Northboro Elementary School at 36th Street and Spruce, built in 1925 by DaCamara and Chace. The demolition of Northboro Elementary School began in late 2009. The first home in Northboro Park is 418 36th St., built in 1923.
Northwest: West Palm Beach's first historic district to be included on the National Register of Historic Places (February 1992), the Northwest neighborhood was first settled in 1894, when the black community was moved from the Styx in Palm Beach to West Palm Beach. It also served as the city's segregated black community from 1929 to 1960 (along with Pleasant City). Northwest remains a predominantly black community but according to the city planning department, most middle- and upper-class blacks moved to other neighborhoods after desegregation. Tamarind and Rosemary Avenues were the commercial centers for blacks by 1915, but most commercial buildings have been demolished or remodeled so the architecture is no longer significant. There are still good examples of late 19th- and early 20th-century American bungalow/craftsman-style homes in this neighborhood, which also has mission, shotgun, Bahamian vernacular, and American Foursquare styles. The Alice Frederick Mickens house, at 801 Fourth St., is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mickens was a philanthropist and humanitarian who promoted education for black youth. Another notable house is theGwen Cherry house at 625 Division Ave. Cherry, Florida's first Black woman legislator and a resident of Miami, inherited the house from relative Mollie Holt, who built the house in 1926. Now it is the Palm Beach County Black Historical Society. The Northwest neighborhood was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The next year the neighborhood became a West Palm Beach historic district in 1993.
Old Northwood Historic District: Old Northwood was developed from 1920 to 1927—the height of the city's real estate boom. The Pinewood Development Co., platted and developed the area. Old Northwood became a neighborhood of what was considered extravagant Mediterranean revival, mission, and frame vernacular houses, at $30,000 to $36,000. The buyers were professionals, entrepreneurs and tradesmen. Among them was David F. Dunkle, who was mayor of West Palm Beach. There are houses here designed by notable architects John Volk (best known for his Palm Beach houses), William Manly King (who designed Palm Beach High School and the Armory Arts Center) and Henry Steven Harvey (whose Seaboard Railroad Passenger Station on Tamarind Avenue is listed in the National Register of Historic Places). The neighborhood became a West Palm Beach historic district in 1991 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in June 1994.
Northwood Hills Historic District: On August 4, 2003, the City Commission designated the Northwood Hills neighborhood as the 13th Historic District in the City of West Palm Beach. Northwood Hills comprises the area from 29th Street on the South to 39th Court on the North. The east side of Windsor is the Western boundary, and Greenwood Avenue is the Eastern boundary.[44] The Neighborhood Association has worked several years to achieve the distinction of historic designation. This is the first district to be designated since 1996. Northwood Hills has a number of Mission Revival houses, a significant collection of Post-World War II architecture, a unique street layout, and one of the highest elevations in the city. The Northwood Hills neighborhood has also elected to allow the establishment of Bed and Breakfast establishments within the neighborhood.
Prospect Park: Promoted as ahigh-end neighborhood patterned after the prominent Prospect Park district in Brooklyn, this area consisted of mostly smaller estates for prominent businesspeople and northern investors. The neighborhood has a high concentration of Mediterranean revival and Mission revival houses. It was developed from 1920 to 1935 and became a city historic district in November 1993.
West Northwood Historic District: Cashing in on the real estate boom, developers of West Northwood built speculative and custom houses for upper-middle-class professionals from 1925 to '27. Dominant architectural styles are Mediterranean revival and mission. Although the area was declining, that has reversed in recent years, as more investors buy and restore the houses. West Northwood became a city historic district in August 1993.
West Palm Beach Census Designated Places and Urbanized Area
The estimated 2012 population of West Palm Beach and the immediately adjacent Census Designated Places is 134,795.[19] Much of this urbanized area lies directly west of the city and includes the neighborhoods of Westgate, Belvedere Homes, Lakeside Green, Century Village, Schall Circle, Lake Belvedere Estates, Plantation Mobile Homes, and Golden Lakes. These neighborhoods are not technically within the boundaries of West Palm Beach, being located in unincorporated Palm Beach County. However, residents possess a "West Palm Beach" address and urban services, such as police, fire, parks, water and sewer, are provided by a combination of Palm Beach County and the City of West Palm Beach in these areas. The City of West Palm Beach also provides water and sewer service to the Town of Palm Beach. The contiguous "urbanized" area, of which West Palm Beach is the core city, includes most of eastern Palm Beach County and has an estimated 2008 population of around 1,250,000.[43]
Key incorporated cities and their populations within the West Palm Beachurbanized area include:
There is year-round rainfall, with the majority falling in a wet season from May through October that is hot and humid. The average window for 90 °F (32 °C) temperatures is April 15 through October 10, but temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) or higher have only occurred four times since record-keeping began in 1888. During this period, more than half of the days bring afternoon thunderstorms and sea breezes that cool the air for the rest of the day. Late in the season, there is also a chance for a tropical storm or hurricane to strike. The area was unusually hard-hit in 2004 and 2005, when HurricanesFrances,Jeanne andWilma caused property damage and power outages.[47][48][49][50]
Although it lacks a fullydry season, the period from November through April is warm and drier, with 80 °F (27 °C) temperatures remaining fairly commonplace even from December through February. Occasionally, a stronger cold front can lower daytime temperatures to around 57 °F (14 °C), the annual mean minimum max temperature, and lows to around 38 °F (3 °C). Freezes are rare; the most recent was in 2010. This dry season can also bring about potential for drought during hotter, drier seasons.
Climate data for West Palm Beach, Florida (PBI), 1991–2020 normals,[51] extremes 1888–present
In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $36,774, and the median income for a family was $42,074. Males had a median income of $30,221 versus $26,473 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $23,188. About 14.5% of families and 18.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.2% of those under the age of 18 and 14.8% of those ages 65 and older.
West Palm Beach is governed via theMayor-council system. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. The five members of the city council are each elected from districts.
Additionally, the Haverhill BR, Palms Central, and West Palm Beach (including the window unit) post offices are located in anunincorporated area, while the Lake Park Post Office is located inLake Park, despite having a West Palm Beach address.[85]
West Palm Beach has its own police force, the West Palm Beach Police Department.[86]
In 2014, an officer with a history of misconduct pled guilty to selling drugs while on duty.[87][88]
Overall, 18 public elementary schools serve students within the city limits or in unincorporated areas, including Belvedere, Benoist Farms, Egret Lake, Forest Hill, Grove Park, Hope-Centennial, Meadow Park, Northboro, Northmore, Palm Beach, Palmetto, Pleasant City, Roosevelt, Seminole Trails, South Olive, U.B. Kinsey/Palmview (Performing and Visual School of the ArtsMagnet School), West Gate, and Westward Elementary School.[90]
Public middle school students are served by nine different schools, including Bak Middle School of the Arts, Bear Lakes, Conniston, Jeaga, John F. Kennedy, Okeeheelee, Palm Springs, Roosevelt, and Western Pines.[91] There are also six public high schools for students in West Palm Beach or nearby unincorporated areas, includingDreyfoos School of the Arts (Performing and Visual School of the Arts Magnet School),Forest Hill,G-Star School Of The Arts,Palm Beach Gardens,Palm Beach Lakes, andRoyal Palm Beach.[92]
Palm Beach Atlantic University lies along the Intracoastal WaterwayLake Worth Lagoon.
Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU), a four-year private Christian university with approximately 3,200 students, is located in the city on seven blocks within the south end of downtown. The campus includes several historic structures converted to academic use. PBAU has recently added schools of nursing and of pharmacy.
Northwood University formerly had a residential campus in West Palm Beach, Florida. The campus now belongs toKeiser University, a regionally accredited school that offers a variety of degrees at the Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral levels. It is one of their 16 Florida campuses.
TheMandel Public Library of West Palm Beach serves the city.[94] The new city public library opened in April 2009 at 411 Clematis Street, replacing the 1962 building which stood at the intersection of Clematis Street and Flagler Drive, along the Intracoastal Waterfront. Named for a Mandel Foundation grant received in 2012, the Mandel Public Library provides books, performances, classes, research, entertainment, technology, music and more.[citation needed]
Norton Museum of Art: is the largest art museum in Florida and also organizes traveling exhibits. The permanent collection features 19th and 20th century European and American art, Chinese, contemporary art and photography.
The exterior of the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
Meyer Amphitheater: An abandoned Holiday Inn, demolished on New Year's Eve 1993 and transformed into an outdoor waterfrontamphitheater.
Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum: is operated and maintained by the Historical Society of Palm Beach County,[97] and is in the Historic 1916 Court House in downtown West Palm Beach. The museum provides access to Palm Beach County history through on-site investigation in the Research Library, on-line research on www.pbchistoryonline.org, the Public Programming Series and the Distinguished Lecture Series. The museum is free to visitors and offers Docent-led tours for adults and school groups.
Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum
Palm Beach County Convention Center: A complex with 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2) of exhibit halls and meeting rooms in downtown West Palm Beach.
Harriet Himmel Theater: is a multi-use theater and historic church, and is the cultural centerpiece ofCityPlace.
Harriet Himmel Theater
The Carefree Theatre: Built in 1940, in the historic Flamingo Park district, it was variously anart house cinema and alternative music performance venue until severely damaged by Hurricane Wilma.
There is a Jewish community offering learning and cultural activities.[98][99]
TheSandi Tree is a 35-foot-tall (11 m) sand sculpture weighing 700 tons and decorated with lights. The tree is displayed at the Centennial Square Fountain during Decembers. A laser light show plays each night during the Holiday Season.[102]
Palm Beach Atlantic University competes in NCAA Division II basketball, baseball and soccer. PBAU recently purchased a large tract of land west of downtown where a multi-use athletic stadium will be constructed.[103] Indoor athletics play their home games at the Greene Complex which is an on-campus arena.Florida Atlantic University's athletic programs are played in nearbyBoca Raton. FAU competes in the highest level of NCAA athletics including football, basketball, baseball, softball and tennis.Keiser University competes at the NAIA level, where their former basketball coachRollie Massimino, helped in giving the athletic program national exposure.
Palm Beach Polo and Country Club counts seven polo fields among its world-class facilities and many high-goal games are played in the area. The equestrian events at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center are the world-renowned Winter Equestrian Festival, the Global Dressage Festival, and over 40 weeks a year of equestrian competitions, hosted inWellington.
The National Croquet Center has 12 full sized croquet lawns, making it the largest dedicated croquet facility in the world. It hosts several national championships and in May 2009 will host the World Championship when representatives of up to 25 countries will be competing for the Wimbledon Cup.
Okeeheelee Park contains one of the most celebrated BMX race tracks in the state of Florida. Insured by USA BMX, the Okeeheelee track is host to state qualifiers and national races, as well as being home to several national champions.[citation needed]
Clematis Street: is West Palm Beach's historic "main street" and shopping venue, home to Clematis by Night, an outdoor event held on the street with live music and food. During the fall and winter months, Clematis is also home to the WPB GreenMarket.[106]
CityPlace: Opened in 2000 on re-developed land where dilapidated single family homes and apartments once stood, CityPlace houses night clubs, restaurants, clothing and home-decor retail outlets, and multi-story town houses and apartments.
Palm Beach Outlets: Opened in 2014, it was developed on the site of the former Palm Beach Mall. Palm Beach Outlets features over 130 stores and is located directly off Interstate 95 on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard.
Antique Row: is a shopping district on the south side of the city along Dixie Highway. Architectural Digest, The New York Times, Art & Antiques, and House Beautiful have all noted Antique Row as one of the east coast's premier antique districts, considered the "antique design center" of Florida.[107]
Northwood Village: is an historic commercial district north of downtown. The city invested money in rebuilding the streetscape and promoting the area as an arts district.
The city is served byPalm Beach International Airport, located in unincorporated Palm Beach County. The airport attracts people from all over the county as well as from theTreasure Coast andSpace Coast counties to the north. In 2014 there were over 6.5 million passengers who passed through the gates of PBIA making it the 52nd busiest airport in the nation.[108]
The city's flat terrain, early paved streets, and year-round climate quickly earned it the designation as the "bicyclingest town in the U.S.A.". The historic core consists of a dense grid of narrower streets, laid out byHenry Flagler.Clematis Street was one-lane each direction with a speed limit of 12 mph, and the middle of the street between lanes was used to park bicycles.[109] The popularity of bicycling declined during the later half of the 20th century, but has undergone a renewed increase in popularity. In addition, a bike share program, SkyBike, was introduced in 2015,[110] and the city's mobility plan calls for protected bike lanes on most downtown streets.[111]
U.S. 1 passes through the city's downtown, commercial, and industrial districts.Interstate 95 bisects the city from north to south with multiple interchanges serving West Palm Beach, including an entrance to Palm Beach International Airport.Florida's Turnpike passes through West Palm Beach further west, connecting with the western suburbs ofRoyal Palm Beach andWellington.State Road 80, running east–west, is a partial expressway, that runs from Interstate 95 to State Road 7.
There is a free downtown trolley that provides transportation around downtown including Clematis, City Place, Tri Rail Station, Palm Beach Outlets, and Waterfront districts of the city.[114][115]
Greyhound Lines operates scheduledintercity bus service out of the train station on the west side of Tamarind Avenue.Palm Tran, the Palm Beach County municipal bus service, operates scheduled service throughout the city and the suburban areas of Palm Beach County.
ThePort of Palm Beach is located on the northern edge of the city limits. It is the fourth busiest container port in Florida and the 18th busiest in the continental United States. In addition to intermodal capacity, the Port is a major modal point for the shipment of various goods[108] as well as being the home to several small passenger cruise lines.
As a waterfront city there is specific need for water transportation between points in the city and surrounding areas. Waterway transportation is available to and from the downtown Clematis Street District, Sailfish Marina Resort, waterfront attractions,Peanut Island, and special events.
The Palm Beach Post is owned by Virginia-basedGannett. Its name notwithstanding, the Post is based in West Palm Beach, not Palm Beach. The Post is the 57th highest daily circulation in the country, according to the 2007 BurrellesLuce survey, and is the city's sole daily newspaper. It serves Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, the area north of Palm Beach County that includes Martin and St. Lucie Counties.
ThePalm Beach Daily News, another publication owned by Gannett, serves the town of Palm Beach. It frequently covers issues and affairs of the Palm Beach city council. It also extends coverage to events taking place in West Palm Beach.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, is based in Fort Lauderdale and covers portions of Southern Palm Beach County.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach is an alternative weekly publication serving West Palm Beach along with Fort Lauderdale.
WPB Magazine is a quarterly publication serving West Palm Beach.
Miami television stations also serving the West Palm Beach area includeWLTV 23 (Univision),WSCV 51.4 (Telemundo) andWAMI-DT 69 (UniMás). In addition to those, many Miami/Ft. Lauderdale market television stations are also available and viewed in West Palm Beach.
Violent crime: According to Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) statistics, West Palm Beach is experiencing a steep drop in major crimes. In the past decade, crime dropped more in West Palm Beach than any other major city (approximately 100,000 residents or more) in Florida. In 1993, West Palm Beach was featured in a60 Minutes segment on urban decay. At the time, 80% of downtown properties were vacant. Since then, the city has done much to improve its image, at least in the physical sense. Occupancy is high, and housing prices have risen rapidly. FDLE statistics show the total crime rate per 100,000 residents has dropped by over 50% since 2000, from 13,880 that year to 6,571 in 2008. In 2008 alone, there was a 17.9% drop in crime. Annual crime rates are always more than three times the national average. However, as of 2006, the city's crime average has been gradually decreasing while robbery was up 17 percent.[116] West Palm Beach's northern neighbor,Riviera Beach, has an even higher violent crime rate.[117]
The following are the crime rates, per 100,000 people, for West Palm Beach as of 2005.[118]
Maryly Van Leer Peck, American academic, first woman president of a Florida community college and first woman engineer graduate from University of Florida
^Language spoken at home among residents at least five years old; only languages (or language groups) which at least 2% of residents have spoken at any time since 1980 are mentioned
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^"Census Counts: 1890-2020".Florida Municipal Population Census Counts: 1890 to 2020. Office of Economic and Demographic Research, The Florida Legislature. 2023.Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. RetrievedJune 12, 2023.
^Sheskin, Ira M. (Fall 1998). "A Methodology for Examining the Changing Size and Spatial Distribution of a Jewish Population: A Miami Case Study".Shofar.17 (1). Purdue University Press.
^"SunFest". SunFest of Palm Beach County. RetrievedNovember 29, 2010.
Dora Doster Utz (1973)."West Palm Beach"(PDF).Tequesta.33. Historical Association of Southern Florida.ISSN0363-3705 – via Florida International University. (Personal remembrance, circa 1900s-1950s)
Gordon L. Williams (1979)."West Palm Beach that I Remember"(PDF).Tequesta.39. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on March 18, 2015. RetrievedJuly 20, 2015 – via Florida International University. (Personal remembrance, circa 1920s)
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