Palm Beach, Florida

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
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountyPalm 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
 • MayorDanielle H. Moore (R)[5]
 • Council PresidentMargaret "Maggie" A. Zeidman
 • CommissionersJulie Araskog,
Lew Crampton,
Ted Cooney, and
President Pro Tem
Barbara "Bobbie" Lindsay
 • Town ManagerKirk Blouin
 • Town ClerkKelly Churney
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
 • Estimate 
(2022)[8]
9,235
 • Density2,430.26/sq mi (938.52/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
33480
Area code(s)561, 728
FIPS code12-54025[9]
GNIS feature ID288390[9]
Websitetownofpalmbeach.com

Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoastal Waterway to its west and a small section of the Intracoastal Waterway and South Palm Beach to its south. It is part of the South Florida metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, Palm Beach had a year-round population of 9,245.[7]

The Jaega arrived on the modern-day island of Palm Beach approximately 3,000 years ago. Between 1816 and 1858, the Seminoles were expelled from the area.[10] Americans settlers began to inhabit the area as early as 1872, and opened a post office about five years later. Elisha Newton "Cap" Dimick, later the town's first mayor, established Palm Beach's first hotel, the Cocoanut Grove House, in 1880, but Standard Oil tycoon Henry Flagler became instrumental in transforming the island of jungles and swamps into a winter resort for the wealthy. Flagler and his workers constructed the Royal Poinciana Hotel in 1894, The Breakers in 1896, and Whitehall in 1902; extended the Florida East Coast Railway southward to the area by 1894; and developed a separate city to house the hotel workers and other laborers. This later became West Palm Beach. The town of Palm Beach was incorporated on April 17, 1911. Addison Mizner also contributed significantly to the town's history, designing 67 structures between 1919 and 1924, including El Mirasol, the Everglades Club, La Querida, the William Gray Warden House, and Via Mizner, which is a section of Worth Avenue.

Forbes reported in 2017 that Palm Beach had at least 30 billionaires, with the town ranking as the 27th-wealthiest place in the United States in 2016, according to Bloomberg News. Many famous and wealthy individuals have resided in the town, including United States presidents John F. Kennedy and Donald Trump. Palm Beach is known for upscale shopping districts, such as Worth Avenue, Royal Poinciana Plaza, and the Royal Poinciana Way Historic District.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference PBTL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ "Mayor & Town Council". Town of Palm Beach. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "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 June 11, 2023.
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Florida: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". Florida. U.S. Census Bureau. May 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Palm Beach". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 19, 1979. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  10. ^ "Native Americans: The First People of the Palm Beaches". November 9, 2023.