West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach is a city and home to the county county council (County Seat) of the Palm Beach Countys in Florida State with 99,919 inhabitants (status: 2010). This makes it the largest city in the country.
| West Palm Beach | |
|---|---|
| nickname: West Palm, WPB | |
West Palm Beach skyline | |
| Situation in County and State | |
| | |
| base | |
| Foundation: | 1884 |
| State: | United States |
| State: | Florida |
| County: | Palm Beach County |
| coordinates: | 26° 43′ N, 80° 4′ W |
| Time zone: | Eastern (UTC-5/-4) |
| inhabitants: - metropolitan area: | 99,919 (status: 2010) 5.564.635 (Situation at: 2010) |
| population density: | 699.7 inhabitants per km2 |
| area: | 150.7 km2 (approx. 58 mi2) of which 142.8 km2 (approx. 55 mi2) country |
| Height: | 6.4 m |
| ZIP/postal Codes: | 33401-33422 |
| area code: | +1 560 |
| FIPS: | 12-76600 |
| GNIS ID: | 0293097 |
| website: | www.cityofwpb.com |
| Mayor: | Jeri Muoio (D) |
Kravis Center in West Palm Beach | |
In 2000, the Palm Beach County and its capital, West Palm Beach, were at the center of a controversy over electoral irregularities, which some believe led to the US presidential election.
geography
According to the United States Census Bureaus, the city has an area of 150.7 km², of which 142.8 km² is land and 7.9 km² (= 5.26%) is water.
story
The city of West Palm Beach was founded by Henry Flagler as a settlement to create housing for the employees of two hotels located on the neighboring island of Palm Beach. The original spelling was "Westpalmbeach", but for reasons of superstition - the word has thirteen letters, the spelling was preferred. On November 5, 1894, 78 residents of the village met and decided to locate West Palm Beachs as a town in the then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). The city was the first integrated settlement in the county and south of the state. The city council quickly adopted regulations on construction and the tents and huts were soon replaced by brick and stone buildings. During the Florida landboom in the 1920s, the city grew rapidly and many historic buildings were built today.
The city's history is changeable. Before the foundation of Miami, West Palm Beach was a local economic and cultural center. Henry Flagler originally planned his Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) to have its terminus in West Palm Beach, but finally decided to extend it until Miami, which was completed in 1896. For many years, there has been a rivalry between the two cities over the importance of South Florida. Although the original purpose of the settlement was only to accommodate the employees of the wealthy Palm Beach, West Palm Beach itself became the driving center of the area.
In April 1924 the Seaboard Air Line Railroad subsidiary Florida, Western and Northern Railroad was founded to build a railway line from Coleman via Sebring to West Palm Beach, where it met the FEC. The entire corridor was opened in January 1925.
Investments by Pratt & Whitney, IBM, RCA, and others contributed to the city's revival in the late 1960s and 1970s. The focus of interest was the whole county, not just West Palm Beach.
In the 1960s, the Palm Beach Mall and a sports hall were completed. Both projects contributed to the regeneration of the city. However, crime became a serious problem due to a high level of vacancy and ethnic tensions. In the 1980's, new residents rediscovered the historic center, and the high-rise buildings at Donald Trump's "Trump Plaza," as well as an entertainment and shopping center, were built. Clematis Street and CityPlace were the focal points of the nightlife of West Palm Beach.
Today, West Palm Beach is once again an emerging city, the city's skyline is constantly changing. New residential buildings, apartments and shops are widespread in the center and new buildings are being built in large numbers. Downstream single-family houses are being renovated and the population is increasing. The city recently built a new convention center, a new library and a town hall.
Demographic data
| population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | resident | ± | |
| 1920 | 8659 | — | |
| 1930 | 26,610 | 207.3% | |
| 1940 | 33,693 | 26.6% | |
| 1950 | 43,162 | 28.1% | |
| 1960 | 56,208 | 30.2% | |
| 1970 | 57,375 | 2.1% | |
| 1980 | 63,305 | 10.3% | |
| 1990 | 67,764 | 7 % | |
| 2000 | 82,103 | 21.2% | |
| 2010 | 99,919 | 21.7% | |
According to the 2010 census, the then 99,919 inhabitants were distributed to 54,179 households. The population density was 699.7 inhabitants/km². 56.7% of the population were white, 32.5% African-American, 0.5% Indian and 2.3% Asian Americans. 5.4 % indicated ethnicity and 2.7 % ethnicity. 22.6% of the population consisted of Hispanics or Latinos.
In 2010, 25.6% of households were children under the age of 18 and 26.9% of households were aged 65 or over. 53.8% of households were family households (consisting of married couples with or without offspring or one parent with offspring). The average size of a household was 2.26 people and the average family size was 2.97.
22.5% of the population were under 20 years of age, 30.0% were between 20 and 39 years old, 25.5% were between 40 and 59 years old and 21.9% were at least 60 years old. The median age was 38 years. 48.7% of the population were male and 51.3% female.
The average annual income was $45,806, with 18.8% of the population living below the poverty line.
In 2000, English was the mother tongue of 72.49% of the population, Spanish was 17.71% and 9.8% had a different mother tongue.
sights
The following objects are listed in the National Register of Historic Places:
- American National Bank Building
- Central Park Historic District
- Clematis Street Historic Commercial District
- Comeau Building
- Alfred J. Comeau House
- El Cid Historic District
- Ferndix Building
- Flamingo Park Historic Residential District
- Grandview Heights Historic District
- Guaranty Building
- Hatch's Department Store
- Hurricane of 1928 African American Mass Burial Site
- Mango Promenade Historic District
- Mickens House
- Northboro Park Historic District
- Northwest Historic District
- Norton House
- Old Northwood Historic District
- Old Palm Beach Junior College Building
- Old West Palm Beach National Guard Armory
- Palm Beach Mercantile Company
- Pine Ridge Hospital
- Professional Building
- Prospect Park-Southland Park Historic District
- Clifton Rice House
- Seaboard Coastline Railroad Passenger Station
- Vedado Historic District
- Grant Van Valkenburg House
district
- Andros Isle
- Bay Winds
- Bear Island
- Bear Lakes Estates
- Brelsford Park
- Briar Bay
- Bridgeport at Bay Winds
- Broadway
- central park
- Downtown Neighborhoods
- Echo Lake
- Egret at Bay Winds
- El Cid
- Estates at Bay Winds
- Flamingo Park
- fox
- Freshwater Lakes
- Grandview Heights
- Harbor at Bay Winds
- Ibis
- irony
- Lake Mangonia
- Lakes of Laguna
- Lakes of Laguna at Catalina
- Liberty Bay at Briar Bay
- Liberty Isles at Briar Bay
- Mango Promenade
- Monceaux
- North Shore
- North Tamarind
- Northboro Park
- Northend
- Northwest
- Northwood
- Northwood Estates
- Northwood Gardens
- Northwood Harbor
- Northwood Hills
- Northwood Pines
- Northwood Renaissance
- Northwood Shores
- Old Northwood
- Palm Beach Lakes
- Palm Beach Lakes South
- Palm Club Village
- Parker Ridge
- Parliament Golf Villas
- Pelican at Bay Winds
- Pineapple Park
- pinewood
- Pinewood Park
- Pleasant City
- Poinciana Park
- Presidential Estates
- Presidential Way
- Progressive Northwest
- Prospect Park
- Prospect Heights
- Providencia Park
- Regatta Cove at Bay Winds
- Riblalk of the Palm Beaches
- Roosevelt Estates
- Roosevelt Estates-North
- Sail Harbor at Briar Bay
- Sapphire at Bay Winds
- Sandalwood Lakes
- South Dixie Antique Row
- South End
- Southland Park
- Southside Business
- Southside Neighborhood
- Southwest Neighborhood
- Spencer Lakes
- Sunshine Park
- Tamarind/Northwest Business
- The Coves at Briar Bay
- The Palm Club Village II
- The Tides at Briar Bay
- Townhouse Court Estates
- Vedado (park)
- Villages of Palm Beach Lakes
- Waters Edge at Briar Bay
- Westfield
air table
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| Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for West Palm Beach, Florida
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traffic
The interstate 95 runs through the city and the Florida’s Turnpike runs parallel to it. West Palm Beach is also home to the U.S. Highways 1 and 98 and Florida State Roads 80, 700, 704, 809 and 882.
The city is connected to the Florida East Coast Railway via West Palm Beach. The Amtrak trains run in the direction of Miami and New York City. The train station is also a station on the tri-Rail line between Miami and Mangonia Park. The city bus service is provided by Palm Tran.
In 2018, the All Aboard Florida Railway will provide a new rail link via the Florida East Coast Railway (owned by the company) from the Government Center in Miami via Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach. This service will be extended to Orlando airport in 2020.
The airport of the city is Palm Beach Airport just west of the city. In addition, West Palm Beach has a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean with the port of Palm Beach on the northern edge of Riviera Beach.
crime
The crime rate was 474 points in 2010 (US average: 266 points) in the high range. There were 19 murders, 49 rapes, 264 robberies, 457 assaults, 1246 burglaries, 3415 theft, 391 car theft and 17 arson.
personality
Individuals born:
- Peggy Stewart (1923-2019), actress
- Virginia Spencer Carr (1929-2012), literature scientist
- Harry A. Johnston (* 1931), politician
- Adrian Rogers (1931-2005), President of the Southern Baptist Convention
- Chris Robinson (* 1938), actor
- Dickey Betts (* 1943), guitarist and rock musician
- George McCrae (* 1944), pop and R&B singer
- Thomas Wenski (* 1950), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Miami
- Scott Henderson (* 1954), guitarist
- James G. Stavridis (* 1955), Admiral
- Ottis Anderson (* 1957), American football player
- Jake Heggie (* 1961), composer and pianist
- Heath Evans (* 1978), American football player
- Alexander James McLean (* 1978), singer of Backstreet Boys (A.J.)
- David Rheem (* 1980), poker player
- Gunnar Jeannette (* 1982), driver
- Mary Elise Hayden (* 1985), actress
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia (* 1985), baseball player
- Cassadee Pope (* 1989), pop and country singer
- Sam Soverel (* 1990), poker player
- Jacoby Brissett (* 1992), American football player
Known residents:
- James Last (1929-2015), German leader
- Jack Millman (* 1930), jazz musician
- Pablo Barrios (* 1964), Venezuelan jumper
- Edgar Mitchell (1930-2016), NASA astronaut, who served as 6. Man entered the moon
- Alexis Ohanian (* 1983), entrepreneur and investor