West Palm Beach, Florida
| West Palm Beach, Florida | ||
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| City | ||
| City of West Palm Beach | ||
West Palm Beach
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| Nickname(s): Orchid City, West Palm, WPB | ||
 Location in Palm Beach County and the state of Florida. |
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 U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits |
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 West Palm Beach, Florida
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| Coordinates: 26°42′35″N 80°03′51″W / 26.70972°N 80.06417°WCoordinates: 26°42′35″N 80°03′51″W / 26.70972°N 80.06417°W | ||
| Country |  United States of America |
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| State |
 Florida
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| County |
 Palm Beach
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| Settled (Lake Worth Country Settlement) | Circa 1884 | |
| Incorporated (Town of West Palm Beach) | November 5, 1894 | |
| Incorporated (City of West Palm Beach) | July 21, 1903 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Mayor-Commission | |
| • Mayor | Geraldine "Jeri" Muoio (D) | |
| • Commissioners | Sylvia Moffett, Cory Neering, Paula Ryan, Keith A. James, and Shanon Materio | |
| • City Administrator | Jeffrey L. Green | |
| • City Clerk | Hazeline F. Carson | |
| • City Attorney | Kimberly Rothenburg | |
| Area | ||
| • City | 58.2 sq mi (150.7 km2) | |
| • Land | 55.1 sq mi (142.8 km2) | |
| • Water | 3.1 sq mi (7.9 km2) | |
| Elevation | 13 ft (6.4 m) | |
| Population (2016) | ||
| • City | 108,896 | |
| • Rank | US: 280th | |
| • Density | 1,833.8/sq mi (707.6/km2) | |
| • Urban | 5,502,379 (US: 4th) | |
| • Metro | 5,828,191 (US: 8th) | |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP codes | 33401–33422 | |
| Area code | 561 | |
| FIPS code | 12-76600 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0293097 | |
| Website | http://wpb.org | |
| West Palm Beach | |
|---|---|
| Crime rates* (2012) | |
| Violent crimes | |
| Homicide | 17 |
| Robbery | 334 |
| Aggravated assault | 439 |
| Total violent crime | 821 |
| Property crimes | |
| Burglary | 1,289 |
| Larceny-theft | 3,801 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 314 |
| Arson | 21 |
| Total property crime | 5,404 |
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Notes
*Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population.
2012 population: 102,422
Source: 2012 FBI UCR Data |
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West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is one of the three main cities in South Florida. The population was 100,343 (revised) at the 2010 census. The University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) estimates a 2016 population of 108,896, a 7.9% increase from 2010. It is the oldest municipality in the Miami metropolitan area, having been incorporated as a city two years before Miami in November 1894. Although West Palm Beach is located approximately 68 miles (109 km) north of Downtown Miami, it is still considered a principal city within the Miami metropolitan area, due to the solid urbanization between both cities. The estimated population of the Miami Metropolitan area, which includes all of Palm Beach County, was 6,012,331 people at the 2015 census.
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 perhaps about 20,000 Native Americans in south Florida. By 1763, when the English gained control of Florida, the native peoples had all but been wiped out through war, enslavement, or European diseases.
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 over escaped slaves who found refuge among them. They resisted the government's efforts to move them to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi. Between 1818 and 1858, three wars were fought between Seminoles and the United States government. By 1858, there were very few Seminoles remaining in Florida.
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