Palm Beach, Florida | ||
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Town | ||
Town of Palm Beach | ||
Aerial Photograph Of Palm Beach Proper
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Nickname(s): The Island | ||
Motto: The Best of Everything | ||
Location of Palm Beach, Florida |
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U.S. Census Bureau map showing town boundaries |
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Coordinates: 26°42′54″N 80°2′22″W / 26.71500°N 80.03944°WCoordinates: 26°42′54″N 80°2′22″W / 26.71500°N 80.03944°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Florida | |
County | Palm Beach | |
Area | ||
• Total | 10.4 sq mi (27.0 km2) | |
• Land | 3.9 sq mi (10.2 km2) | |
• Water | 6.5 sq mi (16.9 km2) | |
Elevation | 7 ft (2 m) | |
Population (2000) | ||
• Total | 10,468 | |
• Density | 1,006.5/sq mi (387.7/km2) | |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
ZIP code | 33480 | |
Area code(s) | 561 | |
FIPS code | 12-54025 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0288390 | |
Website | townofpalmbeach |
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth. In 2000, Palm Beach had a year-round population of 10,468, with an estimated seasonal population of 30,000.
Prior to Flagler, Palm Beach was sparsely populated, and was a part of Lake Worth.
Palm Beach was established as a resort by Henry Morrison Flagler, who made the Atlantic coast barrier island accessible via his Florida East Coast Railway. The nucleus of the community was established by Flagler's 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 has become a major city in its own right.
Flagler's house lots were bought by the beneficiaries of the Gilded Age, and in 1902 Flagler himself built a Beaux-Arts mansion, Whitehall, designed by the New York–based firm Carrère and Hastings and helped establish the Palm Beach winter "season" by constantly entertaining. The town was incorporated on 17 April 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 landowners agreed to evict all of the residents of the Styx (who moved to West Palm Beach, Florida) and Edward R. Bradley bought up much of this land. The houses were razed, according to the Palm Beach Daily News.