City of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida, USA

The area that was to become 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 world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainhart's, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment 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 would become 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 by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake 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 townsite, 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 the motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South 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, Palm Beach County was formed by the Florida State Legislature and West Palm Beach became the county seat. In 1916, a new neo-classical courthouse was opened, which has been painstakingly restored back to its original condition and is now used as the local history museum.

The city grew rapidly in the 1920s as part of the Florida 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 of the city's landmark structures and preserved neighborhoods were constructed during this period. Originally, Flagler intended for his Florida East Coast Railway to have its terminus 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 the 1928 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 of Palm 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 dozens of merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast of West Palm Beach. Nearby Palm Beach was under black-out conditions to minimize night visibility to German U-boats.

The 1950s saw another boom in population, partly due to the return of many soldiers and airmen who had served in the vicinity during the war. Also, the advent of air 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 of the city's residents still lived within a narrow six-block wide strip from the south to the 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.

In the 1960s, Palm Beach County's first enclosed shopping mall, the Palm 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.

Since the 1990s, developments such as CityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in the entertainment 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 and crime, as well as 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 then redeveloped into the Palm Beach Fashion Outlets in February 2014. A station for All Aboard Florida, a high-speed passenger rail service serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, is under construction as of July 2015.

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Palm_Beach,_Florida

Taken in: United States / Florida / West Palm Beach (show map)

Taken on: May 6, 2021

Tags:

West Palm Beach

Palm Beach County

cityscape

urban

downtown

skyline

South Florida

density

central business district

skyscraper

building

architecture

commercial property

cosmopolitan

metro

metropolitan

metropolis

Sunshine State

real estate

high-rise

Royal Park Bridge

Town of Palm Beach

Palm Beach

Clear Lake

Trump Plaza

The Breakers

Henry Flagler

Phillips Point

777 S Flagler Drive

Wpb FL

33401

condominium

historic

historical

old Florida

Rosemary Square

urbanity

shopping center « less

Sets appears in: • City of West Palm Beach & Town of Palm Beach, Florida, USA • Urban Florida I

Groups appears in: • Night Images • Florida more » • South Florida • Night Lights • Night Photography • After Dark - Night Photography • ->> NiGht ShotS <<- • West Palm Beach Photography • Night B&W • Night city • Florida, USA • * Travel Photography for World Nomads * • City at Night ! • South Florida Photographers • *Inspirational Travel Photos • Buildings at Night • MY FLORIDA • City Nights • Florida Vaction • FLICKR NIGHTSHOTS • Night pictures • Big City Nights • Florida Holiday Photos • South Florida Photography • Florida Sun • Flickr Night • " Damn Cool Photographers in the WORLD " .♥.♥.♥ • Images by night • " MASTER CLASS PHOTOGRAPHY " • The Florida Photographer • Night and light • Night and darkness • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" • Photography in Florida • Architecture at Night • By Night • Skylines of Florida • "THE WORLD IN FLICKR" (NEW RULES) • " Your BEST of Today " - Through MY Eyes • Florida - HDR • Night in the city and the starry sky • Night Owls • ***City Night Lights*** - - Luces de la ciudad nocturna - - • Florida Explorers • South Florida Night • Night and low light photography • North American Skylines • The Real Florida • NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AND BEYOND • Night Lovers! (Post.2+Comment5)*Sweeper Active* • All Nightscapes • South Florida Foto Friends! • Geotagged: Florida • City at Night • Beautiful Night Image.....綺麗夜景 • Florida Travels • Hipstamatic - Florida • Palm Beach County: East to West • *****WORLDARCHITECTURE!***** • Night Photography Group • night photography. • Real Estate In Florida • Florida Photo Adventures • Florida - The Sunshine State • FLORIDA • My Florida Page • Night Cityscapes • Born To Endless Night • Florida Landscapes • A FEAST FOR MY EYES (Public Group) • !*ALL ARE WELCOME*! • Florida Architecture • Night in the City • Florida Days & Nights • * just photos * no rules please use comment code appreciated • Florida's Cityscapes & Rural Areas • The Sunshine State • City, Urban & Engineering Images • Beauty Nightlife • City of West Palm Beach & Town of Palm Beach, Florida, USA • USA - United States (No 30/60 limit) • USA - Pictures (No 30/60 limit) « less

Stats: 8,824 views / 3 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: