Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County is a
county located in the
state of
Florida. As of 2000, the population was 1,131,184. Its estimated 2004 population is 1,243,230, making it the third most populous county in the state. Its county seat is
West Palm Beach.
6
Palm Beach County is one of three counties that comprise the
South Florida metropolitan area.
Encyclopedia
Palm Beach County is a
county located in the
state of
Florida. As of 2000, the population was 1,131,184. Its estimated 2004 population is 1,243,230, making it the third most populous county in the state. Its county seat is
West Palm Beach.
6Palm Beach County is one of three counties that comprise the
South Florida metropolitan area.
History
Palm Beach County was created in 1909. It was named for its first settled community,
Palm Beach, in turn named for the
palm trees and
beaches in the area. The County was carved out of what was then the northern half of Dade County. The southern half of Palm Beach County was subsequently carved out to create the northern portion of Broward County in 1915.
Henry Flagler was instrumental in the county's development in the early
1900s with the extension of the
Florida East Coast Railway through the county from
Jacksonville to
Key West.
It was one of the counties at the center of the
2000 U.S. Presidential election recount controversy.
Palm Beach County, specifically the city of
Boca Raton, was the site of the first of the
2001 anthrax attacks.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,181 kmē . 5,113 kmē of it is land and 1,068 kmē of it is water, much of it in the
Atlantic Ocean and
Lake Okeechobee. The total area is 17.27% water.
The boundaries of area code 561 exactly match the county's. Originally, it was part of area code 305, and later area code 407.
Adjacent Counties
Crime
In 2000, crime in Palm Beach County was as follows :
- Crime | Number
- Total | 72,211
- Murder | 85
- Rape | 428
- Robbery | 2,369
- Aggravated Assault | 5,288
- Burglary | 14,770
- Larceny - theft | 41,801
- Motor vehicle thefts | 7,239
- Population | 1,097,962
- Coverage indicator | 100%
Demographics
As of the
censusē of 2000, there were 1,131,184 people, 474,175 households, and 303,946 families residing in the county. The
population density was 221/kmē . There were 556,428 housing units at an average density of 109/kmē . The racial makeup of the county was 69.05%
White, 29.80%
Black or
African American, 0.22%
Native American, 1.51%
Asian, 0.06%
Pacific Islander, 2.98% from
other races, and 2.38% from two or more races. 18.44% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 474,175 households out of which 24.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.80% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.90% were non-families. 29.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county the population was spread out with 21.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 23.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,062, and the median income for a family was $53,701. Males had a median income of $36,931 versus $28,674 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,801. About 6.90% of families and 9.90% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.
The median home price in Palm Beach County as of May, 2006 is realistically around $350,000 many today are sitting on properties they are finding hard to sell. The current figure above national average is due to two factors: the rampant recent real estate speculation caused by the low interest rates set over the past few years; and the average figures distorted by the enclaves of the Town of Palm Beach where very expensive barrier island real estate has distorted the overall county average figure.
Borders
Palm Beach County borders
Martin County to the North, the
Atlantic Ocean to the East,
Broward County to the South,
Hendry County to the West, and
Lake Okeechobee to the Northwest.
Municipalities and census-designated places
Incorporated
- City of Pahokee
- City of Belle Glade
- City of South Bay
- Village of Tequesta
- Town of Jupiter Inlet Colony
- Town of Jupiter
- Town of Juno Beach
- City of Palm Beach Gardens
- Village of North Palm Beach
- Town of Lake Park
- City of Riviera Beach
- Town of Palm Beach Shores
- Town of Mangonia Park
- Town of Palm Beach
- City of West Palm Beach
- Town of Haverhill
- Town of Glen Ridge
- Town of Cloud Lake
- Village of Palm Springs
- Town of Lake Clarke Shores
- Village of Royal Palm Beach
- Village of Wellington
- City of Greenacres
- City of Atlantis
- City of Lake Worth
- Town of South Palm Beach
- Town of Lantana
- Town of Manalapan
- Town of Hypoluxo
- City of Boynton Beach
- Town of Ocean Ridge
- Village of Golf
- Town of Briny Breezes
- Town of Gulf Stream
- City of Delray Beach
- Town of Highland Beach
- City of Boca Raton
Unincorporated census-designated places
Education
All of Palm Beach County is served by the School Distict of Palm Beach County. As of 2006, it was the 5th largest school district in Florida and the 11th largest school district in the
United States. As of August, 2006, the district operated 164 schools, including 23 high schools, and, as of July 22 2006 had an additional 33
charter schools, with seven more scheduled to open in August, 2006.
Colleges/Universities
Points of interest
References
External links
Government links/Constitutional offices
Special districts
Judicial branch
Tourism links
