Palm Beach island

Palm Beach island is a narrow barrier island located along the Atlantic coast of southeastern Florida, sitting directly east of West Palm Beach and separated from the mainland city by the Intracoastal Waterway — locally known as the Lake Worth Lagoon. Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, separated from West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoastal Waterway to its west. Though administratively distinct from West Palm Beach, the island is deeply intertwined with the city's history, economy, and identity. West Palm Beach itself 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. The relationship between the island and the mainland city has defined the character of the entire region for over a century.

Geography and Physical Description

The town of Palm Beach sits on an 18-mile (29 km) long barrier island between the Intracoastal Waterway on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. At no point is the island wider than three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km), and in places it is only 500 feet (150 m) wide. Despite its modest dimensions, the island encompasses a remarkable variety of landscapes and land uses. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.12 square miles, with land accounting for 4.20 square miles and water covering the remaining 3.92 square miles. The average elevation of the town is 7 feet (2.1 m), with the highest point at 30 feet (9.1 m) above sea level on the golf course at the Palm Beach Country Club.

Geologically, the island is a sand-covered ridge of coquina rock. Before settlement, the island was a pronounced coastal ridge bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The Intracoastal Waterway coast was primarily low-lying and swampy, with marshy sloughs generally lying between the two features, though an oolitic limestone ridge stood along some parts of the island's westward side.

The northern boundary of Palm Beach is the Lake Worth Inlet, though it adjoined with Singer Island until the permanent dredging of the inlet in 1918. To the south, a section of Lake Worth Beach occupies the island in the vicinity of State Road 802, though an exclave of Palm Beach extends farther southward until the northern limits of South Palm Beach. Palm Beach has about 16 miles of coastline, and water on three sides: the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Intracoastal to the west, and the Palm Beach Inlet to the north, which separates it from Singer Island, which is part of Riviera Beach.

Early History and Settlement

Native Americans previously inhabited the island of Palm Beach, with the Jaega people arriving at least 3,000 years ago. Evidence for their inhabitation of the island includes three pre-Columbian archaeological complexes. Like other original Florida tribes, they disappeared from the area after the long ownership of Florida by Spain and England.

When the first settlers arrived in what was to become Palm Beach, the entire area was known as "Lake Worth," named for Major General William Jenkins Worth who fought in the Second Seminole War. Pioneers struggled to clear land for their houses and to make room for their crops. The first of the permanent pioneers arrived in 1872.

According to early settler accounts, Palm Beach received its name from a shipwreck named the Providencia. The ship washed ashore in January 1878 with a load of coconuts bound from Havana to Barcelona. Early settlers lost no time claiming salvage and planting the coconuts, which were not native to South Florida, in an effort to launch a commercial coconut industry. The first hotel in the area was built in 1880 when "Cap" Dimick converted his home into the Cocoanut Grove House — a pioneering venture known at the time as the only coastal hotel between Titusville and Key West.

The Flagler Era and the Rise of a Resort

No single figure shaped Palm Beach island more completely than Henry Morrison Flagler. In 1892, the wealthy industrialist Henry Flagler visited southeast Florida to survey land in regard to the expansion of his Florida East Coast Railroad. Flagler was awed by the beauty of the area and envisioned a resort community for the wealthy northern industrialists in what is now known as Palm Beach.

Flagler fell in love with Palm Beach, where a lush grove of coconut palms had grown up following the shipwreck of the Providencia in 1878. On the lakefront, he built the Hotel Royal Poinciana, which was both the world's largest resort and the world's largest wooden building. On the ocean, he built The Breakers. He also built his winter home, "Whitehall," in Palm Beach. In 1902, Flagler built Whitehall for himself and his wife, and his social life there was instrumental in creating the "season" in Palm Beach.

Today, Whitehall is open to the public, and the National Historic Landmark is known around the world as one of America's great historic house museums. Whitehall is a 75-room mansion built by railroad mogul Henry Flagler, who founded Palm Beach island and built The Breakers.

Flagler wanted Palm Beach to be an exclusive retreat for the very wealthy. He needed a place for the construction workers and hotel staff to live, so he created West Palm Beach across Lake Worth. West Palm Beach was developed as a service town to house the builders, construction crews, and support staff that helped establish and cater to the lavish lifestyles of Palm Beach's residents. West Palm provided the necessary infrastructure and workforce, gradually growing into a bustling city with its own unique culture and economy.

The original Breakers went through a turbulent early history. Flagler's success inspired him to build another hotel, the Palm Beach Inn, later renamed the Breakers. The original building burned in 1903 and was rebuilt. The all-wood building burned again in 1925, prompting the construction of the iconic building that still stands today. In 1927, The Breakers, the iconic stone structure, opened for business.

Incorporation and the 1920s Boom

The formal political separation between the island and West Palm Beach was a direct consequence of a municipal power struggle. The Town of Palm Beach, Palm Beach County's second municipality, was incorporated on April 17, 1911, after it was discovered in January that West Palm Beach was going to attempt an annexation of the island resort during that year's legislative session. Residents objected and hired an attorney from Miami to officially become incorporated. Dimick, Louis Semple Clarke, and 31 other male property owners met at Clarke's house and signed a charter to officially incorporate the town of Palm Beach on April 17, 1911.

In 1911, Dimick built the Royal Park Bridge, with its first incarnation being a wooden structure. Passage from West Palm Beach to Palm Beach on the bridge originally required a toll — 25 cents per vehicle and 5 cents per pedestrian.

The 1920s brought dramatic architectural and social transformation to the island. Addison Mizner contributed significantly to the town's history, designing 67 structures between 1919 and 1924, including El Mirasol, the Everglades Club, La Querida, the William Gray Warden House, and Via Mizner, which is a section of Worth Avenue. In the 1920s, a building boom took place in the area, and many historic structures that still stand today were built. The building boom also brought a slew of architects to the area to build private residences. Today, visitors often spend an afternoon driving past the mansions designed by famed architects such as Addison Mizner, John Volk, Maurice Fatio, Marion Syms Wyeth, and Howard Major.

The Royal Poinciana Hotel, damaged heavily in the 1928 hurricane, also suffered greatly during the Great Depression and was demolished in 1935. Around 4,000 people purchased the salvageable remains of the hotel. The Palm Beach Post-Times estimated some 500 homes could be built from the scraps of the hotel. Residents of Palm Beach established the Society of the Four Arts on January 14, 1936, with Hugh Dillman as the first president. The 1930s also saw the construction of the Flagler Memorial Bridge, the northernmost bridge linking Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, completed on July 1, 1938.

World War II and the Postwar Period

Palm Beach island played an active role during the Second World War. Early in World War II, the United States Army established a Ranger camp at the northern tip of the island, which could accommodate 200 men. The Army converted The Breakers into the Ream General Army Hospital, while the Navy converted the Palm Beach Biltmore Hotel into a U.S. Naval Special Hospital. The Biltmore Hotel would also become a training school for SPARS, the United States Coast Guard Women's Reserve.

On September 15, 1950, the Southern Boulevard Bridge opened, the third and southernmost bridge linking Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. The postwar decades saw continued growth and entrenchment of the island's identity as an enclave of concentrated wealth. Forbes reported in 2017 that Palm Beach had at least 30 billionaires, with the town ranking as the 27th-wealthiest place in the United States in 2016, according to Bloomberg News. Many high-profile individuals have resided in the town, including United States presidents John F. Kennedy and Donald Trump.

Landmarks, Culture, and Relationship with West Palm Beach

Today, Palm Beach island is home to several of the region's most significant cultural and architectural landmarks. Palm Beach is known for upscale shopping districts, such as Worth Avenue, Royal Poinciana Plaza, and the Royal Poinciana Way Historic District. Located on a sliver of a barrier island on the Atlantic Ocean, the town of Palm Beach oozes elegance and Old Money, culture and grace. Known as "America's First Resort Destination," Palm Beach's tropical backdrop of towering palm trees and pristine sandy beaches frame old-world mansions and majestic resorts.

The Town is governed by an elected Mayor and a five-member Council, operates under the Council-Manager form of government, and provides a full range of municipal services. It has an active historic preservation program, strict zoning standards, high levels of public safety and public works services, three miles of public beaches, and a wide array of recreation programs, including award-winning golf and tennis facilities.

The island's connection to West Palm Beach remains the defining geographic and cultural axis of the region. West Palm Beach does not have a beach. The mainland city sits across the bridge from the island of Palm Beach, and visitors can walk between the two. Palm Beach island has one of the best bike trails in Florida, the Lake Trail, which has views of Lake Worth and mansions. The cultural scene includes the Flagler Museum and the Society of the Four Arts, which offer a glimpse into the opulent past and vibrant arts scene of the island.

Modern West Palm Beach history began when Henry Morrison Flagler first visited the Lake Worth area in 1893 and called the region "a veritable paradise." That original impulse — to preserve a pristine subtropical landscape for leisure and luxury — continues to define Palm Beach island's role in the greater West Palm Beach metropolitan area, making it one of the most recognizable resort communities in the United States.

See Also

• West Palm Beach
• Henry Morrison Flagler
• The Breakers Hotel
• Worth Avenue
• Flagler Museum
• Intracoastal Waterway
• Lake Worth Lagoon