View allAll Photos Tagged Okeechobee
A young red shouldered hawk stares at me in an interesting way.
That didn't last long. See the next look in the comments below.
Curiosity - 21 Day Flickr Photo Challenge
One of the friendly inhabitants of the wide open ranches bordering the C23 C24 Reservoir Area - Usually the youngsters stop to see what i'm doing (and probably if I have any food (I don't) - the adults just go about their business.
I shot this photo at 560mm, across a canal - on my side of the canal birm, I'd be a little bit lower than the cow on the other side - the top of the canal is about 6 - 8 feet below the birm. I hope that makes sense.
June 2020
Native American cultural sites prompt SFWMD to move St. Lucie County reservoir project
Tyler Treadway
Treasure Coast Newspapers
A project to clean water before it reaches the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon is moving forward, and a little to the northwest.
The South Florida Water Management District agreed Thursday to shift the footprint of the C-23/C-24 South Reservoir, a project designed to reduce harmful discharges to the river and lagoon by holding and cleaning water flowing off land in western Martin and St. Lucie counties.
The board also approved spending $7.5 million to buy land needed for the move.
The reservoir is one of two that will take water out of the C-23 and C-24 canals and hold a combined 30 billion gallons of water. The project also includes a man-made marsh, called a stormwater treatment area, to clean water once it's released from the reservoirs.
They're all part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project, a master plan authorized in 2000 to restore the environment of the Everglades, Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River and Caloosahatchee river estuaries.
The southern reservoir will be 4,608 acres on the south side of Okeechobee Road just west of Summerlin Road in western St. Lucie County. The original design placed the reservoir slightly farther south and a bit more to the east.
The move was needed because some of the land in the original plan might contain Native American cultural sites and the owners of property needed to fill out the footprint weren't willing to sell their land.
Land northwest of the site was available, however, and the board agreed to buy 1,167 acres from Rebecca Eaves LLC, the business name for that section of the Eaves family ranch, for $7.5 million.
The 4,600-acre reservoir will be up to 16 feet, 6 inches deep and hold about 19.5 billion gallons of water.
Changing the footprint of the reservoir from a long rectangle to a more square shape "should result in lower costs for perimeter levees (and) canals," Gary Goforth, a Stuart environmental engineer who formerly designed and tested water projects for the district, told TCPalm.
Leftover land
Most discussion centered around what to do with about 3,900 acres of district-owned land no longer in the reservoir's footprint.
It can't be added to the reservoir, said Stephen Collins, the district's real estate chief, because a strip of land owned by unwilling sellers separates it from the rest of the reservoir footprint.
Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart, asked that it remain as conservation land; but Nyla Pipes of the Port St. Lucie-based One Florida Foundation, noted keeping the land in public hands keeps it off the St. Lucie County tax rolls.
"Whatever we do with it will be a board decision," said SFWMD Executive Director Drew Bartlett.
The Army Corps of Engineers, the district's federal partner on the project, will start designing the reservoir later this year and begin construction in 2024.
Tyler Treadway is an environment reporter who specializes in issues facing the Indian River Lagoon. Support his work on TCPalm.com. Contact him at 772-221-4219 and tyler.treadway@tcpalm.com.
My own note - I've visited native sites (but did not step on them) from the Before Christ (BC) era in St. Lucie County - quite interesting, as well as the lack of information, remains, and general knowledge of their existance. I'm sure most residents of St. Lucie County don't know of their former existance on these lands.
Sunset over the Big O of the Great State of Florida. The mosquitoes were out in force, so I had to shoot this using the handheld Fraggle Red HDR Method. See you out in the field.
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The Lake or The Big O, is a freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the second-largest freshwater lake wholly within the continental United States (after Lake Michigan) and the largest in the southern United States.[1] Okeechobee covers 730 square miles (1,890 km²), approximately half the size of the state of Rhode Island, and is relatively shallow, with an average depth of only 9 feet (3 m).
Today I went to Port Mayaca to photograph the sunset and do some timelapse. I ended up shooting lightning over Lake Okeechobee.
captainkimo.com/lightning-storm-over-lake-okeechobee-port...
The sun rises along the Okeechobee Waterway as seen from Timer Powers, Park in Indiantown, Florida.
Prints, and many other items, are available with this image on my website at www.tom-claud.pixels.com. Click on the link and thanks for visiting.
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On my last day of railfanning the US Sugar operations in the Clewiston area just after dawn I found the "Desoto Turn" leaving town. Power for the train was an ex IC GP11 and an ex B&M GP40-2 with a 14 car train. The northbound train is destined for the CSX interchange at Desoto City outside Sebring. The fog hovering around Lake Okeechobee combined with smoke from burning off the sugar cane fields made for both an interesting visual smog effect and odor.
Clewiston, Florida
March 14, 2016
Here the FPT is stopped on a levee the contains Lake Okeechobee near Canal Point. A local has yet to clear the main up ahead and this gives us another opportunity to photograph the snazzy paint scheme. Note the LED headlights and ditchlights.
Rolleicord Vb Type 2
Xenar 75mm f3.5
Fomapan 100
Dark Red Filter
1:50 Rodinal
Port Mayaca, FL
On a day out with the Rolleicord, I experimented a little too enthusiastically with a dark red filter. Set the ISO on the meter to 12 for 100 ISO film, but it wasn't quite enough. The images are all underexposed with dense, sooty shadows. But this one, for all its faults, I like. Probably because Molly's in it.
It may be a bit difficult to imagine that USSC #148 at one point operated in the Florida Keys and all along the rest of FECs network, but today (01/30/22), after a significant restoration effort was completed, the glory of the ol' 4-6-2 Pacific lives again, just this time it's on the ex-ACL on what is now SCFE mainline along the southwest shores of Lake Okeechobee.
A clear blue sky drapes over South Bay, FL on the southern banks of Lake Okeechobee as the city is awoken by the presence of a South Central Florida Express train barreling over the North New River Canal on a morning run. Despite it being essentially peak sugar cane harvest season, the train passing through town would be the SCFE Fort Pierce Turn [FPT-31], the weekday turn job in charge of handling local and interchange traffic from Clewiston to Fort Pierce and back, connecting with the Florida East Coast Railway in the namesake city. A majority of the traffic handled by this turn job is processed raw sugar and byproducts from the sugar processing that is completed at U.S. Sugar’s mill in Clewiston, transported in assorted covered hoppers and grain cars.
Leading the turn job east through town at 08:50 would be #HLCX6341, a former Southern Pacific SD40R under ownership of the Helm Financial Corporation, a locomotive and railcar operating leasing company. Out of the entire HLCX SD40 roster, the 6341 has the distinction of retaining its original SP scarlet red and lark grey paint job, although its lettering has been painted over for a number of years. Despite its modifications through its 57 year lifespan—and counting—it stands as out as a highly sought-after locomotive amongst the most dedicated North American railroad photographers.
U.S. Sugar received the locomotive in late 2022 as leased power for use on their turn jobs and cane trains, and appeared to be fulfilling that duty well through the eyes of me and Dylan S. on the morning of January 31st. It was previously sighted operating on Sugar Road Jobs out of Clewiston weeks prior, which wouldve have made for some unique scenes, but a run up to Fort Pierce on the more scenic K-Branch was just the perfect stroke of luck I needed. Leasers like these are few and far between in Florida, although it’s not the first time SP power has roamed the rails of the Sunshine State.
•
South Bay, FL
SCFE Fort Pierce Subdivision
Date: 01/31/2023 | 08:50
ID: SCFE FPT-31
Type: Local/Turn Job
Direction: Eastbound
Car Count: 14
1. HLCX SD40R #6341
•
© Vicente Alonso 2023
Leica M2
35mm Summicron (type 3) (yellow filter)
Fomapan 100 in Clayton F76 (1:9 @ 68 deg for 7 min)
-- A cooling drench on a hot day. Boat launch, Canal Point, Florida. I just flipped the lens to infinity and stuck the camera down by my feet. Ha, ha, if I got down that low, I'd still lying down there! After the dog got out of the water, a big alligator floated past, about 100 yards offshore.
Lake Okeechobee also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida. It is the eighth largest natural freshwater lake in the United States and the second largest natural freshwater lake (the largest being Lake Michigan) contained entirely within the contiguous 48 states. Okeechobee covers 730 square miles (1,900 km2), approximately half the size of the state of Rhode Island, and is exceptionally shallow for a lake of its size, with an average depth of only 9 feet (2.7 metres). The lake is divided between Glades, Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, and Hendry counties. All five counties meet at one point near the center of the lake.
"This photograph was of an angle of this lake, otherwise the photo would have seemed as if it were a calm sea, that is, it was taken rather at an angle of 15 degrees pointing to my right at the height of a town called Buckhead Ridge, Florida"
Lake Okeechobee locally referred to as "The Lake", "Florida's Inland Sea", or "The Big O", is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida. It is the seventh largest freshwater lake in the United States and the second largest freshwater lake (the largest being Lake Michigan) contained entirely within the contiguous 48 states. However, it is the largest freshwater lake completely within a single one of the lower 48 states. Okeechobee covers 730 square miles (1,900 km2), approximately half the size of the state of Rhode Island, and is exceptionally shallow for a lake of its size, with an average depth of only 9 feet (2.7 metres). The lake is divided between Glades, Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, and Hendry counties. All five counties meet at one point near the center of the lake.
The name Okeechobee comes from the Hitchiti words oki (water) and chubi (big). The oldest known name for the lake was Mayaimi (also meaning "big water"), reported by Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda in the 16th century. Slightly later in the 16th century René Goulaine de Laudonnière reported hearing about a large freshwater lake in southern Florida called Serrope. By the 18th century the largely mythical lake was known to British mapmakers and chroniclers by the Spanish name Laguna de Espiritu Santo. In the early 19th century it was known as Mayacco Lake or Lake Mayaca after the Mayaca people, originally from the upper reaches of the St. Johns River, who moved near the lake in the early 18th century. The modern Port Mayaca on the east side of the lake preserves that name. The lake was also called Lake Macaco in the early 19th century.
On the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee, three islands—Kreamer, Ritta, and Torey—were once settled by early pioneers. These settlements had a general store, post office, school, and town elections. Farming was the main vocation. The fertile land was challenging to farm because of the muddy muck. Over the first half of the twentieth century, farmers used agricultural tools—including tractors—to farm in the muck. By the 1960s, all of these settlements were abandoned.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
CityPlace South Tower is a 21 story luxury condo building directly across from CityPlace with condos for sale and for rent. CityPlace South Tower Condos For Sale start around $250k for 1 bedrooms and go up to $900k for 3 bedrooms with views of the ocean, intracoastal, and palm beach. The Condos For Rent in CityPlace South Tower start around $1600 and go up to $6000 per month, and include all the amenities of the building as well. CityPlace South Tower is easily known as one of the nicest luxury buildings in Downtown West Palm Beach.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.emporis.com/buildings/217290/cityplace-south-tower-we...
USSC #302, GP11, crosses the Caloosahatchee River in Moore Haven as the sawgrass of the western portions of Lake Okeechobee are seen in the background. The eastern and southern portions of the lake look more like an ocean rather than everglades as seen in this photo.
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 Lainharts, 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 town site, 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 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 the 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 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:
Beautiful sunset after a stormy day over South Florida at Port Mayaca, Florida along the dam in Okeechobee Lake. HDR image created using EasyHDR software and Topaz Denoise.
captainkimo.com/okeechobee-lake-sunset-from-port-mayaca-f...
Location: Lake Okeechobee, Florida, United States of America.
Lake Okecchobee in Florida has a surface area of 662 mi² or (1,714 km²). The lake has the tenth largest surface area in United States of America. Nevertheless, it only has a depth of 9 ft (approximately 2.7 m), which is only a bit more than the deepest pools. The lake is part of the extended Everglades ecosystem. The lake sustains fish, birds, farms, and forms an essential part of the water supply in South Florida.
Ubicación: Lago Okeechobee, Florida, Estados Unidos de America.
El Lago Okeechobee en Florida tiene un área de superficie de 1,714 km². Esta clasificado como el décimo lago con área de superficie mas grande de los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, el lago nada mas tiene una profundidad de 2.7 m, un poco mas que las piscinas mas profundas. El lago es parte del área extendida de los Everglades. El lago sostiene vida silvestre como peces y pájaros, y también sostiene fincas y un proveedor de agua en el sur de Florida.
Resources/Recursos: web.archive.org/web/20200624202544/www.sfwmd.gov/our-work... & web.archive.org/web/20191014184352/https://www.thoughtco....
We were crossing Lake Okeechobee going from West to East toward Stuart FL. We had this big power Cat following us across.
Three pelicans flying over Lake Okeechobee during sunset from Port Mayaca, Florida. Single exposure image processed using Photoshop and Lightroom.
captainkimo.com/lake-okeechobee-sunset-pelicans-flying-sq...
CityPlace Tower offers the following amenites:
100% Generator Backup System and Emergency Biofuel delivery program assuring uninterrupted power during the event of a utility power loss for two weeks.
Hurricane Impact Fenestration.
State-of-the-art security system allowing controlled 24/7 access. 24/7 security staff and concierge service screening all visitors entering the building.
Spectacular Ocean, Intracoastal waterway, and City Views.
Executive parking with direct access to the tenant's floor.
Onsite Conference Center with state-of-the-art audiovisual.
Valet and car detailing on-site.
Full-service Banking Branch, Drive-thru teller, and ATM.
as well as on-site property management.
LEED® Silver certified and Energy Star Certified.
The latest in energy-efficient touchless fixtures for energy conservation, cost savings, and wellness.
All Parking garages include electric vehicle charging stations and onsite bicycle storage.
Centralized airflow system with MERV-13 (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) filters that retains more than 90% of common particles.
Non-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) cleaning, disinfectant, and pest control products, reducing allergen and harsh chemical exposure.
Cleaning staff completing disinfectant high touch point cleaning before, during, and after hours.
Recycling program including Electronic and Toner Recycling.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.cityplacetower.com/home.axis
www.cityplacetower.com/home.axisen.phorio.com/file/310774023/
www.emporis.com/buildings/258526/cityplace-tower-west-pal...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
The sun hides behind the clouds and lights up the sky as it rises over the Okeechobee Waterway. The photo was taken from Timer Powers Park in Indiantown, Florida.
Please visit my website at tom-claud.pixels.com
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 Lainharts, 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 town site, 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 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 the 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 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:
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 Lainharts, 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 town site, 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 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 the 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 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 the downtown was 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
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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 Lainharts, 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 town site, 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 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 the 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 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.
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