West Palm Beach was established by
Henry Flagler in 1894.
Back then, the city consisted of the
Florida East Coast Railroad which ran north/south through West Palm and one road which ran west to east (to the
intracoastal). Flagler built the Royal Poinciana Hotel at the end of this road. The city grew up between the resort and the railroad.
The streets in West Palm Beach are are named after
plants and are in alphabetical order going from north to south. The focal point of West Palm Beach is the city library which is located on the east end of
Clematis Street. The library is the center of downtown festivities and has a fountain that city children can play in. The downtown area also caters a week-long music and food festival called
Sunfest in early May. West Palm Beach is unusual in that the downtown area has zoning laws which restrict high rise buildings over 10 floors.
Population (1990): 67643
Location: 26.74770 N, 80.12622 W
Zip Code(s): 33401 33405 33406 33407 33409 33411 33412 33417 33418
Stats Souce: Census 1990 info.