West Palm Beach History

West Palm Beach grew extremely fast into a city full of prominence and prosperity, everyone wanted a piece of the sun. In the early 1900’s, neighborhoods sprang up everywhere, as well as skyscrapers. After being a nation feed by war, it was suddenly mobile, the city had favorable weather and warm waters, and was soon to be a hot spot on the map. Opportunists called “Binder Boys” rushed down from the north. They packed hotel rooms, worked the sidewalks, making fortunes by buying and selling property they never saw while only to put down the ten present deposit. Soon the property values artificially doubled and tripled from all the uproar of demand.

From 1920 to 1927, the city’s population quadrupled and everything grew. The schools, farming and sugar businesses in the Glades, the hotels, and theaters all developed with the new population boost. Just in five years, from 1920 to 1925, the city’s totally property value increased by five, from 13.6 million dollars to 61 million dollars. By 1929, it was a boom-era high of 89 million dollars.

In the late 1960’s and 70’s, the city changed from a small town centered around downtown to a sprawling metropolis. Though the city’s second boom had begun in the 50’s, the city’s new individuality did not come into play until a decade later. Soon later, in the 1970’s, Interstate 95 was built through the swampland just west of the downtown area, West Palm Beach was changed forever. Big industries such as Pratt & Whitney, IBM, RCA, and others helped put the city on the map. The City was soon considered West Palm Beach country’s hub and heart.

The city is still known as one of the most active and the heart of the WPB country today. Filled with shops, restaurants, nightlife, baseballs parks, beaches, the city is full of life. Many people come to see the beautiful shore