Palm Beach County, Florida

USA / Florida / Belle Glade /
 county, draw only border

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.

Palm Beach County is the northern end of the South Florida Metropolitan Area, which extends from Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade County. It was one of the counties at the center of the 2000 U.S. Presidential election recount controversy, and ended up turning the state in favor of George W. Bush by 537 votes. Palm Beach County, specifically the city of Boca Raton, was the site of the first of the 2001 anthrax attacks.

County Area: 2034 sq. mi. (5628 km. sq.); the largest county in Florida.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   26°38'44"N   80°27'30"W

Comments

  • Second photo (of sign) courtesy of me, photo taken in June 2008.