South Palm Beach, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
South Palm Beach, Florida
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| Town of South Palm Beach | ||
Aerial View of South Palm Beach Proper
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| Motto(s):
The Best Town on the East Coast
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Location of South Palm Beach, Florida
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Florida |
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| County |  Palm Beach |
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| Incorporated | 1955 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council-Manager | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 0.28 sq mi (0.73 km2) | |
| • Land | 0.11 sq mi (0.28 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.45 km2) | |
| Elevation | 3 ft (1 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,471 | |
| • Density | 13,747.66/sq mi (5,291.84/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code |
33480
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| Area code(s) | 561, 728 | |
| FIPS code | 12-67650 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0291401 | |
South Palm Beach is a small town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is part of the larger Miami metropolitan area in South Florida. The town sits on a narrow strip of land called a barrier island. This island has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other.
The town is about 1 kilometer (5/8 of a mile) long. Its only main road is South Ocean Boulevard, also known as Florida State Road A1A. To the north, it borders the Town of Palm Beach. To the south, it is next to the Town of Lantana and its public beach.
South Palm Beach became an official town in 1955. At first, it had a few condominium buildings and four single-family homes. More condominiums were built in the early 1970s, helping the town grow. The town's fire station was used for meetings until 1993, when a proper town hall was built. In 2020, about 1,471 people lived in South Palm Beach.
Contents
Exploring South Palm Beach's Location
South Palm Beach is located at about 26.59 degrees North latitude and 80.03 degrees West longitude.
The town has clear borders:
- To the north, it is next to the Town of Palm Beach.
- To the east, it faces the Atlantic Ocean.
- To the west, it is bordered by the Intracoastal Waterway. This waterway is also known as the Lake Worth Lagoon.
- To the south, it touches the town of Manalapan and Lantana's public beach.
The United States Census Bureau says the town covers about 0.9 square kilometers (0.35 square miles). Of this, about 0.3 square kilometers (0.12 square miles) is land. The rest, about 0.5 square kilometers (0.19 square miles), is water. This means more than half of the town's area is water!
Protecting the Shoreline
The beaches in South Palm Beach have faced challenges, mainly from storms. Over time, the shoreline has moved back, meaning the beach has gotten smaller. This is called coastal erosion.
From 2003 to 2016, there were six projects to restore the beach and its sand dunes. However, these efforts often did not last because there was nothing strong enough to hold the sand in place. The shoreline is mostly protected by walls, which means a longer-lasting solution was needed.
Since 2007, Palm Beach County has studied ways to control this erosion. They even considered doing nothing, but that was not a good option.
In 2016, the nearby Town of Palm Beach finished its own beach nourishment projects. This means they added sand to their beaches to make them wider. However, South Palm Beach did not get any of this work done at that time.
There were plans for a big project in 2019 and 2020 to rebuild about 0.67 miles of South Palm Beach's shoreline. But in early 2019, the county decided it was too expensive.
Later, with help from the Town of Palm Beach, a smaller project was possible. This involved trucking in sand to help restore the eroding beach. In 2021, after many years of a shrinking beach, sand was finally brought in to rebuild it.
Engineers have also looked into building a series of low walls called "groins" along the beach. These groins, combined with adding sand, could help keep the shoreline more stable. However, protecting buildings along the coast from the ocean waves remains a big challenge.
Understanding South Palm Beach's Climate
South Palm Beach has a tropical climate. This is similar to the weather you would find in many parts of the Caribbean. It is one of the few places in the main 48 states that has this type of climate. It usually has a tropical savanna climate, which means it has a wet season and a dry season. It is also very close to having a tropical monsoon climate.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 113 | — | |
| 1970 | 188 | 66.4% | |
| 1980 | 1,304 | 593.6% | |
| 1990 | 1,480 | 13.5% | |
| 2000 | 1,531 | 3.4% | |
| 2010 | 1,171 | −23.5% | |
| 2020 | 1,471 | 25.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Who Lives in South Palm Beach?
The table below shows the different groups of people living in South Palm Beach, based on the 2010 and 2020 censuses. This helps us understand the town's population.
| Race | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White (NH) | 1,100 | 1,270 | 93.94% | 86.34% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 5 | 15 | 0.43% | 1.02% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.07% |
| Asian (NH) | 9 | 26 | 0.77% | 1.77% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Some other race (NH) | 0 | 2 | 0.00% | 0.14% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 3 | 34 | 0.26% | 2.31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 54 | 123 | 4.61% | 8.36% |
| Total | 1,171 | 1,471 |
In 2020, there were 1,471 people living in South Palm Beach. These people lived in 1,028 households, and 420 of these households were families.
In 2010, there were 1,171 people, 763 households, and 385 families living in the town.
Economy and Businesses
For a long time, the main business in South Palm Beach was the Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn. This inn had 58 rooms and a restaurant called Tides Bar and Grille. It was built in 1964 and was known for its Polynesian style. Many people called it "one of the last pieces of old Florida."
The inn was bought by Kosova Realty in 2002. It was also known by its older name, the Hawaiian Inn. After Hurricane Wilma in 2005, the inn lost most of its beach and was not kept up very well.
The owners wanted to replace the inn with a much larger, 12-story condominium-hotel. This new building would have been built over two stories of parking. However, the South Palm Beach Town Council said no to this plan in October 2007. The town's rules limit new buildings to six stories over one level of parking.
The owners tried to change the town's rules to allow a 14-story building. They even offered to build a new public safety building and town hall for the town. But they faced financial problems, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Later in 2012, a new company bought the inn. They planned to fix it up and possibly develop it in the future. The property was sold for $8.25 million. Even though the old inn got some small updates and continued to operate as a hotel and restaurant, the long-term plan was to build condominiums there.
The town's rules for oceanfront property allow 33 homes per acre. To build a denser project, the town would need to hold a special vote. The new developers planned to build 30 homes above a one-story parking garage. The old motel and restaurant were torn down in April 2016.
The new 30-unit building was marketed with fancy features like a concierge service, a dog park, and even private jet service. In June 2018, the building reached its full height of seven stories. It was finished in September 2019.
Images for kids
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Florida route A1A runs through the center of the town built between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal (2008)
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The beach in South Palm Beach before Hurricane Wilma in 2005
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Town hall
See also
In Spanish: South Palm Beach para niños
