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Delray Beach is a city in
Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...
,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the
2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, Delray Beach is in the Miami metropolitan area.


History


Early years

The earliest known human inhabitants of what is now Delray Beach were the
Jaega The Jaega (also Jega, Xega, Jaece, Geiga) were Native Americans living in a chiefdom of the same name, which included the coastal parts of present-day Martin County and northern Palm Beach County, Florida at the time of initial European contac ...
people.
Tequesta The Tequesta (also Tekesta, Tegesta, Chequesta, Vizcaynos) were a Native American tribe. At the time of first European contact they occupied an area along the southeastern Atlantic coast of Florida. They had infrequent contact with Europeans a ...
Indians likely passed through or inhabited the area at various times. Few other recorded details of these local indigenous settlements have survived. An 1841 U.S. military map shows a
Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...
camp located in the area now known as Lake Ida. In 1876, the
United States Life Saving Service The United States Life-Saving ServiceDespite the lack of hyphen in its insignia, the agency itself is hyphenated in government documents including: and was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian effort ...
built the Orange Grove House of Refuge to rescue and shelter ship-wrecked sailors. The house derived its name from the grove of mature sour orange and other tropical fruit trees found at the site chosen for the house of refuge, but no record or evidence of who planted the trees was discovered. The first non-indigenous group to build a settlement was a party of African Americans from the panhandle of Florida, who purchased land a little inland from the Orange Grove House of Refuge and began farming around 1884. By 1894 the black community was large enough to establish the first school in the area. In 1894
William S. Linton William Seelye Linton (February 4, 1856 – November 22, 1927) was an American politician from Michigan. Early life Linton was born in St. Clair, Michigan and moved with his parents to Saginaw in 1859, where he attended the public schools. ...
, a Republican U.S. Congressman for
Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
, bought a tract of land west of the Orange Grove House of Refuge, and began selling plots in what he hoped would become a farming community. Initially, this community was named after Linton. In 1896 Henry Flagler extended his Florida East Coast Railroad south from
West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
to
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, with a station at Linton. The Linton settlers established a post office and a store, and began to achieve success with truck farming of winter vegetables for the northern market. A hard freeze in 1898 was a setback, and many of the settlers left, including William Linton. Partly in an attempt to change the community's luck, or to leave behind a bad reputation, the settlement's name was changed in 1901 to Delray, after the Detroit neighborhood of Delray ("Delray" being the anglicized spelling of Del Rey, which is Spanish for "of the king"), which in turn was named after the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
's Battle of Molino del Rey. Settlers from The Bahamas (then part of the
British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...
), sometimes referred to as Nassaws, began arriving in the early 1900s. After 1905, newspaper articles and photographs of Delray events reveal that Japanese settlers from the nearby Yamato farming colony also began participating in Delray civic activities such as parades, going to the movies, and shopping. The 1910 census shows Delray as a town of 904 citizens. Twenty-four U.S. states and nine other countries are listed as the birthplace of its residents. Although still a small town, Delray had a remarkably diverse citizenry. In 1911, the area was chartered by the State of Florida as an incorporated town. In the same year, pineapple and tomato canning plants were built. Pineapples became the primary crop of the area. This is reflected in the name of the present day Pineapple Grove neighborhood near downtown Delray Beach. Prior to 1909, the Delray settlement land was within Dade County. That year,
Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...
was carved out of the northern portion of the region. In 1915, Palm Beach County and Dade County contributed nearly equal portions of land to create what is now
Broward County Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...
between the two, leaving Delray situated within the southeastern portion of Palm Beach County. By 1920, Delray's population had reached 1,051. In the 1920s, drainage of the
Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissim ...
west of Delray lowered the water table, making it harder to grow pineapples, while the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West resulted in competition from Cuban pineapples for the markets of the northern United States. The
Florida land boom of the 1920s The Florida land boom of the 1920s was Florida's first real estate bubble. This pioneering era of Florida land speculation lasted from 1924 to 1926 and attracted investors from all over the nation. The land boom left behind entirely new, planned ...
brought renewed prosperity to Delray. Tourism and real estate speculation became important parts of the local economy. Delray issued bonds to raise money to install water and sewer lines, paved streets, and sidewalks. Several hotels were built. At that time, Delray was the largest town on the east coast of Florida between
West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
and
Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
. The collapse of the land boom in 1926 left Delray saddled with high bond debts, and greatly reduced income from property taxes. Delray was separated from the Atlantic Ocean beach by the Florida East Coast Canal (now part of the
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following t ...
). In 1923 the area between the canal and the ocean was incorporated as Delray Beach. In 1927 Delray and Delray Beach merged into one town named Delray Beach. Beginning in the mid-1920s, a seasonal Artists and Writers Colony was established in Delray Beach and the adjacent town of Gulf Stream. At the time, the city of Palm Beach did not welcome Hollywood personalities or all types of artists, so the Delray winter colony drew a more eclectic and bohemian populace. Throughout the 1930s and '40s, Delray became a popular winter enclave for artists and authors, especially famous cartoonists. Two nationally syndicated cartoonists – H.T. Webster (creator of "Caspar Milquetoast") and
Fontaine Fox Fontaine Talbot Fox, Jr. (June 4, 1884 – August 9, 1964) was an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for writing and illustrating his ''Toonerville Folks'' comic panel, which ran from 1913 to 1955 in 250 to 300 newspapers across North ...
of "Toonerville Trolley" fame – had offices upstairs in the Arcade Building over the Arcade Tap Room; a gathering place where the artists and writers might be joined by aristocrats, politicians, entertainers, and sports figures. Other well-known artists and writers of the era who had homes in Delray Beach include: Herb Roth, W.J. "Pat" Enright, Robert Bernstein, Wood Cowan, Denys Wortman, Jim Raymond, Charles Williams, Herb Niblick, Hugh McNair Kahler,
Clarence Budington Kelland Clarence Budington "Bud" Kelland (July 11, 1881 – February 18, 1964) was an American writer. Prolific and versatile, he was a prominent literary figure in his heyday, and he described himself as "the best second-rate writer in America". Kelland ...
, Nina Wilcox Putnam, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. These seasonal visitors helped soften the effect of the real estate downturn and The Great Depression on the city. During the Depression, not much money was available since the two banks had failed, but progress continued, and the town still looked prosperous because of the previous burst of new buildings during the boom years. The Artists and Writers Colony flourished and Delray Beach's fame as a resort town grew. This era is regarded as Delray Beach's "golden age of architecture;" a period in which the city ranked 50th in population but 10th in building permits in Florida. Prominent architectural styles in Delray Beach from this period include
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
,
Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonia ...
, Mission Revival, Monterey Colonial, Streamline Moderne, bungalows, and 'Key West style' cottage homes for the Artists and Writers Colony winter residents.


Post World War II

For the four years of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, citizens of Delray Beach volunteered to watch the beach and ocean 24 hours a day from the faux bell tower atop the seaside Seacrest Hotel. Military personnel patrolled the beach on horseback. Shipping attacks could be seen from the coast. During WWII Delray Beach also saw an influx of service personnel stationed at the nearby
Boca Raton Army Airfield Boca Raton Army Air Field was a World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield, located northwest of the 1940s borders of Boca Raton, Florida. During World War II, it operated the only training for the then new and secret technology of ...
. Some of the veterans who had trained at the airfield returned to settle in Delray Beach after the war. Steady growth of the city continued through the 1950s and 1960s. While Delray Beach had a sizeable African-American population from the beginning, it attempted to keep out Jews. In 1959, the
Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Sept ...
called it "one of the nation's most completely anti-Semitic communities". It quoted an unnamed realtor who "proudly called it the only city on the East Coast f Floridafully restricted to Gentiles both in buying and selling". By the early 1960s Delray Beach was becoming known for surfing. Atlantic Avenue was the biggest seller of surfboards in Florida at the time. Delray Beach's surfing fame increased somewhat serendipitously after a 1965 shipwreck. During Hurricane Betsy, the freighter
Amaryllis ''Amaryllis'' () is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidinae (tribe Amaryllideae). It is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, ''Amaryllis belladonna'', is a native of the Western Cape region of ...
ran aground on Singer Island, creating a windbreak that formed perfectly breaking waves. The ship was dismantled three years later, yet local surfers have retained an association with the area. In the 1970s, Interstate 95 between Palm Beach Gardens and Miami was fully completed and development began to spread west of the city limits. This pattern continued and accelerated through the 1980s, as downtown and many of the older neighborhoods fell into a period of economic decline. Revitalization of some historic areas began during the last decade of the twentieth century, as several local landmark structures were renovated. These include the Colony Hotel and Old School Square (the former campus of Delray Elementary School and Delray High School, since turned into a cultural center). The city also established five
Historic Districts A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from cer ...
, listed in the Local Register of Historic Places, and annexed several other historic residential neighborhoods between
U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...
and the Intracoastal Waterway in an effort to preserve some of the distinctive local architecture. In 2001, the historic home of teacher/principal Solomon D. Spady was renovated and turned into the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum. The Spady Museum houses black archives. In 2007 the museum was expanded by renovating a 1935 cottage as a Kid's Cultural Clubhouse, and the construction of a 50-seat amphitheater named for C. Spencer Pompey, a pioneer black educator. Downtown Delray, located in the eastern part of the city, along Atlantic Avenue, east of I-95 and stretching to the beach, has undergone a large-scale renovation and gentrification. The Delray Beach Tennis Center has brought business to the area. It has hosted several major international tennis events such as the April 2005
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was chan ...
(USA vs. Belgium), the April 2004 Davis Cup (USA vs. Sweden), the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships ( ATP Event), and the Chris Evert/Bank of America Pro Celebrity. Atlantic Community High School was rebuilt in 2005 on a different site from the previous school, a plan which was met with much contention. When DayJet operated from 2007 to 2008, its headquarters were in Delray Beach. From 2009 to 2012, Pet Airways had its headquarters in Delray Beach. In 2012, Rand McNally "Best of the Road" named Delray Beach America's Most Fun Small Town. Delray Beach was rated as the 3rd Happiest Seaside Town in America by ''Coastal Living'' in 2015.


Opioid epidemic

Delray Beach has experienced a drastic spike in
opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid use ...
overdoses in recent years, reaching record numbers in 2016 and 2017. The number reached its pinnacle of 96 in October 2016. Most overdoses are a result of heroin mixed with
Fentanyl Fentanyl, also spelled fentanil, is a very potent synthetic opioid used as a pain medication. Together with other drugs, fentanyl is used for anesthesia. It is also used illicitly as a recreational drug, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocain ...
.


Geography

* The city's eastern boundary includes of beachfront along the Atlantic Ocean. * Directly to the south, the city is bordered by Boca Raton. * To the south and southeast, the city is bordered by Highland Beach on the same
barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from ...
east of the
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following t ...
. * Directly to the north, the city is bordered by Boynton Beach. * To the north and northeast, the city is bordered by Gulf Stream on the barrier island and along a section of mainland east of
U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...
. * To the west, an urbanized area that includes High Point, Kings Point, Villages of Oriole, and multiple
gated communities A gated community (or walled community) is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. ...
extends from the city's western boundary to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge portion of the
Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissim ...
. Many residences and businesses within this suburban corridor of unincorporated Palm Beach County possess a Delray Beach postal address despite technically lying outside the city limits. This area is sometimes referred to collectively and informally as "West Delray." Delray Beach's location in Southeastern Palm Beach County is in the middle of Florida's
Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...
region. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city of Delray Beach has a total land area of .


Downtown location

In earlier years, downtown Delray was centered along Atlantic Avenue as far west as Swinton Avenue and as far east as the intracoastal waterway. Downtown has since expanded. By 2010, downtown extended west to
I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
and east as the Atlantic Ocean; The north–south boundaries extend roughly two blocks north and south of Atlantic Avenue.


Climate

Delray Beach has a
tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...
, more specifically a tropical trade-wind rainforest climate (
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Af''), as its driest month (February) averages 64.8mm of precipitation, meeting the minimum standard of 60mm in the driest month needed to qualify for that designation. Delray Beach has hot and humid summers. High summertime temperatures range from 87–93 °F with low temperatures around 75–78 °F. Winters are warm, with a marked drier season. Ordinarily wintertime high temperatures are typically in the range of 74–83 °F and low temperatures 57–65 °F. However, when occasional cold fronts hit South Florida, daytime high temperatures may only reach the low or mid 60s (°F). Overnight lows during these brief periods can sink into the 40s. These cold fronts do not typically last more than a day or two and only occur several times each winter. Its near sea-level elevation, coastal location, position above the
Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted tow ...
, and proximity to the Gulf Stream shapes its climate. Hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, although hurricanes can develop outside those dates. The most likely time for hurricane activity is during the peak of the Cape Verde season, which is mid-August through the end of September. Delray Beach has received direct or near direct hits from hurricanes in 1903, 1906, 1928, 1947, 1949, 1964, 1965, 1979, 1992, 1999, 2004, and 2005.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the
2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 66,846 people, 28,548 households, and 15,030 families residing in the city.


2010 census

As of 2010, there were 34,156 households, out of which 20.4% were vacant. As of 2000, 18.9% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87.


2000 census

In 2000, the city's population was spread out, with 18.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 25.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $43,371, and the median income for a family was $51,195. Males had a median income of $33,699 versus $28,469 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $29,350. About 8.2% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 75.44% of all residents, and French Creole accounted for 11.73%, Spanish consisted of 7.02%, French was at 1.87%, Italian at 0.88%, and German made up 0.75% of the population. As of 2000, Delray Beach had the sixteenth highest percentage of Haitian residents in the U.S,. with 10.50% of the population.


Media

Delray Beach is covered by two major daily newspapers, the ''Palm Beach Post and Sun Sentinel'', as well as local publications, including the ''Coastal Star'', Delray Newspaper and the ''Delray Beach Times''. There are also two lifestyle magazines, Delray Magazine and Atlantic Ave Magazine. Local television stations covering the county are channel 5 NBC WPTV, channel 25 ABC WPBF, channel 12 CBS WPEC and channel 29 FOX WFLX.


Sports

The
Delray Beach Open The Delray Beach Open is an ATP World Tour 250 series men's professional tennis tournament held each year in Delray Beach, Florida, United States, and played on hard courts. It was previously known as America's Red Clay Championships, Citrix Ten ...
is an ATP World Tour 250 series men's professional tennis tournament held each year. The Delray Beach Tennis Center has hosted the
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was chan ...
, the Davis Cup, and the Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic. The ProWorld Tennis Academy is located in Delray Beach. The Delray Beach Tennis Center is a full-service public tennis facility with 14 clay courts, 6 hard courts, and an 8,200-seat stadium located near downtown on Atlantic Avenue. The center includes an upstairs pavilion and conference room, pro-shop with locker rooms, racquet stringing, and merchandise. The club offers a variety of adult and junior programs, leagues, clinics and camps. A second location, the Delray Swim & Tennis Club, features 24 clay courts and a clubhouse that has a pro shop with merchandise and locker rooms. On July 20, 2010, the city's commissioners proclaimed that the city's name would be officially changed to Tennis Beach for one week in honor of its nomination by the
United States Tennis Association The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...
as one of the top tennis towns in the United States.


Culture and attractions

The city has of public beach accessible from Florida State Road A1A. ''Travel Holiday'' magazine named Delray Municipal Beach as the top beach in the southeastern United States. The remains of the British Steamship Inchulva that sank on Sept 11, 1903 are located in shallow water near the public beach, acting as habitat for native fish and corals. Known today as the Delray Wreck, the site is noted for snorkeling and scuba diving. East Atlantic Avenue is noted for its nightlife, dining, and shopping. Atlantic Avenue is also a regular destination for various art fairs and street festivals. Delray Beach has a street-legal golf cart community among residents as well as local businesses. Exhilaride offers street-legal golf cart rentals to visitors and residents by the hour, day or longer. The Downtowner is point-to-point golf cart free ride service available by app and Katch-a-Ride is a similar business, available by phone. The Pineapple Grove Arts District, located downtown north of Atlantic Avenue, is noted for its galleries, performance art, and cultural organizations. Arts Garage, a not-for-profit multi-media arts venue, hosts musical concerts, live theatre, arts education and outreach programs, and a visual art gallery. The Silverball Museum features more than 150 classic, playable pinball machines and arcade games. The Delray Beach Playhouse, which opened in 1947 in Lake Ida East Park, stages plays, musicals, interactive studio theatre, books on stage, children's theatre productions, classes and camps. Old School Square, the former campus of Delray Elementary School and Delray High School, has since been converted into a cultural center. The Old School Square complex now comprises the Crest Theatre, a venue for the performing arts, in the former High School building; the 1925 Gymnasium, restored to maintain its appearance, which has since become a venue for local events such as wedding receptions and dances; the Cornell Art Museum, built in the restored Elementary School; and The Pavilion, which serves as an outdoor venue for musical performances and other events such as political rallies. The Creative Arts School offers beginner through master level art, photography, and writing classes for children and adults. Cason Cottage House Museum, once home to a family of Delray Beach pioneers, offers visitors a glimpse at daily life in South Florida from 1915 to 1935. The Museum is maintained and operated by the Delray Beach Historical Society. The Sandoway Discovery Center, located at the historic J.B. Evans House at 142 South Ocean Boulevard, features native plants, live animals, and a large collection of shells from around the world. The center offers environmental education programs and classes. The historic Sundy House now operates as a luxury eco resort. The premises includes The Sundy family's former apartments and cottages which have been converted into guest accommodations, a café, an antique shop, and tropical Taru Gardens. The historic home of teacher/principal Solomon D. Spady was renovated and turned into the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum. The Spady Museum houses black archives and hosts exhibits and programs designed to recognize the efforts of blacks who were instrumental in shaping Delray Beach and Palm Beach County. In 2007 the museum was expanded by renovating a 1935 cottage as a Kid's Cultural Clubhouse, and the construction of a 50-seat amphitheater named for C. Spencer Pompey, a pioneer black educator. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is a center for Japanese arts and culture. The campus includes two museum buildings, the Roji-en Japanese Gardens: Garden of the Drops of Dew, a bonsai garden, library, gift shop, and a Japanese restaurant, called the Cornell Cafe, which has been featured on the Food Network. Rotating exhibits are displayed in both buildings, and demonstrations, including tea ceremonies and classes, are held in the main building. Traditional Japanese festivals are celebrated several times a year. Wakodahatchee Wetlands is a wetlands park open to the public. Facilities include a three-quarter mile (1.2 kilometer) boardwalk that crosses between open water pond areas, emergent marsh areas, shallow shelves, and islands with shrubs and snags to foster nesting and roosting. The site is part of the South section of the Great Florida Birding Trail and offers many opportunities to observe birds in their natural habitats. Over 151 species of birds have been spotted inside the park, including
pied-billed grebe The pied-billed grebe (''Podilymbus podiceps'') is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Because the Atitlán grebe (''Podilymbus gigas'') has become extinct, the Pied-Billed Grebe is now the sole extant member of the genus ''Podilymbus'' ...
, snowy egrets, and black-bellied whistling ducks. The park is home to turtles, alligators, rabbits, frogs, and raccoons. The City of Delray Beach maintains five athletic fields, five beach and oceanfront parks, eight community parks, two intracoastal parks, a teen center and
skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairse ...
, a splash park, and a pool and tennis club, offering a variety of recreational activities and facilities.


Economy

Delray Beach is one of South Florida's most popular beach destinations. The area is noted for its restaurants, retail shops, nightclubs, art galleries, and hotels.


Recent development

Downtown Delray Beach has had a building boom since roughly 2003. Recent development reflects trends of
New Urbanism New Urbanism is an urban design movement which promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually i ...
downtown, and mansionization of waterfront property, sometimes creating pressures on Historic Districts and historic sites. New mixed-use development projects have recently been constructed, and more are planned, in the areas immediately north and south of Atlantic Avenue. To accommodate the anticipated growth the city has also built two new municipal parking garages.


Drug recovery programs

In 2007, an article in ''The New York Times'' labeled Delray Beach the drug recovery capital of the United States because it had one of the country's largest recovery communities and relative number of sober living houses. However, the lucrative local
drug rehab Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent i ...
industry has received mixed reviews from addiction experts and is considered a public nuisance by some residents and city officials. Persistent complaints of health care fraud, insurance fraud, strain on public resources, and a perceived lack of adequate regulation and rehab facility inspections have received media coverage. In July 2017, several national news outlets, including ''The New York Times'' and ''NBC News'', published investigative reports detailing fraud allegations within South Florida's billion-dollar drug rehab industry, focusing on Delray Beach's sober houses. At least 30 arrests for illegal "patient brokering" had been made between July 2016 and July 2017 and more are expected.


Top employers

According to Delray Beach's 2018–2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:


Notable landmarks and buildings

* The Colony Hotel, designed by architect Martin L. Hampton and built in 1926, is a Delray Beach Historic Landmark. * Delray Beach Tennis Center, Tennis stadium capable of seating 8,200 spectators. * Old School Square, listed in the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. * Palm Trail Yacht Club on the Intracoastal Waterway, designed by Mid-century Modernist designer Alfons Bach. * Sewell C. Biggs House, designed by Paul Rudolph. * John and Elizabeth Shaw Sundy House and Taru Gardens, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.


Points of interest

*
Cornell Museum The Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square is a museum in the Old School Square section of Delray Beach, Florida Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,84 ...
* Delray Beach Public Library * Delray Beach Seaboard Air Line Railway Station * J.B. Evans House and Sandoway Discovery Center, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. * Marina Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. * Milton-Myers American Legion Post No. 65, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. * Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens * Morikami Park * Roji-en Japanese Gardens * Silverball Museum * Spady Museum * Wakodahatchee Wetlands


Transportation


Highways

* Florida State Road A1A, locally known as "Ocean Boulevard", is a north–south Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway passing through the city between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. *
U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...
, also known as "Federal Highway", is a north–south road passing through downtown, commercial districts, and residential areas in the eastern part of the city. US1 splits into a divided
one-way pair A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities. Descripti ...
through downtown. * Interstate 95 bisects the city from north to south with two Delray Beach interchanges. * Florida's Turnpike is a north–south toll road passing through unincorporated Delray Beach, with an interchange at Atlantic Avenue. * U.S. Highway 441, also known as State Road 7, is a north–south highway passing through residential and commercial areas west of the city limits. * Other major north–south roads include
Congress Avenue Congress Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Austin, Texas. The street is a six-lane, tree lined avenue that cuts through the middle of the city from far south Austin and goes over Lady Bird Lake leading to the Texas State Capitol in the heart of ...
, Military Trail, and Jog Road. * Florida State Road 806, locally known as "Atlantic Avenue", is the primary east–west route between State Road A1A and US 441, and the central commercial thoroughfare downtown. * Linton Boulevard and George Bush Boulevard are the other two roads connecting to State Road A1A with drawbridge crossings over the Intracoastal Waterway.


Rail

* Tri-Rail commuter rail system and
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
serve the city with stops at Delray Beach Station.


Bus

* PalmTran provides local bus service in the area.


Shuttle

* The Downtown Roundabout: A free shuttle that connects the Tri-Rail Station to Downtown Delray Beach. With two routes, and 22 stops throughout the downtown, it operates 7 days a week. * Freebee: Launched September 6, 2019, a free, on-demand, point-to-point transportation service utilizing electric golf cart-style vehicles. www.ridefreebee.com


Water

Downtown Delray Beach is accessible by boat via The Intracoastal Waterway. The city has a municipal marina with rental slips south of the Atlantic Avenue crossing. Yacht cruises also launch daily from Veteran's Park north of the Atlantic Avenue drawbridge.


Notable people

* Leslie Alexander, billionaire attorney, businessman and financier, owner of the Houston Rockets * Kristin Kuhns Alexandre, novelist and screenwriter * Kevin Anderson, South African-born professional tennis player *
Tommy Armour Thomas Dickson Armour (24 September 1896 – 11 September 1968) was a Scottish-American professional golfer. He was nicknamed The Silver Scot. He was the winner of three of golf's major championships: 1927 U.S. Open, 1930 PGA, and 1931 Open C ...
, Scottish-American professional golfer * Alfons Bach, German-born industrial designer and painter * Lisa Baker,
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...
model and actress * Fred A. Bantz, business executive and
Under Secretary of the Navy Under may refer to: * "Under" (Alex Hepburn song), 2013 * "Under" (Pleasure P song), 2009 *Bülent Ünder (born 1949), Turkish footballer *Cengiz Ünder (born 1997), Turkish footballer *Marie Under (1883–1980), Estonian poet * Under (restaurant) ...
* Filippo Barbieri, Brazilian-born professional cyclist * Kim Barnouin, model and best-selling cookbook author * Erwin S. Barrie, artist, gallery executive * John Barrow, professional football player, Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductee * Robert Bernstein, comic book writer, playwright, and concert impresario * Eric Biddines, rapper, record producer * Ashley Biden, social worker, activist, philanthropist, and fashion designer. Daughter of US President Joe Biden and First Lady
Jill Biden Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden (born June 3, 1951) is an American educator and the current first lady of the United States since 2021, as the wife of President Joe Biden. She was the second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017 when her hus ...
. * Michael Binger, professional poker player * Jim Bishop, journalist and best-selling book author * Prudy Taylor Board, author *
Jason Bonham Jason John Bonham (born 15 July 1966) is an English drummer. He is the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Since his father's death in September 1980, he has performed with the surviving three members of Led Zeppelin on several occasi ...
, English-born drummer * Benjamin A. Borenstein, food scientist * Lemuel Boulware, business executive, head of labor relations for
G.E. General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energy ...
*
Marvin Bower Marvin Bower (August 1, 1903 – January 22, 2003) was an American business theorist and management consultant associated with McKinsey & Company. Under Bower's leadership, McKinsey grew from a small engineering and accounting firm to a leader i ...
, business management theorist and author * Jerry Bresler, composer and musician *
Leslie Buck Leslie Buck (September 20, 1922 – April 26, 2010) was an American business executive and Holocaust survivor who designed the Anthora coffee cup, which has become an iconic symbol of New York City since its introduction in the 1960s. Early lif ...
, New York-based businessman * Bobby Butler, professional football player * Jim Butler, professional football player,
NFL Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
running back *
Yancy Butler Yancy Victoria Butler (born July 2, 1970) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Natasha Binder in the 1993 film '' Hard Target'', Jess Crossman in '' Drop Zone'', and Detective Sara Pezzini on the TNT supernatural drama series ' ...
, actress *
Milton Caniff Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an American cartoonist famous for the ''Terry and the Pirates'' and ''Steve Canyon'' comic strips. Biography Caniff was born in Hillsboro, Ohio. He was an Eagle Scout and a r ...
, cartoonist * Ken Carson, singer and entertainer * Enrique Martinez Celaya, Cuban-American artist * Joseph V. Charyk, space scientist, first
Director of the National Reconnaissance Office The Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (DNRO) of the United States is responsible to the Secretary of Defense (through the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence) and the Director of National Intelligence for all national space and ...
*
James H. Clark James Henry Clark (born March 23, 1944) is an American entrepreneur and computer scientist. He founded several notable Silicon Valley technology companies, including Silicon Graphics, Netscape, myCFO, and Healtheon. His research work in comput ...
, billionaire computer scientist and entrepreneur, founder of CommandScape * Donald Henderson Clarke, novelist and screenwriter * David Clowney, professional football player * Clement Conger, U.S. State Department and
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
curator * Tom Creavy, professional golfer,
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
winner * Bobby Cruickshank, Scottish-American professional golfer * Melinda Czink, Hungarian-born professional tennis player * Lilly Daché, French-born milliner and fashion designer * Beth Daniel, professional golfer * Bucky Dent, professional baseball player and manager * Jean Despres, French-born perfume industry businessman * Victoria Duval, professional tennis player * S. Paul Ehrlich, Jr., former Surgeon General of the United States * Arnold Eidus, violinist and recording artist * Rita Ellis, politician * William J. Ely, retired Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army. * Mary Lena Faulk, professional golfer * Ben Ferencz, prosecutor * Mark Fields, president and CEO of
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
* Gar Finnvold, professional baseball player *
Richard Fleischman Richard Fleischman (born 1963) is an American violist and viola d'amore player, conductor and pedagogue. Winner of the 1988 Windsor Prize, presented by Leonard Bernstein, the 1984 Edward Steuermann Prize and a Naumberg Scholarship from th ...
, viola player and conductor *
Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist, best known as the lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers. In addition to his ...
, professional football player *
Fontaine Fox Fontaine Talbot Fox, Jr. (June 4, 1884 – August 9, 1964) was an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for writing and illustrating his ''Toonerville Folks'' comic panel, which ran from 1913 to 1955 in 250 to 300 newspapers across North ...
, cartoonist and illustrator * Orlando Franklin, Jamaican-born professional football player * Coco Gauff, professional tennis player * Jason Geathers, professional football player *
Sergio George Sergio George (born May 23, 1961) is an American pianist, arranger, and record producer, known for working with many famous performers of salsa music, although he has worked in other genres of the music industry as well. He has worked with some ...
, musician,
Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
winning record producer, founder of
Top Stop Music Top Stop Music is an independent record label founded by Puerto Rican producer, Sergio George in 2009 based in Delray Beach, Florida. History Sergio George was known for producing albums for salsa musicians during his work with RMM Records & V ...
* William Henry Gleason, early real estate developer, lieutenant governor of Florida * Izzy Goldstein, professional baseball player *
Hy Gotkin Hyman "Hy" Gotkin (August 16, 1922 – April 11, 2004) was an American professional basketball player who played the guard position. He was Jewish, and attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn. He played basketball for St. John's Unive ...
, professional basketball player * Ted Gray, professional baseball player,
MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
pitcher * James J. Greco, businessman."Having Words With: James Greco"
''nrn.com''. February 20, 2012
* Arnold Greenberg, New York-based businessman, co-founder of Snapple * George Haggarty, professional basketball player, attorney * Larry Haines, film and television actor, Broadway performer * Roberta Haynes, actress *
Penny Hammel Penny Hammel (born March 24, 1962) is an American professional golfer, who joined the LPGA Tour in 1985. Amateur career Hammel was born in Decatur, Illinois. She won several amateur tournaments including the 1979 U.S. Girls' Junior. In the 1979 ...
, professional golfer. * C. Herrick Hammond, architect * Billie Harvey, professional racing driver * Barry Hill, professional football player *
Jayron Hosley Jayron Todd Hosley (born September 18, 1990) is a former American football cornerback who played for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech. High school career He attended Atlantic ...
, professional football player * Gayle Hunnicutt, film and television actress * Omar Jacobs, professional football player *
Kevin James Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), better known by his stage name Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. In television, James played Doug Heffernan on ''The King of Queens'' from 1998 to 2007, and receieved a Primetime Emmy ...
, actor, comedian, writer, and producer * Betty Jameson, professional golfer,
World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...
inductee * Rhi Jeffrey, swimmer, US Olympic gold medalist * Ricardo Jordan, professional baseball player *
Clarence Budington Kelland Clarence Budington "Bud" Kelland (July 11, 1881 – February 18, 1964) was an American writer. Prolific and versatile, he was a prominent literary figure in his heyday, and he described himself as "the best second-rate writer in America". Kelland ...
, writer * Alex Kim, professional tennis player * Chelsea Krost, television and radio personality * Steve Leveen, businessman, author, co-founder of The Levenger Company *
William S. Linton William Seelye Linton (February 4, 1856 – November 22, 1927) was an American politician from Michigan. Early life Linton was born in St. Clair, Michigan and moved with his parents to Saginaw in 1859, where he attended the public schools. ...
, U.S. Congressman, investor and early settler *
Lou Little Luigi "Lou Little" Piccirilli December 6, 1891 – May 28, 1979) was an American football player and coach born in Boston, Massachusetts. City of Boston, Birth Registrations, number 8583, December 6, 1891After Lou's birth, his father changed his ...
, football player and coach * Nancy Littlefield, film and television producer and director * Nicholas M. Loeb, film and television actor and producer, businessman, socialite *
Betty Luster Betty Luster (April 27, 1922 – May 25, 2011) was an American television actress, singer and dancer, whose career was active in the 1940s and 1950s. The role for which she is best remembered today was at one time her most obscure: her portraya ...
, television actress, singer, dancer * Gustav Maass, architect * Rick Macci, USPTA tennis coach *
Rod MacDonald Rod MacDonald (born August 17, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, novelist, and educator. He was a "big part of the 1980s folk revival in Greenwich Village clubs", performing at the Speakeasy, The Bottom Line, Folk City, and the "Songwr ...
, singer-songwriter * Lee MacPhail, business executive for
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
,
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
president *
Tomas Maier Tomas Maier (born 1957) is a German-born designer. From 2001 to 2018, he served as Creative Director at the Italian brand Bottega Veneta.Pascale Denis (June 13, 2018)Bottega Veneta creative director Maier standing down''Reuters''. Early life and ...
, German-born fashion designer, creative director of Bottega Veneta *
Meg Mallon Meg Mallon (born April 14, 1963) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1987 and won 18 LPGA Tour events, including four major championships, during her career. Mallon was inducted into the World Golf Hall o ...
, professional golfer *
Bam Margera Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera ( ; born September 28, 1979) is an American former professional skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s as one of the stars of the MTV reality ...
, television personality, skateboarder, and stunt performer. *
Fran Matera Francis A. "Fran" Matera (December 9, 1924 – March 15, 2012) was an American comic strip artist best known for his King Features Syndicate adventure strip ''Steve Roper and Mike Nomad'' from 1984 to 2004. In addition to his extensive experien ...
, cartoonist * Bryan McCabe, Canadian-born professional ice hockey player * Fred McCarthy, cartoonist * Joseph J. McCarthy, lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, World War II
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
recipient * Central McClellion, professional football player * Jameel McCline, professional heavyweight boxer * Bob McFadden, voice actor, singer, and impressionist * Thomas Joseph Meskill, U.S. Congressman, governor of Connecticut, and
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate ju ...
judge * Edna St. Vincent Millay, writer and poet, Pulitzer Prize winner * Mike Mineo, singer-songwriter and musician * Greg Miskiw, former editor of British tabloid newspaper '' News of the World'' * George Sukeji Morikami, Japanese-born pineapple farmer, member of the Yamato Colony *
Ralph Morse Ralph Theodore Morse (October 23, 1917 – December 7, 2014) was a career staff photographer for '' Life'' magazine. He photographed some of the most widely seen pictures of World War II, the United States space program, and sports events, and wa ...
, photographer for ''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'' magazine * Zack Mosley, comic strip artist * Louis Moyroud, French-born American inventor * Bob Murphy, professional golfer, PGA Champions Tour * Tommy O'Connell, professional football player,
NFL Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
quarterback * Robert Oelman, business executive and co-founder of Wright State University * John T. Oxley, businessman, polo player and polo club owner * Preston Parker, professional football player * John Patrick, dramatist and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright * Josue Paul, professional football player * Toney Penna, Italian-American professional golfer * Lillie Pierce Voss, writer and pioneer * Chad Plummer, professional football player * Lois Pope, philanthropist and socialite *
Theodore Pratt Theodore Pratt (1901–1969) was an American writer who is best known for his novels set in Florida. He wrote more than 30 novels, which were adapted into films five times. Biography Pratt was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1901 to Thomas A. ...
, novelist * Anthony Pugliese, real estate developer and pop culture collector * Nina Wilcox Putnam, novelist, screenwriter and playwright * J Rand, singer, actor, dancer, songwriter * Jim Raymond, artist, cartoonist * Rick Rhoden, professional baseball player and golfer * Steve Rifkind, hip-hop music mogul *
Godfrey A. Rockefeller Godfrey Anderson Rockefeller, Sr. (May 22, 1924 – January 22, 2010) was an American aviator. He was the eldest son of Godfrey Stillman Rockefeller (1899–1983) and Helen Gratz. He is best known for his environmental interests and role in the Wo ...
, aviator and environmental conservationist, co-founder of World Wide Fund * Samari Rolle, professional football player,
NFL Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
cornerback * Mike Rumph, professional football player * Kenneth Rush, U.S. diplomat * Kerri Sanborn, bridge player * Gene Sarazen, professional golfer,
World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...
inductee. * Harry Sargeant III, billionaire energy and shipping magnate * Ossie Schectman, professional basketball player * Paul J. H. Schoemaker, Dutch-American author and academic * Jackson Scholz, U.S. Olympic sprinter, portrayed in ''
Chariots of Fire ''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell ...
'' * Albert Seedman, New York Police Department chief of detectives *
Mike Sherman Michael Francis Sherman (born December 19, 1954) is an American gridiron football coach and former player who most recently was the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was the head coach of the Green B ...
, television host * Robert Sickinger, theatre director * Isiah C. Smith, African-American civil-rights leader, attorney, and judge * Solomon D. Spady, educator *
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, writer and newspaper editor * Louise Suggs, professional golfer, co-founder of the
LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...
* Macrae Sykes, former chairman of the
American Stock Exchange NYSE American, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and more recently as NYSE MKT, is an American stock exchange situated in New York City. AMEX was previously a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was know ...
* Gene Tierney, actress *
Sofía Vergara Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara (; born July 10, 1972) is a Colombian and American actress and model. She was the highest paid actress in American television from 2013 to 2020.
, Colombian-American actress and model * Al Wallace, professional football player * Mashona Washington, professional tennis player * Anna Leigh Waters, no. 1 professional pickleball player * H.T. Webster, cartoonist * Max Weinberg, drummer and television personality * Russ Weiner, multi- billionaire businessman, founder of Rockstar energy drink *
Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...
, professional tennis player *
Venus Williams Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player. A former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. She is ...
, professional tennis player * Gary Woodland, professional golfer * Van Winitsky, professional tennis player * Denys Wortman, painter and cartoonist


In popular culture

During the Artists and Writers Colony of the 1930s–1950s, Delray Beach residents and locations were described and depicted—both directly and indirectly—within the cartoon illustrations of Herb Roth, W.J. (Pat) Enright, H.T. Webster,
Fontaine Fox Fontaine Talbot Fox, Jr. (June 4, 1884 – August 9, 1964) was an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for writing and illustrating his ''Toonerville Folks'' comic panel, which ran from 1913 to 1955 in 250 to 300 newspapers across North ...
, and Jim Raymond. Delray Beach is referenced in published correspondence from poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, who resided in the city with her husband Eugen Jan Boissevain in 1935–1936 while writing ''Conversation at Midnight''. Popular novels with scenes specifically set in Delray Beach include '' La Brava'', Elmore Leonard’s 1984 Edgar Award winner for Best Novel, and Elaine Viets’ ''Catnapped!'' from the national bestselling Dead-End Job mystery series. Transplanted Greenwich Village folk singer
Rod MacDonald Rod MacDonald (born August 17, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, novelist, and educator. He was a "big part of the 1980s folk revival in Greenwich Village clubs", performing at the Speakeasy, The Bottom Line, Folk City, and the "Songwr ...
’s song “My Neighbors in Delray” was written upon the author's discovery that some of the terrorists responsible for the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
had spent time in Delray Beach before the attacks. Some film and television productions specifically set or filmed in Delray Beach include: * Body Heat, starring
William Hurt William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. H ...
, Kathleen Turner, and
Ted Danson Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'', for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. ...
, was partially filmed in Delray Beach. * The Comedian, a 2016 film starring Robert De Niro,
Leslie Mann Leslie Jean Mann (born March 26, 1972) is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous films, including ''The Cable Guy'' (1996), ''George of the Jungle'' (1997), '' Big Daddy'' (1999), '' Knocked Up'' (2007), '' 17 Again'' (2009), '' Funn ...
and
Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...
, was partially filmed in Delray Beach. *
Bad Boys II ''Bad Boys II'' is a 2003 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. The sequel to the 1995 film '' Bad Boys'' and the second film in the ''Bad Bo ...
, starring
Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...
and
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...
, was partially filmed in Delray Beach. The film's producers blew up a real $40 million waterfront mansion in Delray Beach as part of a scene that is set in Cuba. * ''After Midnight'', a 2014 feature film was shot in Artists Alley, part of Delray Beach's Pineapple Grove Arts District downtown. * In Her Shoes, starring
Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for ...
,
Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...
, and Shirley MacLaine, is partially set and was filmed in Delray Beach. * ''Hitters Anonymous'', starring Linda Blair, Steven Bauer, and
Clint Howard Clinton Engle Howard (born April 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is the second son born to American actors Rance and Jean Howard, and younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard. His 200-plus acting credits include feature films such as ...
, was filmed in Delray Beach. * Traces of Red, starring
James Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Jim on the sitcom ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009). His other television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), '' Total Security'' ...
,
Lorraine Bracco Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress. Known for her distinct husky voice and Brooklyn accent, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards ...
and
Tony Goldwyn Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...
, was partially filmed in Delray Beach. * CSI: Miami filmed scenes, including a crash-landing of a light aircraft on the beach, in Delray Beach. * TLC's program ''The Psychic MatchMaker'' is shot in Delray Beach. * ''
Broad City ''Broad City'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web series ...
'', a
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
series, shot a season 4 episode titled “Florida” at multiple locations in Delray Beach.


Sister cities

Delray Beach has four
sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...
, as designated by
Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit organization, nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establish ...
: * Miyazu, Kyoto, Japan - Miyazu was the birthplace of George Morikami, for whom Morikami Park and the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is named. * Moshi, Tanzania * Aquin, Haiti * Pesaro, Italy


See also

* LaFrance Hotel


References


Sources

* *
"Old School Square Cultural Arts Center – Creatively Blending Past and Present in Downtown Delray Beach"

Spady Museum, Connecting Culture and Community


External links


City of Delray Beach

Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Florida Cities in Palm Beach County, Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean Populated places on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida Populated places established in 1911 Seaside resorts in Florida Beaches of Palm Beach County, Florida Beaches of Florida