Lake Worth, Florida

Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Worth Lagoon, which was named for General William J. Worth, who led United States Army forces during the last part of the Second Seminole War. Lake Worth Beach is situated south of West Palm Beach, southeast of Lake Clarke Shores, east of Palm Springs, and north of Lantana, while a small section of the city also partitions the town of Palm Beach. The 2010 census recorded a population of 34,910, which increased to 42,219 in the 2020 census. Lake Worth Beach is within the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,138,333 people in 2020.

While archaeological evidence indicates that the Jaega inhabited nearby areas thousands of years ago, Samuel and Fannie James, an African American couple, became the first known settlers in modern-day Lake Worth Beach in 1885, filing a homestead claim on . Fannie James operated the Jewell Post Office from 1889 to 1903 to serve the few residents who lived between Lantana and West Palm Beach. A land development scheme by Bryant & Greenwood in the 1910s allowed buyers to receive a parcel of land if they purchased a lot in present-day Greenacres. Consequently, the population increased from 38 in July 1912 to 308 only five months later. The town of ''Lake Worth'' was incorporated in June 1913. Thereafter, Lake Worth grew rapidly during the 1920s land boom and in the decades following World War II. Residents voted to change the official name to Lake Worth Beach in 2019.

Today, Lake Worth Beach is a city featuring several historic neighborhoods, such as the National Register of Historic Places-listed College Park and Old Lucerne, while the downtown area also has dozens of buildings that are part of the Historic Old Town Commercial District. Lake Worth Beach is one of the most ethnically and racially diverse municipalities in Palm Beach County. Several cultural events are hosted annually in the city, including a street painting festival, several ethnic festivals, and Palm Beach Pride, one of the largest LGBTQIA+ pride festivals in Florida.

History

Prior to incorporation

Native Americans migrated into Florida beginning about 12,000 years ago. While evidence near the town of Jupiter indicates local inhabitation dating back to the Paleo-Indian period, the Jaega were the first known tribe to have resided along the Florida Atlantic coast in the areas of Martin and Palm Beach counties. The remains of shell mounds sites, mostly dating back to approximately 750–1500  CE, attest to pre-Columbian Jaega inhabitation near Lake Worth Beach, including in Boynton Beach, Palm Beach, and South Palm Beach.

Among the city's first non-indigenous settlers were Samuel and Fannie James. The Jameses were an African American couple reported to be ex- slaves, known as the Black Diamonds, who settled on the shores of the Lake Worth Lagoon near the current 5th Avenue South in 1885. A stone monument dedicated to Samuel and Fannie James at the northwest corner of Lucerne Avenue ( State Road 802) and J Street inaccurately uses the date 1883, due to a transcription error. The couple made a claim for their land under the Homestead Act in 1885. Their holdings, originally , increased over time to more than , including of homestead land south of Lake Avenue (State Road 802) between M and F Streets; in modern-day College Park, acquired from the estate of William Stephan, where Fannie ran a pineapple farm; and to the south between the current Dixie and Federal highways ( Route 1 and State Road 5), acquired from Swedish immigrants Olai and Sarah Gudmundsen.

The initial name of the area's first post office was Jewell (sometimes spelled Jewel), which served the few residences between Lantana and West Palm Beach. Between 1889 and 1903, Fannie James served as postmaster of the post office, located in a small dry goods shop, which the couple operated to serve the lake traffic that connected the small pioneer homesteads located along the banks of the Lake Worth Lagoon.

Area pioneers also reported that Jewell was included as a stop on the route of the barefoot mailman via the Celestial Railroad by July 1889.

Beginning in the 1890s, the Jameses sold off most of their acreage in a number of parcels ranging in size from to new residents and investors. After Samuel's death in 1909, Fannie sold her remaining to the developer, Palm Beach Farms Company, keeping only a 1.25 acre (0.51 ha) farmette, which lay outside the new city limits as required by the segregation provisions of the 1913 town of Lake Worth charter.

After Henry Flagler extended the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) south from West Palm Beach to Miami in 1896, a land development scheme was created to plant a townsite between the railroad and the lake. Purchasers of agricultural lots, most of which were located in modern-day Greenacres, would also receive a small lot within the city of Lake Worth. The developer, Bryant & Greenwood, promoted the area to markets across the United States and Canada. They proposed to name the town Lucerne, but the United States Postal Service refused to accept the name because there already was a Lucerne post office, now a neighborhood in Miami Gardens. Therefore, the city founders changed the new town's name to Lake Worth.

In April 1911, "A solitary Indian mound surrounded by wild woods marked the spot where flourishing Lake Worth is now growing beyond the most vivid imagination", according to a promotional article published in the ''Lake Worth Herald''. The population of the nascent city stood at 38 in July 1912.

During that year, the library, schoolhouse, newspaper, Women's Club, Chamber of Commerce, first church, and first railroad station (operated by the FEC at Lake Avenue) were established. The town's first census in December 1912 indicated that there were "308 residents, 125 houses, 10 wagons, seven automobiles, 36 bicycles and 876 fowls." Additionally, from 1911 to 1912, the Palm Beach Farms Company platted approximately 7,000 residential lots and constructed some of roads, including Lake Avenue, a major thoroughfare.

Incorporation to the Great Depression

Lake Worth Beach was incorporated as the "town of Lake Worth" on June 14, 1913. The town grew rapidly enough that a new addition was platted in that inaugural year. The area along the Intracoastal Waterway from 5th Avenue South to 15th Avenue South still bears the name ''Addition 1.'' An advertisement in the ''Lake Worth Herald'' in 1913 noted: "In the new addition, the Lake front has been divided into large lots covered with palm and tropical growth, where we expect to see charming villas and winter homes spring up as by enchantment. It will be the fashionable part of town, where the wealthy of the earth can display their artistic taste and make ideal homes. These lots are selling so fast that but very few are left." Another section of the town was plotted in 1917, the Osborne Colored Addition, a small African American neighborhood along the south end of Lake Worth and west of the FEC. Some of the first African American families arrived in the addition in the early 1920s, when the Ku Klux Klan forced them out of western Lantana.

Two years after the addition was platted, a wooden automobile traffic bridge over Lake Worth was completed in 1919, the same year the Brelsford family of Palm Beach deeded a parcel of land on the barrier island to the town.

The town benefited with the rest of South Florida during the Florida land boom of the 1920s, with Lake Worth's population more than quintupling from 1,106 in 1920 to nearly 6,000 in 1930. Following the approval of a $100,000 bond issue in 1920, the Mediterranean Revival-style Lake Worth Casino and Baths was constructed. Opening two years later, the casino drew many tourists to the area.

Moreover, the 1920s saw the completion of the Gulf Stream Hotel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), as well as the construction of Lake Worth Community High School in 1922 and many commercial and industrial buildings and neighborhoods, including College Park and Lake Worth Heights in 1924. Lake Worth reincorporated as a city in 1925, while boundaries of the municipality expanded several times throughout the land boom. One year later, the Seaboard Air Line Railway constructed a freight and passenger depot in Lake Worth on 4th Avenue North.

William A. Boutwell arrived in the area in the 1920s. He established Boutwell Dairy in 1927 and managed the company until retiring in 1956. Boutwell is credited with inventing half & half creamer; the dairy later merged with Alfar Creamery and then T.G. Lee, who distributed the product more widely until it became an American diner staple. Boutwell also owned a grocery store and masonry supply store. Furthermore, he served as a Lake Worth city commissioner from 1924 to 1927 and briefly as vice mayor. During his tenure, the city constructed approximately of roads and two elementary schools, including the still active South Grade Elementary School.

The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane devastated Lake Worth. A survey indicated that the storm demolished about 600 homes and damaged 1,500 others, leaving about 700 people homeless. Fewer than 10% of homes escaped damage. Approximately 50 businesses were wrecked and 200 others received damage – roughly 75% of buildings in the business district. The storm demolished or severely damaged many buildings, including First Presbyterian Church, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, the Oakley Theater, the Gulf Stream Hotel, the Scottish Rites Cathedral, the Masonic Temple, the Florida Hotel, a car dealership, a sporting goods store, an investment company, the Old Lake Worth City Hall, and an auditorium at Lake Worth Community High School. Additionally, the bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway was virtually destroyed. The hurricane caused approximately $4 million worth of damages in Lake Worth, as well as three deaths.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the Gulf Stream Hotel was converted to a makeshift hospital. The devastation left Lake Worth without a functional center for city government, although records were mostly unscathed. Consequently, a temporary city hall was established at the Lauriston building. The storm, combined with the Great Depression led to a severe economic decline within the community. Construction projects primarily shifted to repairing damaged buildings. However, there were a few conservation, construction, and New Deal projects during the 1930s. This included when President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration built the striking, Moorish-styled "city gymnasium" on the corner of Lake Avenue and Dixie Highway. The building today serves as the Lake Worth Beach City Hall.

World War II to present

Although no military installations were located in Lake Worth, the presence of military bases and repair facilities in nearby towns led to a significant increase in the city's population during World War II, from 7,406 in 1940 to 10,615 about five years later. Development started again after World War II, especially due to the approval of the G.I. Bill, allowing new homes to become affordable. Many veterans who trained in South Florida also returned to the area, leading to a population boom. The city also saw a wave of immigrants, especially from Finland. These Finnish immigrants established three churches in Lake Worth to preserve their heritage while also benefiting the local economy, which returned to a state of stability in the post-war years.

Two hurricanes impacted Lake Worth later in the 1940s, one in 1947 and the other in 1949. Although the former damaged nearly all businesses and about half of homes, few structures suffered serious damage. However, among the structures experiencing substantial impact was the Lake Worth Casino, which was repaired and reopened in the 1950s with a shoebox style architectural design. Although the 1949 hurricane made landfall in Lake Worth, the cyclone caused less impact than the 1947 storm. Around 300–400 homes were damaged, with one destroyed, while the storm deroofed many homes in the Osborne Colored Addition. Winds also destroyed a filling station and shattered many windows at downtown businesses.

In 1954, a concrete wall was erected at the Osborne Colored Addition to separate it from the white Whispering Palms neighborhood. Although the city officially integrated in 1969, the neighborhood retained the name Osborne Colored Addition until 1994. Today, the remnants of the wall is referred to as the Unity Wall and is instead used for murals. Despite the ''Brown vs. Board of Education'' decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1954, Palm Beach County schools only slowly integrated. John Green and Theresa Jakes Kanu became among the first black students to attend a formerly whites-only high school in Palm Beach County when they arrived at Lake Worth High Community High School in 1961. Little further progress on the racial integration of schools in the county occurred until a court order in 1970.

The 1960s and 1970s also brought the construction of many apartments, condominiums, and larger commercial buildings, which often resulted in the demolition of older structures. During a period of neglect and decline between the 1970s and 1990s, Lake Worth, in the words of then-city commissioner Dennis Dorsey, "had become known as the skin-flick capital of the country". The venue now known as the Lake Worth Playhouse was the Playtoy, and was well known in Palm Beach County as the theater that showed X-rated movies; '' Deep Throat'' was shown there, motivating a police raid in the 1970s. The decade also saw the construction of the current bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway. Opening in 1973, the Robert A. Harris Bridge is two lanes wider and higher than the previous bridge, built in 1938. Also during 1973, the Lake Worth City Hall moved from 414 Lake Avenue to 7 North Dixie Highway, its current location. The building at the former address has been listed in the NRHP since 1989 and is also often referred to as City Hall Annex.

Foreign political turmoil and the South Florida construction boom have brought another wave of immigrants from Central America and the Caribbean, especially since the 1980s. Included in the immigration wave of that decade were many Guatemalan-Mayans, who consider themselves indigenous people rather than "Hispanic" or "Latino", and some may not speak Spanish. Many Guatemalan-Maya people migrated to Lake Worth Beach to seek refuge from the Guatemalan genocide being committed against the indigenous Maya people in Guatemala, often referred to as the Silent Holocaust. The Maya mostly converse in Mam, Q'anjob'al, or any one of 22 existing Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala. Adding to the racial and linguistic mix of the city is a large Haitian population, many of whom speak Creole. Most immigrants from Haiti have also arrived in the United States since the early 1980s.

The downtown area underwent restoration efforts in the late 1990s. The Florida Department of Transportation spent $3.9 million to improve sidewalks and streets, while the city of Lake Worth contributed over $670,000 for benches, landscaping, planters, trash cans, and new lights and sidewalk pavers. As a result, downtown property values increased in 1997 for the first time since the late 1980s. The area then saw a huge resurgence in interest and now sports an array of art galleries, sidewalk cafés, and night clubs. The city's main street, Lake Avenue, contains some of the oldest commercial structures in South Florida. Lake Avenue, along with the parallel street of Lucerne Avenue, include most of the structures constituting the Historic Old Town Commercial District, which has been listed in the NRHP since 2001.

Later in the 2000s decade, the city was hit especially hard by hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004 and Wilma in 2005. Wilma alone destroyed 27 homes and 7 businesses and damaged 2,491 homes and 93 businesses to some degree. Damage to businesses, government properties, and residences combined from Wilma totaled approximately $28.3 million. The William O. Lockhart Municipal Pier, constructed in 1954, suffered significant damage from the hurricanes, especially due to Frances and Jeanne, requiring $3.4 million to be repaired. The pier is home to a tide gauge with a sporadic history, showing an above average rate of sea level rise.

In 2015, the city was accused of asking for business licenses from surrounding churches. Then-City Manager Michael Bornstein described the controversy as a "dust-up" that became politicized, while the accuser, Pastor Mike Olive of Common Ground Church, later stated that the "problems are behind us now."

A ballot initiative to change the name of the city to Lake Worth Beach in 2019 passed by a narrow margin. The city stated that the name change "will be implemented slowly". One of the main reasons cited for the proposal was to distinguish the city from its suburbs to the west, which have a reputation for higher crime rates. Another factor motivating support for the name change was that tourism could increase as the city would have an opportunity to rebrand itself as a beach town.

The city government became embroiled in another controversy that garnered national headlines in March 2020. Then-Mayor Pam Triolo and then-Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Omari Hardy became involved in a heated discussion over the potential for shutting off electrical services due to non-payment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. In response, the city government allowed electrical service to residents to remain uninterrupted for the next few months, with or without payment, before city commissioners unanimously voted to resume power shutoffs in July 2020.

Geography

Lake Worth Beach is located at , bordering West Palm Beach to the north, Lake Clarke Shores to the northeast, and Lantana to the south. The municipal beach section of the city borders Palm Beach, while Lake Worth Beach is also located just east of Palm Springs. Lake Worth Beach is located about north of Miami. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (13.51%) is water. The average elevation of Lake Worth Beach is .

Several geographical features in Palm Beach County somewhat confusingly share the name "Lake Worth." The city of Lake Worth Beach is named after a lagoon which is officially known as the Lake Worth Lagoon. This lagoon opens to the Atlantic Ocean at the Port of Palm Beach via the Lake Worth Inlet. The next closest inlet exists farther south in Boynton Beach. The port and two inlets are all distant from the actual city of Lake Worth Beach. The lake is a long channel that spans much of east-central and northeastern Palm Beach County; indeed, the Intracoastal Waterway traverses the length of the lagoon. The manmade inlets to the ocean have replaced the natural freshwater with saltwater, such that the lagoon is actually now an estuary, instead of a true lagoon.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has mapped most of Lake Worth Beach in the Southern Florida Flatwoods land resource area. Deep, poorly drained acidic sandy soils are typical for the area; they have gray topsoil, white subsoil, and a dark hardpan. Much of Lake Worth Beach is built on a rapidly drained white or gray sand which is too dry and infertile to support vigorous plant growth. The western outskirts of Lake Worth Beach are in the Southern Florida Lowlands area. Topsoils there are sandy, but the subsoils have a much higher content of clay and the soils are relatively fertile. As in the flatwoods, these soils are poorly drained for many purposes unless drainage systems are installed.

Although the incorporated city of Lake Worth Beach is small geographically, as is common in Palm Beach County, a large unincorporated urbanized area with a Lake Worth postal address lies to the west of the city. Only two zip codes are within the city's boundaries, 33460 and the eastern edge of 33641, while 33449, the remainder of 33461, 33462, 33463, and 33467 zip codes are located outside the city limits but may use a Lake Worth mailing address. Thus, ''The Palm Beach Post'' noted in 2019 that there are more mailing addresses for Lake Worth (unincorporated area) than Lake Worth Beach (the proper, incorporated area).

Climate

Lake Worth Beach, Florida has a Tropical climate.

Cityscape and neighborhoods

The Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) maintains the Neighborhood Association President's Council (NAPC). The three purposes of the NAPC, according to the Lake Worth Beach CRA, is to improve representation of diversity in the city's neighborhoods, to maintain open communications between city government and neighborhood associations, and to promote volunteering to assist needy areas.

A total of 17 neighborhood associations are recognized by the Lake Worth Beach CRA, including:
*Bryant Park, bounded by the Intracoastal Waterway to the east, Lucerne Avenue to the north, South Federal Highway to the west, and 5th Avenue South to the south; also includes the Lake Worth Municipal Beach
* College Park, bounded by the Intracoastal Waterway to the east, West Palm Beach to its north, Dixie Highway to the west, and Wellesley Drive to the south
*Downtown Jewel, bounded by South Federal Highway to the east, Lucerne Avenue to the north, South Dixie Highway to the west, and 6th Avenue South to the south
*Eden Place, bounded by the Intracoastal Waterway to the east, Wellesley Drive to the north, Dixie Highway to the west, and 13th Avenue North to the south
*Lake Cove, near the northwest corner of Lake Worth Beach
*Mango Groves, bounded by North Federal Highway to the east, 13th Avenue North to the north, North Dixie Highway to the west, and Lucerne Avenue to the south
*Memorial Park, bounded by South Dixie Highway to the east, 6th Avenue to the north, Interstate 95 to the west, and 12th Avenue South to the south
*Murray Hills, bordering Lake Osborne along Cynthia Lane
*Parrot Cove, also known as Old Lucerne, bounded by Lake Worth Beach Golf Club to the east, 13th Avenue North to the north, North Federal Highway to the west, and Lucerne Avenue to the south
*Pineapple Beach, South Federal Highway to the east, 6th Avenue North to the north, South Dixie Highway to the west, and Lantana to the south
*ROLO (Residences on Lake Osborne), includes all areas west of Interstate 95 sans Murray Hills neighborhood
*Royal Poinciana, bounded by South Dixie Highway to the east, Lucerne Avenue to the north, Interstate 95 to the west, and 6th Avenue South to the south
*South Palm Park, bounded by the Intracoastal Waterway to the east, 5th Avenue South to the north, South Federal Highway to the west, and Lantana to the south
*Sunset Ridge, bounded by North Dixie Highway to the east, West Palm Beach to the north, Lake Clarke Shores to the west, and 10th Avenue North to the south
*Tropical Ridge, bounded by North Dixie Highway to the east, 10th Avenue North to the north, Interstate 95 to the west, and Lucerne Avenue to the south
*Vernon Heights, located near the northwest corner of Lake Worth Beach
*Whispering Palms, bounded by South Dixie Highway to the east, 12th Avenue South to the north, Interstate 95 to the west, and Lantana to the south
The College Park and Old Lucerne (Parrot Cove) neighborhoods are notable for being historic districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The former is a neighborhood in which most of the homes were constructed 1925 and 1949. Of the 123 residences in College Park, 90 residences are classified as contributing and the remaining 33 others classified as non-contributing, with a majority of those constructed after 1949. The Old Lucerne Historic Residential District is the section of Lake Worth Beach where Samuel and Fannie James lived. A total of 346 structures are located in the district, with 218 classified as contributing and 128 are classified as non-contributing. The contributing structures were constructed from as early as about 1913 to 1951.

Downtown

The Historic Old Town Commercial District, listed in the NRHP in 2001, encompasses much of downtown Lake Worth Beach. A total of 59 buildings are part of the roughly 16-acre (6.5 ha) area, which stretches westward to the Florida East Coast Railroad (adjacent to G Street), eastward to M Street, northward to Lucerne Avenue, and southward to 1st Avenue South. It is distinguished by its two main streets, the east-to-west Lake Avenue and Lucerne Avenue, while Dixie Highway is a major north-south thoroughfare through the district. Of the 59 structures listed as part of the historic commercial district, 46 are classified as contributing and the other 13 are considered non-contributing. The contributing buildings, constructed between 1912 and 1949, are generally of Masonry Vernacular-style architecture, although Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Moorish Revival styles are also present.

Lake Worth Beach's downtown area has a distinct character and is a popular destination for both tourists and residents of South Florida. Several of the city's notable buildings are located in this section, including the current City Hall, former City Hall (NRHP-listed in 1989 and includes the Lake Worth Historical Museum), Lake Worth Beach Post Office, Lake Worth Playhouse, Lake Worth Beach Public Library, and Park Theater, although not all of these structures are listed as part of the Historic Old Town Commercial District.

Demographics

In terms of population, Lake Worth Beach ranked as the ninth largest city in Palm Beach County, with 42,219 residents according to the 2020 census. Lake Worth Beach is considered one of the most ethnically and racially diverse cities in Palm Beach County. Less than a majority of residents identify as non-Hispanic white, while Hispanic whites represented a plurality of the population in 2019. Additionally, approximately 38.7% of residents were born outside of the United States, many of whom immigrated from the Caribbean or Latin America, and just 44.9% of people in Lake Worth Beach only spoke English.

The median household income in Lake Worth Beach is $42,500 as of 2019. This is significantly lower than the county and statewide medians from 2015–2019, which was $63,299 and $55,660, respectively. An estimated 24.4% of residents in 2019 were considered impoverished

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