During the 1500-1600s, pirates and buccaneers made this area their home. Here the living was easy, safe from storms and pursuit and easy access to plunder the gold-laden galleons of old Spain. In 1896 when Henry Flagler completed the East Coast Railway, civilized progress began. People traveled in greater numbers and established homes where swamp and jungle had once existed.

Today, with its allure of elegance and refinement, the Palm Beaches of Florida boasts perfect weather and beautiful beaches. Spanning from Boca Raton to Jupiter, each of the Palm Beach County areas has its own unique, quaint charm. The entire county of Palm Beach holds more than 150 golf courses and 1,100 tennis courts.

Highland Beach (map)

Highland Beach, incorporated in 1949, is a residential community along the coast with a year round population of 3200 which increases to approximately 7000 during winter months. The town has seen a building boom in the past 2 years, where the assessed valuation has grown from $10 million in 1966 to $746 million today.

Delray Beach (map)

Delray Beach has grown and prospered for more than 100 years. A small group of Michigan settlers began settling in the area in 1894. Inspired by the natural riches, they tilled the land and grew crops year round. When the railroad system, built by Mr. Flagler, expanded from West Palm Beach to Miami, farmers began exporting their harvest of pineapples, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables. As the 20th century progressed, Delray Beach grew from a farming community into a bustling city known for its unique architecture and thriving downtown area. Delray is a picturesque tourist destination and is also proud to boast to being the home for national companies such as Levenger, ABC Carpet & Home — The Outlet, Office Depot, Sunbeam, Palm Beach Photographic Center, Empire of Carolina, P.A.C.E.R. International, Oriole Homes, Smith Gardner & Associates, Ted Juracsik Tool & Die, Tibor Reel and Joseph E. Seagram & Sons.

In addition to the Delray Beach Playhouse, Delray residents can, within a 30 minute drive, visit the Caldwell Theatre Company in Boca Raton, the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, the Lois Pope Theatre, Plaza Del Mar in Manalapan, and the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra at FAU in Boca. Downtown Delray Beach also offers top-notch art galleries, antiquing and live music. The Delray Art League offers sidewalk art shows throughout the winter season.

Delray Beach has, like communities north and south of it, experienced tremendous growth and building expansion in the last two years with new residential communities continuously under construction and luxury estates being built along the Intracoastal Waterway and oceanside.

Ocean Ridge (map)

Bordering on the Atlantic Ocean, sits the town of Ocean Ridge. The less said here about Ocean Ridge, the better — so the residents would say. Today the 1675 year round residents and the approx. 1000 more seasonal inhabitants of Ocean Ridge describe the Town as low-key, low-density and low profile. The solitude and seclusion are part of the life in this small town. In a 1992 Palm Beach Post article referring to Ocean Ridge, it was stated "It may be dull, but the residents like it that way."

Manalapan (map)

Continuing north on A1A (Ocean Blvd.) one drives through another small town called Manalapan which abuts the boundary of South Palm Beach. A most recent addition to the town is the newly opened 270 room Ritz Carlton Palm Beach hotel overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.— truly a magnificent property featuring Mediterranean style architecture and beautifully appointed with European antiques and artwork.

Palm Beach (map)

World renowned and a legendary paradise known for its beauty, charm and old world opulence, Worth Avenue is the principal shopping district with an abundance of couture boutiques. The Town is the land area closest to the Gulf Stream which produces lush gardens, palm lined beaches and an outstanding marine environment. Once a winter playground for high society and celebrities, Palm Beach's natural beauty and variety of cultural and social activities gives the community aura and mystique, attractive to both permanent residents and visitors.

A barrier reef community only 14 miles long and a scant ½ mile wide, Palm Beach offers every possible sport to its residents and visitors. It is proud to boast that it hosts the annual Virginia Slims Tennis Legends Tour, the Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic each fall, the Croquet National Championship, the annual World Cup and USPA Gold Cup Polo matches. Palm Beach Gardens is home to the PGA National Golf Club and included amongst many tournaments is the annual PGA Seniors' Championship and the LPGA's major events. In addition to the Sport of Kings — polo — the Palm Beach Equestrian Club is home to what can be called the finest show of jumping competition in the world, with the annual Winter Equestrian Festival highlighting the season.

Yachts abound — and boating and deep-sea fishing are also favorite sports of the Palm Beachers.

Not to go unmentioned are the stately mansions and estates that adorn the shores belonging to the "who's who" of society and the construction of newer mansions being bought up by the new dot.com multimillionaires and stock-optioned CEO's.

Jupiter (map)

The community of Jupiter, just a short distance to the north of Palm Beach, is quickly catching up to its neighbors with developments such as Admiral's Cove (a superb yacht and golf community), and an abundance of new construction as new gated and yacht communities open.

Hillsboro Mile (map)

The Town of Hillsboro Beach is situated on a small peninsula north of Pompano Beach. It extends 3.2 miles from the Hillsboro Inlet on the south to Deerfield Beach on the north and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west. Its greatest width is about 900 feet. I has but one road, State Highway A1A.

The name is derived from the Earl of Hillsborough, to whom large grants of land were made by the English Crown during one of the periods of English possession of Florida that alternated with Spanish ownership. Florida came under the flag of the United States by purchase from Spain in 1819.

The Hillsboro Lighthouse, completed in 1907, marks the northern end of the Florida Reef. It contains a 5,500,000 candlepower light and is the most powerful light on the east coast of the United States. Its height is 136 feet above the water.

In 1922, Herbert L. Malcolm (later a Town Commissioner for ten years and Mayor for two terms) bought land next to the Inlet and built a school. In 1925 he turned the school into a hotel, which became the present Hillsboro Club.

The Town was originally incorporated in 1939 and remained inactive until 1947 when it was incorporated by a special act of the Florida Legislature. The first meeting towards formal incorporation was arranged by Mrs. Marie McCollum and took place in February 1947, at the residence of Mrs. Ruth Markland. At a meeting held on March 4, 1947, Ernest Wooler was elected the first Mayor. At that time the Town had 17 voters, 9 private houses, 4 groups of rental cottages and apartments, and the Hillsboro Club. Highway A1A was an unpaved, sandy road. A narrow bridge, operated by hand connected the Town with Pompano Beach.

The present Town Hall was dedicated in 1955. The first Town Hall was a tiny wooden building at #957. In that time of war-induced shortages, it had telephone privileges, courtesy of Cap's Place.

The Town is governed by five elected Commissioners. The Town has a Police Department comprised of 16 men. The Town of Hillsboro Beach is serviced for fire by the Deerfield Beach Fire Department. Inland, off Sample Road and over the Biscayne Aquifer, is the Town's wellfield of twenty-two acres, with four wells, pumps and a water treatment plant. Our sewers are connected to the Broward County Sewage Treatment Plant.

© 2006 Elaine Russell & Charles Christopher Lynn