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community portrait
Palm Beach County
![]() The internationally recognized Norton Museum houses 6,000 works of art. |
Quality of Life
Biggest Strengths
Massive wealth; well-established philanthropic institutions and inclinations; great natural resources and climate; higher-than-average education levels; a large, diverse aerospace and growing high-tech industry sector that now includes bioscience; a savvy, engaged economic development effort; a major downtown resurgence in West Palm Beach.
Biggest Needs
History of quirky political climate that’s not always business-friendly; cloud left by recent scandals involving county commissioners; the county’s poor are very poor, particularly in the western agricultural areas; economic development along the coast is uneven. Suburban development patterns have produced congestion.
Crime
Palm Beach County’s crime rate has been improving in recent years. The state’s third-most populous county ranks 11th in crime rate per 100,000 population, according to FDLE statistics.
Amenities
![]() Polo is a major attraction in Wellington. |
» Mizner Park in Boca Raton and the Atlantic Avenue area in Delray offer shops, galleries, restaurants and entertainment in their parts of the county.
» The county boasts 17 performing arts theaters. It is home to the Flagler (history) and the internationally known Norton (art) museums.
» The four-block, ultra-lux Worth Avenue shopping district still epitomizes Palm Beach style.
» The world-renowned Breakers resort is located here.
» The Palm Beach Zoo, using a solar array donated by the FPL Group Foundation, has the first zoo animal hospital in the country to achieve LEED certification.
» Jupiter hosts the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals for spring training and two single-A minor league teams during the summer.
» The county has more than 40-plus miles of beaches and is home to more than 150 golf courses — the most per capita of any county in the country — and the headquarters of the PGA of America. The area hosts the Honda Classic at PGA National.
» During the winter, equestrian facilities feature polo, dressage and steeplechase.