Welcome to Palm Beach
General Information - State Parks - Beaches
General Information
Palm Beach County was created in 1909. It was named for its first settled community, Palm Beach, in turn named for the palm trees and beaches in the area. The County was carved out of what was then the northern portion of Dade County, and stretched northward to Brevard county, comprising part of the areas now occupied by Okeechobee and Broward counties, and all of Martin and Palm Beach counties, initially including all of Lake Okeechobee, making it the largest county in Florida at the time. The southernmost part of Palm Beach County was separated to create the northern portion of Broward County in 1915, the northwestern portion of Palm Beach County became part of Okeechobee County 1917 and Martin County was created from northernmost Palm Beach County in 1925. About three-quarters of Lake Okeechobee was removed from Palm Beach County in 1963 and divided up among Glades, Hendry, Martin and Okeechobee counties. Henry Flagler, who made his home in Palm Beach, was instrumental in the county's development in the early 1900s with the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway through the county from Jacksonville to Key West.
State Parks
Palm Beach has many parks which allow for recreational activities of all kinds. The pleasant weather allows these parks to be opened on a year round basis. These parks are located all over the county, and as such it is better to concentrate on the parks in the area of interest.
Beaches
Click on Guardhouse to go to beaches page