Lake Worth is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, which takes its name from the body of water along its eastern border, originally called "Lake Worth", and now generally known as the Lake Worth Lagoon. The lake itself was named for General William J. Worth, who led U.S. forces during the last part of the Second Seminole War. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 36,342. The city is part of the South Florida metropolitan area, which is home to 5,463,857 people.
History
Local folklore has it that the first post office in the Lake Worth area was founded in the 1880s by a married African American couple who were freed slaves. The initial name for the post office was Jewel. The post office was located in a small dry good shop which the couple operated to serve the lake traffic which connected the small pioneer homesteads located along the banks of the Lake Worth Lagoon.
After Henry Flagler extended his rail line 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 lots within the townsite would also receive a larger plot of land west of town for agricultural use. The initial name proposed for the new town was Lucerne; however, the U.S. Post Office refused to accept the name because there already was a Lake Lucerne post office north of Miami in Dade County. Therefore, the city fathers settled on the name Lake Worth, for the lake on which the fledgling town was sited. One of the main streets was named Lucerne Avenue instead. The city was officially incorporated in 1912. Many of the first residents were farmers from other parts of the American south and mid-west, looking to benefit from the growing winter vegetable market of the time. The city benefited with the rest of south Florida during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. A wooden automobile traffic bridge over Lake Worth was completed in 1919. The first casino and municipal beach complex was completed shortly thereafter. The 1920s also saw the completion of the Gulf Stream Hotel, which is presently be renovated and is on the National List of Historic Places.
The city was severely damaged in the 1928 hurricane, toppling the bell tower on the elementary school (today the City Hall Annex) and destroying the beachfront casino and automobile bridge over Lake Worth. This led to a severe economic decline within the community, during the Great Depression. Things were so dire in the city in the 1930s, that President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration built a striking, moorish-styled "City Gymnasium" on the corner of Lake Avenue and Dixie Highway. The building today serves as City Hall.
Development started again after World War II with many modest pensioners, especially from Quebec, Finland and eventually Germany, moving to the city and building 1,000-square-foot (93 m 2 ) cottages. These new immigrants brought their industrious nature with them as well as their native customs, restaurants, shops, and churches and for decades the town flourished. To this day, one can find an abundance of beer halls, chocolatiers, Bavarian delicatessens, and Lutheran churches, which stand out in the semitropical urban sprawl of south Florida.
The South Florida construction boom brought a new wave of immigrants in the past few decades. Central American immigrants, largely from from Guatemala, have added a Hispanic aspect to Lake Worth's culture. Sadly, an influx of cash economy illegal aliens has also resulted in a rise in crime. Their fear of reporting crime due to their status has contributed to a rise in criminals who prey both on the immigrants' fear of deportation and the knowledge that these illegals are paid in cash and rarely use the banking system. Gang related violence is also problematic in Lake Worth. In 2009, The History Channel aired a documentary on Lake Worth's notoriously violent gang "Top 6." Currently, the robbery rate is over 3 1/2 times the national average, and the overall crime rate is about 2 1/3 times the national average.
After a short period of neglect and decline in the 1980s and 1990s, the downtown area has seen a huge resurgence in interest and development and once moribund property values have soared. The city's main street, Lake Avenue, contains some of the oldest commercial structures in south Florida, including the Lake Worth Play House.
The city was hit especially hard by Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma in 2004 and 2005. The fishing pier was the most damaged and with the help of FEMA it is now being repaired; it was anticipated to reopen in the summer of 2008. The pier is currently open to the public with a $1 entry fee per adult for sightseeing. The decaying Casino Building (no gambling) is in the process of being rebuilt in the style of the historic Casino Building of the 1920s. The city's public swimming pool has been restored and will host competitions as well as become a valuable resource in teaching Palm Beach County residents to swim and exercise.
Geography
Lake Worth is located at 26°37′11″N 80°3′31″W / 26.61972°N 80.05861°W / 26.61972; -80.05861 , bordering West Palm Beach to the north, and Lantana to the south. 60 miles (97 km) north of downtown Miami. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.46 square miles (17 km 2 ). 5.64 square miles (15 km 2 ) of it is land and 0.86 square miles (2 km 2 ) of it (12.69%) is water.
Several geographical features in Palm Beach County confusingly use the words Lake Worth. The city of Lake Worth 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. Another inlet exists further south, at Boynton Beach. The port and two inlets are all distant from the city of Lake Worth. The lake is a long channel that spans much of Palm Beach County; indeed, the Intracoastal Waterway traverses the length of the lake. The manmade inlets to the ocean have replaced the natural freshwater with saltwater, such that the lake is actually now a tidal body, instead of a true lake.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has mapped most of Lake Worth 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 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 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.
Lake Worth bills itself as "Where the Tropics Begin." Many tropical plants grow in the city; among the more prominent examples are mahogany, royal poinciana and many species of palm, including coconut palm. African tulip tree, avocado and many species of eucalyptus may also be found, although they are on the city's list of trees to avoid. Temperate-zone trees native to Lake Worth or Palm Beach County include American elm, live oak, red maple, red mulberry, and slash pine. Species grown south of their native areas include American sweetgum, Shumard oak, and tulip tree.
Although the incorporated city of Lake Worth 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, and includes the census-designated place of Lake Worth Corridor, as well as neighborhoods such as The Fountains, Lago Lucerne, Lake Osborne Estates, Melaleuca Lane Corridor, Lake Charleston, and Palm Beach National. The total population of both incorporated and unincorporated Lake Worth is estimated by the 2006 Census to be 190,377.{fact}
Lake Worth is also part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Area. The Census Bureau in 2006 estimated the metropolitan area's population as 5,463,857.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,133 people, 13,828 households, and 7,688 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,225.5/mi² (2,405.1/km²). There were 15,861 housing units at an average density of 2,810.6/mi² (1,085.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.12% White (48.1% were Non-Hispanic White,) 18.86% African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 9.57% from other races, and 4.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29.71% of the population. 12.3% were of West Indian, 7.5% German, 7.0% Irish and 5.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 13,828 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4%
Florida B&B Directory - Florida Bed & Breakfast Inns - FL BnB
McFarlin House Bed and Breakfast. Grayton Beach FL Hibiscus Coffee & Guesthouse. Starke FL Hampton Lake Bed and Breakfast. White Springs FL White Springs BnB. Northeast Florida
Bed and Breakfast Florida
Key West, Florida. Key West is romance, white sandy beaches, fishing ... St. Petersburg Tarpon Springs Venice ... fish and seafood when dining in Florida. Your bed and breakfast ...
Florida Bed and Breakfast
Florida Bed and Breakfast Inns, A complete list of small & historic properties throughout Florida from traditional bed & breakfasts, to country inns.
Florida Bed and Breakfasts
White Springs: Adams House Bed and Breakfast cocoa beach sailing ... Harbor: St. Augustine: Alexander Homestead Florida Bed & Breakfast Casa De
Florida bed and breakfast accommodation lodging vacation
Florida bed and breakfast Florida accommodation - www.bedandbreakfastflorida.us ... Visitors enjoy the docile manatee at Crystal River Springs and the boat cruises ...
Cedar Key Bed and Breakfast, A Florida Bed and Breakfast on Florida's ...
Cedar Key Bed & Breakfast is Trip Advisor's # 1 rated bed and breakfast in Cedar Key Florida. ... Frigate birds, brown and white ... dive in the near by Manatee Springs ...
Alabama Bed and Breakfast, Country Inn - Bed & Breakfasts
Magnolia Springs Bed & Breakfast (Magnolia Springs, Alabama ) ... State, you can enjoy miles and miles of white ... Florida Bed and Breakfast | Tennessee Bed and Breakfast | Georgia Bed ...
Adams House, White Springs, Florida
Adams House Bed & Breakfast This magnificently restored Queen-Anne rests on 10 acres of shady grounds along the banks of the Suwanee River.
White Springs Bed And Breakfast in White Springs, FL - Yahoo! Travel
Also see: United States | Florida. White Springs Bed And Breakfast (1) ... Adams House Bed & Breakfast
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia Bed and Breakfast - White Sulphur ...
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and Surrounding Area - Bed and Breakfast Inns ... Florida Bed and Breakfast Georgia Bed and Breakfast Hawaii ...