Boynton Beach is a city in

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. It is situated about 57 miles north of Miami. The population was 68,217 at the 2010 census. In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 78,679 according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research. Boynton Beach is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to 6,138,333 people at the 2020 census.

History

:''See also

William S. Linton William Seelye Linton (February 4, 1856 – November 22, 1927) was an American politician from Michigan. Early life Linton was born in St. Clair, Michigan and moved with his parents to Saginaw in 1859, where he attended the public schools. ...

'' In 1894, two years before

Henry Morrison Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...

built his railroad, a former

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

major named

Nathan Boynton Nathan Smith Boynton (June 23, 1837 – May 27, 1911)Castello, David JNathan S. Boynton boyntonbeach.com. Retrieved September 5, 2013. was a Michigan politician, inventor, investor, hotel owner, and a Civil War Major. He was born in Port Huron, ...

first set eyes on the area that now bears his name. Boynton hailed from

Port Huron Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. He was so impressed by the natural beauty of the year-round sunshine and pristine beaches, he built the famous Boynton Hotel, where he also spent winters with his family. The first settlers, whom Boynton had brought along from Michigan, soon realized that many fruits and vegetables thrived in the fertile climate.

Pineapples The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centurie ...

, tomatoes, mangoes, and citrus fruit were packed in crates and shipped by the ton on the newly built

Florida East Coast Railroad The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a pr ...

to satisfy the appetites of hungry Americans across the country. Major Boynton died on May 27, 1911 in Port Huron, but the hotel lasted until 1925. Boynton Beach was founded on September 26, 1898 when

Byrd Spilman Dewey Byrd "Birdie" Spilman Dewey (née Julia Bird Spilman; February 16, 1856 – April 1, 1942) was an American author, land investor, and co-developer of the Town of Boynton. She lived in Florida from 1881 until her death in 1942. Her best known ...

and her husband Fred S. Dewey filed the original plat in the Dade County courthouse for the ''Town of Boynton''.Pedersen, Ginger L. (April 9, 2013)
When Curiosity Changes your Life
palmbeachpast.org. Retrieved September 28, 2013. The town was incorporated in 1920 as the Town of Boynton. The name "Boynton Beach" was first used by a community that broke off from the Town of Boynton in 1931. In 1939, that community changed its name to "Ocean Ridge" while The Town of Boynton took the name "Boynton Beach" in 1941. In 1926, the

Seaboard Air Line Railway The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

entered what was then simply Boynton, spurring land development a mile inland near the Seaboard station, including the town's first planned subdivision, Lake Boynton Estates. As land became more valuable, areas along the Intracoastal Waterway and the Federal Highway in Boynton also saw housing developments. To the west, many dairies were founded so that the Boynton area became the main milk supplier for Palm Beach County. By the 1970s, the dairies were no longer profitable and these lands too were converted to housing developments. Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park is located just north of the original Boynton Hotel site. In 1921, the Town of Boynton acquired the beach site from Lewis S. Howe by eminent domain for park and recreation purposes. The beach casino was built in 1928 and featured a large dining hall, locker rooms and showers and residents used the casino for parties and social gatherings. The casino was demolished in 1967 and the property remained part of the beach park. From the 1920s to today, Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park has been popular with residents and visitors alike. In the mid-1990s, the park underwent a major renovation during which the boardwalk was rebuilt out of recycled plastic. Boynton Beach's Oceanfront Park was voted the best family beach in Palm Beach County by ''The Palm Beach Post'' in 2001. In 2011 the boardwalk was renovated again, replacing the plastic with ipe (pronounced ee-pay) wood (commonly known as Brazilian walnut). In 2012 improvements were made to the buildings along the boardwalk, including total refurbishment of the restrooms.

Hurricane Wilma Hurricane Wilma was an extremely intense and destructive Atlantic hurricane which was the most intense storm of its kind and the second-most intense tropical cyclone recorded in the Western Hemisphere, after Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Part o ...

struck Boynton Beach on October 24, 2005, causing widespread damage to homes and businesses. In 2006, the city government authorized the demolition of the historic Seaboard rail station, which had survived intact in private hands since passenger service to the station halted in 1971. On March 8 2022, Ty Penserga was elected mayor of Boynton Beach in Florida, making him the first openly gay mayor of the city as well as the first out

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

Asian American mayor elected in Florida state history. A high school biology and chemistry teacher, Penserga was sworn into office by State Attorney Dave Aronberg.

Crime

2006 saw an increase in gang-related violent crime. This mirrored a similar increase across Palm Beach County. A gang-related shooting that resulted in a death at the city's popular Boynton Beach Mall on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

of 2006 caught the national attention on many news networks, such as CBS. There were ten known operating gangs in the city as of 2007, according to police, including the notorious South Florida Haitian

Zoe Pound Zoe Pound is a criminal street gang based in Miami, Florida founded by Haitian immigrants in the mid-1990s. Etymology "Zoe'" is the anglicized variant of the word '' zo'', Haitian Creole for "bone", as members were known to be "hard to the bon ...

gang. As of 2009, countywide gang violence had fallen three percent. On January 27, 2012, Mayor Jose Rodriguez was suspended from office by the state governor for trying to influence a police investigation into his personal affairs. The crime rate started decreasing in 2017 and hit its lowest number in 20 years in 2020. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's 2020 Annual Crime Report, the total crime rate decreased by 28 percent in the city compared to 2019 and 64 percent compared to 2001. Violent crime, which includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, decreased 8.5 percent. Property crime, which includes burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft, dropped by 32.2 percent. Florida’s total crime volume dropped 14.1 percent compared to 2019. Boynton Beach Police Chief Michael G. Gregory attributed the decrease to focused efforts, an all-hands-on-deck approach and "using a multitude of tactics and crime fighting strategies that are constantly evolving based on crime patterns".

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 80,380 people, 31,863 households, and 17,482 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of 2010, there were 36,289 households, out of which 19.8% were vacant. As of 2000, 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.87.

2000 census

In 2000, the city's population was spread out, with 19.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 25.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males. In 2021 the median income was $73,083. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $39,845, and the median income for a family was $47,546. Males had a median income of $32,503 versus $26,399 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $22,573. About 7.4% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over. In 2000, native speakers of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

accounted for 80.09% of all residents, while speakers of French Creole comprised 7.51%,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

was at 7.30%, French consisted of 1.02%,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

at 0.97%, and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

made up 0.87% of the population.

Schools

Like all of Palm Beach County, Boynton Beach is served by the

School District of Palm Beach County The School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) is the tenth-largest public school district in the United States, and the fifth largest school district in Florida. The district encompasses all of Palm Beach County. For the beginning of the 201 ...

. As of 2006, it was the fifth largest school district in Florida and the twelfth largest school district in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Elementary schools: * Citrus Cove Elementary School * Crosspointe Elementary School * Crystal Lakes Elementary School * Forest Park Elementary * Manatee Elementary School * Freedom Shores Elementary School * Galaxy Elementary School * Hagen Road Elementary School * Poinciana Elementary School (

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

for math, science and technology) * Rolling Green Elementary School * Sunset Palms Elementary School Middle schools: *

Christa McAuliffe Sharon Christa McAuliffe ( Corrigan; September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986) was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire, who was killed on the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' on mission STS-51-L where she was serving as a ...

Middle School * Congress Middle School *Somerset Academy Canyons Middle School High schools: *

Boynton Beach Community High School Boynton Beach Community High School is a public high school located in Boynton Beach, Florida, United States, and it serves grades 9–12 in the School District of Palm Beach County. Students have the opportunity to tackle AICE and Advance Plac ...

Park Vista Community High School Park Vista Community High School (PVCHS, PVHS, PV) is a public high school in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, Lake Worth, Florida, United States. Academies Park Vista Community High School offers four academies, or Magnet School, magnet programs, that ...

*Somerset Academy Canyons High School * South Tech Academy

Charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

High School

Public transportation

Boynton Beach is served by a

Tri-Rail Tri-Rail is a commuter rail line linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in Florida, United States. The ''Tri'' prefix in the name refers to the three counties served by the railroad: Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade. Tri-Rail ...

station of the same name linking Boynton Beach to West Palm Beach to the north and Miami to the south. It is also serviced by local buses provided by

PalmTran Palm Tran is the public transit bus system run by the Palm Beach County Government, serving Palm Beach County, Florida. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . Palm Tran also serves a portion of Broward County, Florida w ...

Controversy

Boynton Beach commissioned a mural showing three of its firefighters, unveiled in 2020, for a window covering at a new fire station. The mural depicted former fire chief Glenn Joseph, and former deputy fire chief Latosha Clemons, both of whom are Black. Clemons was the city's first Black female fire fighter. The mural depicted both of them as white, and Clemons sued the city for defamation, libel and negligence. The city has since removed the mural and settled the lawsuit.

Notable people

* Ramon Perez Blackburn, actor-singer-dance *

Danielle Bregoli Danielle Bregoli (born March 26, 2003), known professionally as Bhad Bhabie (, "bad baby"), is an American rapper and internet personality. She first became known from an appearance on '' Dr. Phil'' in September 2016, in which she uttered the ph ...

, rapper, social media personality *

Marlon Byrd Marlon Jerrard Byrd (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New Yo ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

outfielder for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Jeremy Cain Jeremy Robert Cain (born March 24, 1980) is a former American football long snapper. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at UMass Minutemen#Football, Massachusetts. Cain was also a me ...

, NFL long snapper for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

Noah Centineo Noah Gregory Centineo ( ; born May 9, 1996) is an American actor. He began his career performing on television and had a main role in the television series '' The Fosters'' from 2015 to 2018. He achieved wider recognition by starring in the Net ...

, actor * Charles Cornelius, NFL and CFL player *

, author and town of Boynton co-founder *

Craig Erickson Craig Neil Erickson (born May 17, 1969) is a former professional quarterback who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL Draft and also by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. H ...

, NFL retired quarterback, played for

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

and

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, and in college for

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

1987–1990 * Johnny Farrell, golfer, 1928 U.S. Open champion * Brandon Fletcher (born 1987), Internet entrepreneur *

James J. Greco James Joseph Greco (born January 4, 1958) is an American businessman and entrepreneur. Currently, he serves as the president and chief executive officer of foodservice investment firm Pilgrim Holdings. Throughout his career, he has held numerou ...

, businessman, lived in town 2011-2016"Having Words With: James Greco"
''nrn.com''. February 20, 2012 *

Jayron Hosley Jayron Todd Hosley (born September 18, 1990) is a former American football cornerback who played for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech. High school career He attended Atlantic ...

, NFL cornerback for the New York Giants *

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...

, NFL quarterback for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

Ryan Klesko Ryan Anthony Klesko (born June 12, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and corner outfielder who played for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. He attended Westminster High School in Westminster, Calif ...

, MLB player * Sean Labanowski (born 1992), Israeli-American basketball player in the Israeli National League *

Dov Markus Dov Markus (born January 31, 1946) is an Israeli-American former soccer player. At Long Island University he was the first recipient of the Hermann Trophy, as the outstanding collegiate soccer player of the year, and was a two-time All American. I ...

(born 1946), Israeli-American soccer player * Vincent Mason, rapper, producer, DJ, and one third of hip hop trio De La Soul *

Hilary McRae Hilary McRae (born July 23, 1986) is an American pop singer-songwriter. She was the first 'developing artist' to release an album on the Starbucks Cafe and Concord Music Group's label, Hear Music. Career Hilary McRae, born in Boynton Beach, ...

, singer, songwriter *

Tristan Nunez Tristan Nunez (born October 31, 1995 in Boynton Beach, Florida) is an American racing driver from in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the son of Juan Núñez (tennis), Juan Nunez, a former professional tennis player and coach. Nunez has a fraternal twi ...

, racing driver *

Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard Sr. (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is the Global Ambassador of WWE and also performs for the promotion as a wrestler under the ring name Titus O'Neil. D ...

, professional wrestler * Harvey Eugene Oyer III, attorney and author *

Charlie W. Pierce Charles William Pierce (July 16, 1864 – July 10, 1939) was one of South Florida's most important pioneer citizens. Arriving in 1872, Pierce was a community leader in banking, seamanship, the postal service, and author of the sentinel book on ...

, Florida pioneer and author *

Otis Thorpe Otis Henry Thorpe (born August 5, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an NBA All-Star in 1992 and won an NBA championship with the Houston ...

, NBA basketball player *

Trea Turner Trea Vance Turner (born June 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. Turner pl ...

, MLB Player *

Howard E. Wasdin Dr. Howard E. Wasdin, D.C.' (born Howard E. Wilbanks on November 8, 1961) is a former member of the United States Navy who served as a sailor in the Atlantic Fleet as well as a Navy SEAL. Following his honorable discharge, he co-wrote the auto ...

, sniper in Navy SEAL Team Six *

Vince Wilfork Vincent Lamar Wilfork (born November 4, 1981) is a former American football nose tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the University of Mi ...

, former NFL nose tackle *

Mark Worrell Mark Robert Worrell (born March 8, 1983) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Baltimore Orioles between 2008 and 2011. Amateur career A native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Worrell ...

, MLB Player * Danny Young, MLB player

References

External links

City of Boynton Beach

Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce

Boynton Beach Historical Society

{{authority control Cities in Florida Cities in Palm Beach County, Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean Populated places established in 1894 Beaches of Palm Beach County, Florida Beaches of Florida 1894 establishments in Florida