In 1876, the United States Life Saving Service built the Orange Grove House of Refuge to rescue and shelter ship-wrecked sailors.

[1][2] The first non-indigenous group to build a settlement was a party of African Americans from the panhandle of Florida, who purchased land a little inland from the Orange Grove House of Refuge and began farming around 1884.

Congressman for Saginaw, Michigan, bought a tract of land west of the Orange Grove House of Refuge, and began selling plots in what he hoped would become a farming community.

In 1896, Henry Flagler extended his Florida East Coast Railroad south from West Palm Beach to Miami, with a station at Linton.

[1] The Linton settlers established a post office and a store, and began to achieve success with truck farming of winter vegetables for the northern market.

The collapse of the land boom in 1926 left Delray saddled with high bond debts, and greatly reduced income from property taxes.

[1] Beginning in the mid-1920s, a seasonal Artists and Writers Colony[15] was established in Delray Beach and the adjacent town of Gulf Stream.

At the time, the city of Palm Beach did not welcome Hollywood personalities or all types of artists, so the Delray winter colony drew a more eclectic and bohemian populace.

"Pat" Enright, Robert Bernstein, Wood Cowan, Denys Wortman, Jim Raymond, Charles Williams, Herb Niblick, Hugh McNair Kahler, Clarence Budington Kelland, Nina Wilcox Putnam, and Edna St. Vincent Millay.

[1][16] During the Depression, not much money was available since the two banks had failed, but progress continued, and the town still looked prosperous because of the previous burst of new buildings during the boom years.

This era is regarded as Delray Beach's "golden age of architecture;" a period in which the city ranked 50th in population, but 10th in building permits in Florida.

During World War II, Delray Beach also saw an influx of service personnel stationed at the nearby Boca Raton Army Airfield.

It quoted an unnamed realtor who "proudly called it the only city on the East Coast [of Florida] fully restricted to Gentiles both in buying and selling".

During Hurricane Betsy, the 441 feet (134 m) freighter Amaryllis ran aground on Singer Island, creating a windbreak that formed perfectly breaking waves.

[25][26] In the 1970s, Interstate 95 between Palm Beach Gardens and Miami was fully completed and development began to spread west of the city limits.

[30] In 2007, the museum was expanded by renovating a 1935 cottage as a Kid's Cultural Clubhouse, and the construction of a 50-seat amphitheater named for C. Spencer Pompey, a pioneer black educator.

[31] Downtown Delray, located in the eastern part of the city, along Atlantic Avenue, east of I-95 and stretching to the beach, has undergone a large-scale renovation and gentrification.

[38] Delray Beach has experienced a drastic spike in opioid overdoses in recent years, reaching record numbers in 2016 and 2017.

[46] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Delray Beach has a total land area of 15.81 miles (25.44 km).

[61][64][63] One of the city's most prominent commercial centers is Delray Beach Market, a food hall and event venue which is Florida's largest.

[70] The local drug rehab industry has received mixed reviews from addiction experts and is considered a public nuisance by some residents and city officials.

Cason Cottage House Museum, once home to a family of Delray Beach pioneers, offers visitors a glimpse at daily life in South Florida from 1915 to 1935.

[30] In 2007 the museum was expanded by renovating a 1935 cottage as a Kid's Cultural Clubhouse, and the construction of a 50-seat amphitheater named for C. Spencer Pompey, a pioneer black educator.

[91] The remains of the British Steamship Inchulva that sank on Sept 11, 1903 are located in shallow water near the public beach, acting as habitat for native fish and corals.

The premises includes The Sundy family's former apartments and cottages which have been converted into guest accommodations, a café, an antique shop, and tropical Taru Gardens.

Over 151 species of birds have been spotted inside the park, including pied-billed grebe, snowy egrets, and black-bellied whistling ducks.

[96] The Delray Beach Open is an ATP Tour 250 series men's professional tennis tournament held each year.

A second location, the Delray Swim & Tennis Club, features 24 clay courts and a clubhouse that has a pro shop with merchandise and locker rooms.

[111] During the Artists and Writers Colony of the 1930s–1950s, Delray Beach residents and locations were described and depicted—both directly and indirectly—within the cartoon illustrations of Herb Roth, W.J.

[256][257] Delray Beach is referenced in published correspondence from poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, who resided in the city with her husband Eugen Jan Boissevain in 1935–1936 while writing Conversation at Midnight.