It is part of the Miami metropolitan area and the fifth largest municipality in Palm Beach County by population.

In the 1950s, Charles Oliver Wellington, an accountant from Massachusetts, purchased about 18,000 acres (73 km2) of central Palm Beach County swampland located south of Florida State Road 80 (locally known as Southern Boulevard) and west of U.S. Route 441.

The ranch became protected against floodwaters from the Everglades after the United States Army Corps of Engineers constructed a levee to the south of the property between 1952 and 1953.

[11] After Roger Wellington sold 7,200 acres (29 km2) of land to developer Jim Nall of Fort Lauderdale in 1972, the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a proposal by the Acme Drainage District for the area to become a planned unit development.

Among the first projects included the development of 150 acre (0.61 km2) Lake Wellington and the construction of a golf course, a country club, and residential neighborhoods.

[11] The area's first official population count occurred during the 1980 Census, when Wellington was defined as a Census-designated place.

[13] Wellington officially became a village on December 31, 1995, as a state revenue sharing program required it to exist in 1995 in order to be eligible for funding in 1996.

[15] The first elected village council members were Paul Adams, Michael McDonough, Tom Wenham, Carmine Priore, and Kathy Foster.

As typical in Palm Beach County and South Florida, Wellington has a tropical climate, with two main seasons: warm and dry and hot and wet.

[24] The Wellington Amphitheater hosts movie nights, musical and comedy performances, and the Food Truck Invasion.

[28] Wellington is host to the Winter Equestrian Festival, the largest and longest running horse show in the world from January to April.

Southern Boulevard (designated as both U.S. Route 98 and State Road 80), an east-to-west highway, lies just north of the village's northern boundary.

The Village of Wellington receives both fire and police services on a contractual basis from Palm Beach County.

There are 4 fire stations assigned to the village: Police protection for Wellington is provided by District 8 of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

District 8 operates from a sub-station located in the village, and is staffed by 68 sworn deputies and 6 civilian employees.