[11] It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon.

The beginning of the historic period in south Florida is marked by Juan Ponce de León's first contact with native people in 1513.

[14] The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity Lake Worth Country.

The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad.

The city grew steadily during the 1890s and the first two decades of the 20th century, most residents were engaged in the tourist industry and related services or winter vegetable market and tropical fruit trade.

Originally, Flagler intended for his Florida East Coast Railway to have its terminus in West Palm, but after the area experienced a deep freeze, he chose to extend the railroad to Miami instead.

Also during World War II, German U-boats sank two dozen merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast of West Palm Beach.

[18] Since the 1990s, developments such as CityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in the entertainment and shopping district.

The city has also placed emphasis on neighborhood development and revitalization, in historic districts such as Northwood, Flamingo Park, and El Cid.

Some neighborhoods still struggle with blight and crime, as well as lowered property values caused by the Great Recession, which hit the region particularly hard.

Due to vast areas of wetland immediately to the west of the city's downtown, growth took place to the north and south in a linear fashion.

It originally was part of the Estates of South Palm Beach (which went from Wenonah Place to Pilgrim Road east of Dixie Highway).

Grandview Heights originally attracted construction workers who helped build the luxury hotels, ministers and store owners.

There are houses here designed by notable architects John Volk (best known for his Palm Beach houses), William Manly King (who designed Palm Beach High School and the Armory Arts Center) and Henry Steven Harvey (whose Seaboard Railroad Passenger Station on Tamarind Avenue is listed in the National Register of Historic Places).

Northwood Hills has a number of Mission Revival houses, a significant collection of Post-World War II architecture, a unique street layout, and one of the highest elevations in the city.

[46][47][48][49] Although it lacks a fully dry season, the period from November through April is warm and drier, with 80 °F (27 °C) temperatures remaining fairly commonplace even from December through February.

[88] Overall, 18 public elementary schools serve students within the city limits or in unincorporated areas, including Belvedere, Benoist Farms, Egret Lake, Forest Hill, Grove Park, Hope-Centennial, Meadow Park, Northboro, Northmore, Palm Beach, Palmetto, Pleasant City, Roosevelt, Seminole Trails, South Olive, U.B.

The campus now belongs to Keiser University, a regionally accredited school that offers a variety of degrees at the Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral levels.

The Carefree Theatre: Built in 1940, in the historic Flamingo Park district, it was variously an art house cinema and alternative music performance venue until severely damaged by Hurricane Wilma.

[97][98] SunFest: an annual music, art, and waterfront festival in Florida, founded in 1982 to draw visitors to the area during the "shoulder season" of April and May.

Artists who have performed include Nas, James Brown, Celia Cruz, Hall & Oates, Snoop Dogg, Earth Wind and Fire, Logic, Kool & the Gang, Ice Cube, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Santana, Little Richard, Willy Chirino, The Roots, Damian Marley, Isaac Hayes, Chuck Berry, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, Ohio Players, Cee Lo Green, Mac Miller, Musiq Soulchild, Ray Charles, Ed Sheeran, J. Cole, Pitbull, Billy Idol, Dizzy Gillespie, Cyndi Lauper, and The Wailers.

The Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals conduct spring training in suburban West Palm Beach in the town of Jupiter at Roger Dean Stadium.

In the past, West Palm Beach hosted spring training for the St. Louis Browns from 1928 to 1936, the Philadelphia Athletics from 1946 to 1954, and the Kansas City Athletics from 1955 to 1962 at Connie Mack Field, which was demolished in 1992, and for the Milwaukee Braves from 1963 to 1965, the Montreal Expos from 1969 to 1972 and from 1981 to 1997, and the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 1997 at West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium, which was demolished in 2002.

Collegiate Athletics: Palm Beach Atlantic University competes in NCAA Division II basketball, baseball and soccer.

Keiser University competes at the NAIA level, where their former basketball coach Rollie Massimino, helped in giving the athletic program national exposure.

[107] Bicycle The city's flat terrain, early paved streets, and year-round climate quickly earned it the designation as the "bicyclingest town in the U.S.A.".

Tri-Rail commuter rail system serves the city from a historical station located on the west side of Tamarind Avenue, just east of I-95.

In addition to intermodal capacity, the Port is a major modal point for the shipment of various goods[107] as well as being the home to several small passenger cruise lines.

Waterway transportation is available to and from the downtown Clematis Street District, Sailfish Marina Resort, waterfront attractions, Peanut Island, and special events.

In the past decade, crime has dropped more in West Palm Beach than in any other major city (approximately 100,000 residents or more) in the state of Florida.