Boynton Beach, Florida

Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated about north of Miami. The 2020 census recorded a population of 80,380. Boynton Beach is located in the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to 6,138,333 people at the 2020 census. The city is named after Nathan Boynton, a Civil War major and Michigan politician who became one of the first settlers in the area in 1895. Boynton Beach is located north of Delray Beach, south of Hypoluxo and Lantana, and east of Golf, while the municipalities of Briny Breezes, Gulf Stream, Manalapan, and Ocean Ridge are located to the east across the Intracoastal Waterway.

Native Americans inhabited what is now Boynton Beach thousands of years ago; a burial mound west of the city includes artifacts dating as far back as roughly 150 BCE. The first nonindigenous settlers, Dexter Hubel and his family, arrived in 1877. Major Boynton moved to present-day Boynton Beach in 1895, building the Boynton Hotel and bringing contingents from Michigan, many of whom practiced farming or established businesses in the vicinity of Ocean Avenue. Byrd and Fred Dewey filed the original plat for the Town of Boynton in 1898, although official incorporation did not occur until 1920. The oceanfront section of Boynton Beach split off in 1931 and became Ocean Ridge in 1939. Boynton Beach's population grew rapidly in the first few decades following World War II, with more than a three-fold increase in the 1950s, while development of the city expanded westward, particularly in the 1980s.

Today, Boynton Beach is the third-most populous municipality in Palm Beach County, behind only West Palm Beach and Boca Raton. The area along Congress Avenue south of Gateway Boulevard includes a large concentration of restaurants and retail stores at the Boynton Beach Mall, the Boynton Town Center, and Renaissance Commons. Boynton Beach also has several arts and culture facilities, such as the Boynton Woman's Club and Schoolhouse Children's Museum & Learning Center.

History

thumb|left|[[Nathan Boynton|Nathan S. Boynton]]

:See also William S. Linton

Archaeological evidence indicates Native American inhabitation of the region dating back thousands of years, with Ais, Calusas, Jaegas, Mayaimis, and Tequesta settling in or near modern-day Palm Beach County. A complex of mounds west of present-day Boynton Beach and near the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge includes shards of pottery possibly from 150 BCE. An excavation of the site also yielded beads and glass from as recently as the 16th century, which are believed to have been influenced by the Spanish.

Captain James A. Armour, head keeper of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, filed the first land claim in Boynton Beach in 1875, although he is unlikely to have lived there. but the hotel lasted until 1925.

Boynton Beach was founded on September 26, 1898, when Byrd Spilman Dewey and her husband Fred S. Dewey filed the original plat in the Dade County courthouse for the Town of Boynton. Fred S. Dewey, one of Flager's secretaries, bought a large area of land west of the Intracoastal Waterway earlier that year. He subdivided the land into 2.5 acre (1.0 ha) tracts for agricultural uses, which he sold to settlers and hotel workers. Buyers of these tracts also received a plot within the residential sections of the townsite.

thumb|left|Ocean Avenue in 1915

The first bridge crossing the Intracoastal Waterway opened in 1911 at Ocean Avenue. During the same year, the Boynton Woman's Club and the Florida Federal of Women's Clubs established the first library in Boynton, then staffed by volunteers. The 1910s also had the creation of the town's first bank in 1915 and first ocean road (State Road A1A) in 1916. 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.

Utility services also began in Boynton in the early 1920s. John Meredith brought electricity to the town in 1921, the same year as the installation of a sewage system. Additionally, in 1923, a municipal water system began operating. 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.

Three hurricanes affected Boynton between 1926 and 1928. including a church, a hotel, and the town hall. The hurricane rendered 56 families homeless and caused about $1 million in damages. Additionally, residential projects such as the large Hampshire Gardens, Leisureville, and Sterling Village sprang up, causing further growth and economic development. Next, the Boynton Beach Mall and Quantum Corporate Park opened in 1985 and 1988, respectively. Additionally, Tri-Rail began operating in 1989, opening its station in Boynton Beach in December of that year. Each of these factors attracted more businesses to the area and generated rapid population increases in the city's western suburbs. 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 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

The crime rate started decreasing in 2017 and attained 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% in the city compared to 2019 and 64% compared to 2001. Violent crime, which includes murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, decreased 8.5%. Property crime, which includes burglary, larceny, and motor-vehicle theft, dropped by 32.2%. Florida's total crime volume dropped 14.1% 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".

| align = right

| align-fn = center

Racial and ethnic composition

{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible mw-collapsed" style="font-size: 90%; text-align: right;"

!Historical demographics

!style="width: 5em;"|2020

!style="width: 5em;"|2010

!style="width: 5em;"|2000

!style="width: 5em;"|1990

!style="width: 5em;"|1980

|style="text-align:left"|White (non-Hispanic)

|47.3%

|53.6%

|64.4%

|73.5%

|78.3%

|style="text-align:left"|Hispanic or Latino

|15.4%

|12.8%

|9.2%

|6.8%

|4.0%

|style="text-align:left"|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

|30.6%

|29.6%

|22.5%

|19.0%

|17.2%

|style="text-align:left"|Asian and Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic)

|2.4%

|2.1%

|1.5%

|0.6%

|rowspan="3"|0.5%

|style="text-align:left"|Native American (non-Hispanic)

|0.1%

|style="text-align:left"|Some other race (non-Hispanic)

|0.7%

|0.3%

|0.2%

|< 0.1%

|style="text-align:left"|Two or more races (non-Hispanic)

|3.4%

|1.5%

|2.0%

|N/A

!style="text-align:left"|Population

!style="text-align:right"|80,380

!style="text-align:right"|68,217

!style="text-align:right"|60,389

!style="text-align:right"|46,194

!style="text-align:right"|35,624

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Boynton Beach, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White (NH)

|38,897

|36,534

|style='background: #ffffe6; |37,989

|64.41%

|53.56%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |47.26%

|Black or African American (NH)

|13,585

|20,218

|style='background: #ffffe6; |24,604

|22.50%

|29.64%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30.61%

|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)

|82

|100

|style='background: #ffffe6; |92

|0.14%

|0.15%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%

|Asian (NH)

|898

|1,438

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,896

|1.49%

|2.11%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.36%

|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)

|24

|21

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18

|0.04%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%

|Some other race (NH)

|105

|179

|style='background: #ffffe6; |602

|0.17%

|0.26%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.75%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|1,234

|1,025

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,763

|2.04%

|1.50%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.44%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|5,564

|8,702

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,416

|9.21%

|12.76%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |15.45%

|Total

|60,389

|68,217

|style='background: #ffffe6; |80,380

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Boynton Beach had a population of 80,380. The median age was 43.5 years. 17.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.9 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 34,108 households in Boynton Beach, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.3% were married-couple households, 21.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . The 29,172 housing units (19.8% of which were vacant) averaged inhabitants per square mile.

In 2010, in the town, the age distribution was 21.5% at 65 or older, 19.3% under 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, and 24.6% from 45 to 64; the median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 89 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 87 females. Around 25.1% of the households in 2010 had children under 18 living with them, 16.6% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 43.1% were not families. About 34.3% of all households were made up of one individual, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.3, and the average family size was 3.0. 22.89% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.36% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races. About 9.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 26,210 households, 22.2% had children under 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a woman whose husband did not live with her, and 40.2% were not families. About 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.87.

Economy

In 2021, Boynton Beach had a labor force of 41,266 people, while 25,208 people 16 years of age or older were not in the labor force. By number of employees, the largest employers in Boynton Beach in 2020 were Bethesda Memorial Hospital and the city government, with the former employing 2,579 people and the latter employing 843 people. However, as of 2020, only 11.9% of jobs in Lake Worth Beach were held by city residents, with the most common other residencies being Boca Raton (12.1%), Delray Beach (8.0%), West Palm Beach (7.0%), Palm Springs (4.3%), Fort Lauderdale (2.8%), Deerfield Beach (2.1%), Pompano Beach (1.5%), Wellington (1.3%), and Palm Beach Gardens (1.3%). Among the city's labor force, the most common professions as of 2021 included educational services, and health care and social assistance (22.0%); retail (14.6%); professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (14.2%); arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (11.4%); and finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (7.0%). Lantana, Manalapan, and Ocean Ridge, as well as areas from the city's western boundaries to U.S. Route 441.

The city's Historic Resources and Preservation Board lists 170 historic sites, including commercial and residential buildings, bridges, cemeteries, churches, social clubs, and other architectural features. Additionally, the board maintains two heritage trails, one for the 30 sites listed in downtown and another for the 3 historic cemeteries. Federally, Boynton Beach has two structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places – the Boynton Woman's Club and the Boynton School, now known as the Schoolhouse Children's Museum & Learning Center.

Public transportation

thumb|Tri-Rail Station in Boynton Beach

Boynton Beach is served by a 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.

Culture

Boynton Beach has an arts district. It was named as one of South Florida's "emerging neighborhoods" by the South Florida Business Journal in 2017.

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

Tanner Anderson, MLB and Chinese Professional Baseball League player
Danielle Bregoli, rapper, social media personality
Marlon Byrd, former MLB outfielder for several teams, including the Cleveland Indians
Hector Camacho, Puerto Rican boxer, resided there
Hillary Cassel, Florida House of Representatives member
Noah Centineo, actor
Charles Cornelius, former NFL and CFL player
Byrd Spilman Dewey, author and town of Boynton co-founder
Johnny Farrell, golfer, 1928 U.S. Open champion
Gar Finnvold, former MLB player for the Boston Red Sox
Jayron Hosley, former NFL cornerback for the New York Giants
Lamar Jackson, NFL quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, 2x NFL MVP
Hilary McRae, singer, songwriter
Almerin C. O'Hara, US Army major general
Titus O'Neil, professional wrestler
Charlie W. Pierce, Florida pioneer and author
Rick Rhoden, former MLB player
Mike Waltz, U.S. representative for Florida and United States ambassador to the United Nations
Howard E. Wasdin, sniper in Navy SEAL Team Six
Vince Wilfork, former tackle, two-time Super Bowl champion (XXXIX and XLIX)
Danny Young, MLB player with the Atlanta Braves