South Bay is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is the westernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, South Bay had a population of 4,860. While the current estimates place South Bay's population in the incorporated city limits at more than 4,000 people, surrounding areas increase the population figures to 54,000 people in a radius and more than 1.4 million in a radius.
History
South Bay was named for its location on Lake Okeechobee. The town was incorporated in 1941. The first mayor of South Bay was Aubrey (a.k.a. "Orb") Walker, who, along with his brother, Haughty D. Walker (a.k.a. "Haught"), survived the great hurricane of 1928 by gathering his family members onto a boat in the canal.
Geography
South Bay is located near the southern bank of Lake Okeechobee.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , including of land and of (26.95%) water. The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail runs through South Bay.
Climate
South Bay has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa). The all time record high of 98 °F (37 °C) was recorded on July 12th, 2010 and August 7th and 9th, 2016, whilst the all time record low of 26 °F (-3 °C) was recorded on January 19th and 20th, 2014. South Bay is in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 10a.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Two major roads, East-West State Road 80 and North-South U.S. 27 intersect in the town.
Mayors
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left" border="1"
! Image!!Mayor!!Years of service!!Notes
|-
|
| Aubrey "Orb" Walker
| 1941–?
|
|-
|
|
| –
|
|-
|
| John Deaton
| ?–1974
| Named mayor by the City Council after then-mayor John Deaton resigned in January 1974. Was elected along with Esther Berry as the first Black and first women councilmembers of South Bay in September 1972.
|-
|
| Jay S. Smith
| 1975–1976
|
|-
|
| Donald Tanner
| 1976–1977
|
|-
|
| Billy Wells
| 1977–1978
|
|-
|
|
| ?–?
|
|-
|
|
| ?–?
|
|-
|
| Donald Tanner
| ?–1984
|
|-
| 100px
| Clarence E. Anthony
| 1984–2008
|
|-
|
| Shirley Walker Turner
| 2008–2012
|
|-
|
| Shanique Scott
| 2012–2016
|
|-
| 100px
| Joe Kyles
| 2016–present
|
|-
|}
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+South Bay city, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!
!% 2000
!% 2010
!
|-
|White alone (NH)
|481
|558
|style='background: #ffffe6; |580
|12.46%
|11.44%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.93%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|2,557
|3,120
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,097
|66.26%
|63.99%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |63.72%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|11
|7
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.29%
|0.14%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|10
|25
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.26%
|0.51%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|1
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.03%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|0
|2
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7
|0.00%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|44
|31
|style='background: #ffffe6; |73
|1.14%
|0.64%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.50%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|755
|1,132
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,098
|19.56%
|23.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |22.59%
|-
|Total
|3,859
|4,876
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,860
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, South Bay had a population of 4,860.
The median age was 36.6 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 9.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 186.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 220.3 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,022 households in South Bay, of which 47.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.3% were married-couple households, 17.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 4,876 people, 843 households, and 746 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the census
In 2000, there were 805 households, out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 32.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.39 and the average family size was 3.76.
In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 37.3% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 172.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 210.6 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $23,558, and the median income for a family was $26,944. Males had a median income of $21,087 versus $22,321 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,126. About 29.2% of families and 36.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.4% of those under age 18 and 27.4% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2000, speakers of English made up 77.76% of all residents, while Spanish comprised 21.51%, and French as a mother tongue accounted for 0.72% of the population.