Greenacres, Florida

Greenacres, Florida
City
City of Greenacres

Flag
Motto(s): "A Good Place to Live"

Location of Greenacres, Florida
Coordinates: 26°37′41″N 80°8′7″W / 26.62806°N 80.13528°W / 26.62806; -80.13528Coordinates: 26°37′41″N 80°8′7″W / 26.62806°N 80.13528°W / 26.62806; -80.13528
Country  United States of America
State  Florida
County Palm Beach
Incorporated May 24, 1926[1]
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
 • Mayor Joel Flores[2]
 • Deputy Mayor Paula Bousquet
 • Council members John Tharp, Peter A. Noble, Judith Dugo and Anderson Thelusme.
 • City Manager Andrea McCue
 • City Clerk Joanna Cunningham
Area[3]
 • Total 5.91 sq mi (15.30 km2)
 • Land 5.87 sq mi (15.21 km2)
 • Water 0.04 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Population (2010)
 • Total 37,573
 • Estimate (2016)[4] 40,013
 • Density 6,815.36/sq mi (2,631.40/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes 33400-33499
Area code(s) 561
FIPS code 12-27322[5]
GNIS feature ID 283408
Website http://greenacresfl.gov/

Greenacres is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 27,569 at the 2000 census. In 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 37,573.[6]

History

In 1909, Frederick E. Bryant – a British agriculturalist, – Harold J. Bryant, and William Greenwood of the Palm Beach Farms Company in Colorado, bought thousands of acres of land in the Everglades and later along the coast of Lake Worth in 1910. The men sold the land to buyers throughout the United States and Canada, offering 5 acres (2.0 ha) plots for $250, with a $10 down payment and a $10 per month charge, which also included a 25 by 25 ft (7.6 by 7.6 m) parcel on the shore of Lake Worth. However, difficulties involved with farming in the Everglades forced 308 buyers to settle at their properties along Lake Worth, an area that would later become the city of Lake Worth. Until the land boom of the 1920s, these lots were effectively abandoned. Around that time, Lawrence Carter "L. C." Swain of Massachusetts acquired 320 acres (130 ha) of land, with the intention of creating a community for the working class. He initially platted approximately half of the land in 1923, with a plat just west of Military Trail becoming the original section of the city. By 1925, Swain began selling lots for $225.[7]

The town was originally incorporated as Greenacres City on May 24, 1926.[7] The name Greenacres was the winning entry in a local naming contest.[8] Upon incorporating, the town had an estimated 1,250 residents. Greenacres City was almost completely destroyed by the 1926 Miami hurricane and again by the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. Swain died in 1944; Swain Boulevard and L. C. Swain Middle School are named in his honor. In 1945, about 125 residents petitioned for the Florida Legislature to abolish the Greenacres City as a municipality.[7] The legislature passed a bill to dis-incorporate Greenacres City in April of that year, which became a law on April 24, 1945, without the signature of Governor Millard Caldwell. Then-Mayor Charles A. Grabowski actively fought the new law, as no referendum to forfeit the town's charter had been held.[9] Additionally, Grabowski accused a resident of starting the dissolution movement out of spite after being denied a homestead exemption and claimed that many of the signatories did not actually own property in Greenacres City. Grabowski also asserted that the pleas of city officials and a large number of residents in favor of remaining a town were ignored.[10]

Geography

Greenacres is located at 26°37′41″N 80°8′7″W / 26.62806°N 80.13528°W / 26.62806; -80.13528 (26.628045, -80.135389).[11]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.79 square miles (15.0 km2), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1930329—
1940304−7.6%
195053174.7%
19601,02693.2%
19701,73168.7%
19808,780407.2%
199018,683112.8%
200027,56947.6%
201037,57336.3%
Est. 201640,013[4]6.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
Greenacres demographics
2010 CensusGreenacresPalm Beach CountyFlorida
Total population37,5731,320,13418,801,310
Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010+36.3%+16.7%+17.6%
Population density6,487.5/sq mi670.2/sq mi350.6/sq mi
White or Caucasian (including White Hispanic)67.0%73.5%75.0%
(Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian)40.8%60.1%57.9%
Black or African-American17.0%17.3%16.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)38.3%19.0%22.5%
Asian3.0%2.4%2.4%
Native American or Native Alaskan0.7%0.5%0.4%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian0.1%0.1%0.1%
Two or more races (Multiracial)3.2%2.3%2.5%
Some Other Race9.0%3.9%3.6%

As of 2010, there were 17,249 households out of which 16.6% were vacant. As of 2000, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.80.

In 2000, 20.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.

In 2000, the median household income was $36,941 and the median family income was $41,250. Males had a median income of $30,207 compared with $25,141 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,298. About 5.0% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 73.64% of all residents, while Spanish accounted for 21.02%, Italian for 1.69%, French Creole made up 1.09%, German was at 0.71%, and French was the mother tongue for 0.45% of the population.[13]

As of 2000, Greenacres had the ninety-ninth highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, with 2.41% of the populace (tied with Forest, Mississippi,)[14] and the ninety-seventh highest percentage of Colombian residents in the US, at 1.67% of the city's population.[15]

Education

Public Elementary Schools

  • Cholee Lake Elementary
  • Diamond View Elementary
  • Greenacres Elementary
  • Heritage Elementary
  • Liberty Park Elementary
  • Forest Hill Elementary School

Public Middle Schools

  • L.C Swain Middle School
  • Okeeheelee Middle School
  • Tradewinds Middle School

Public High School

References

  1. ↑ "Greenacres". www.pbchistoryonline.org. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Greenacres elects new mayor, keeps councilwoman". The Palm Beach Post. March 14, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  3. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 7, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  7. 1 2 3 "Greenacres". Historical Society of Palm Beach County. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  8. ↑ Kleinberg, Eliot (Sep 16, 1987). "A Town By Any Other Name". The Palm Beach Post. pp. D1. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Greenacres Act Becomes Valid". The Palm Beach Post. April 26, 1945. p. 12. Retrieved October 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Mayor Charges "Spite" Behind Move To Abolish Greenacres". The Palm Beach Post. April 22, 1945. p. 20. Retrieved October 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ "MLA Data Center Results for Greenacres, Florida". Modern Language Association. Retrieved November 20, 2007.
  14. ↑ "Ancestry Map of Cuban Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved November 20, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Ancestry Map of Colombian Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved November 20, 2007.

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