Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 64,150.
The early years
Native Americans presumably lived or passed through the area at various times, and hunters, trappers, and runaway slaves may also have lived or passed through the area in the 18th and 19th centuries, but there is no record or evidence of them.Recorded history begins with the construction of the Orange Grove House of Refuge in 1876. The house derived its name from the grove of mature sour orange and other tropical fruit trees found at the site chosen for the house of refuge, but no record or evidence of who planted the trees has survived.Settlement began around 1884, when African-Americans from the Panhandle of Florida purchased land a little inland from the Orange Grove House of Refuge and began farming. By 1894 the Black community was large enough to establish the first school in the area.In 1894 William Seelye 'Steel Cut' Linton, postmaster of Saginaw, Michigan, bought a tract of land just west of the Orange Grove House of Refuge, and began selling plots in what he hoped would become a farming community. Initially, this community was named after Linton. In 1896 Henry Flagler extended his Florida East Coast Railroad south from West Palm Beach to Miami, with a station at Linton.The Linton settlers began to achieve success with truck farming of winter vegetables for the northern market. A hard freeze in 1898 was a setback, and many of the settlers left, including William Linton. Partly in an attempt to change the community's luck, or to leave behind a bad reputation, the settlement's name was changed in 1901 to Delray, after the Detroit neighborhood of Delray ('Delray' being the anglicized spelling of 'Del Rey,' which is Spanish for 'of the king'), which in turn was named after the Mexican-American War's Battle of Molino del Rey).By 1910, Delray had a population of 250. In 1911, the area was chartered by the State of Florida as an incorporated town. In the same year, pineapple and tomato canning plants were built. Pineapples became the primary crop of the area. This is reflected in the name of the present day Pineapple Grove neighborhood near downtown Delray Beach. By 1920, Delray's population had reached 1,051.In the 1920s, drainage of the Everglades west of Delray lowered the water table, making it harder to grow pineapples, while the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West resulted in competition from Cuban pineapples for the markets of the northern United States.The Florida land boom of the 1920s brought renewed prosperity to Delray. Tourism and real estate speculation became important parts of the local economy. Delray issued bonds to raise money to install water and sewer lines, paved streets, and sidewalks. Several hotels were built. At that time Delray was the largest town on the east coast of Florida between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The collapse of the land boom in 1926 left Delray saddled with high bond debts, and greatly reduced income from property taxes.Delray was separated from the Atlantic Ocean beach by the Florida East Coast Canal (now part of the Intracoastal Waterway). In 1923 the area between the canal and the ocean was incorporated as Delray Beach. In 1927 Delray and Delray Beach merged into one town named Delray Beach.
Post World War II
Since the end of World War II, downtown Delray, located in the eastern part of the city, along Atlantic Avenue, east of I-95 and stretching to the beach, has undergone a large scale renovation. This area is now home to several upscale restaurants and several different assorted shops. Major driving factors in this renovation have been the business brought to the area by the Delray Beach Tennis Center, which has hosted several major international tennis events such as the April 2005 Fed Cup (USA vs. Belgium), the April 2004 Davis Cup (USA vs. Sweden), the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (ATP Event), and the Chris Evert / Bank of America Pro Celebrity.Concurrent with the new construction of the Tennis Center, several local historic landmark structures were renovated during the last decade of the 20th century. These include Old School Square, formerly Delray Elementary School and Delray High School, since turned into a thriving cultural center; and the Colony Hotel. Old School Square comprises the Crest Theatre, a venue for the performing arts, in the former High School building; the 1925 Gymnasium, restored to maintain its appearance, which has since become a popular venue for local events such as wedding receptions and dances; the Cornell Museum of Art and History, built in the restored Elementary School; and a recently constructed outdoor entertainment pavilion, which serves as a venue for musical performances and has also been used for events such as political rallies. More recently, the historic home of teacher/principal Solomon D. Spady was renovated and turned into the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum. The Spady Museum houses a black archives and hosts exhibits and programs designed to recognize the efforts of blacks who were instrumental in shaping Delray Beach and Palm Beach County. As of 2007 the museum is being expanded with the renovation of a 1935 cottage as a Kid's Cultural Clubhouse, and the construction of a 50-seat amphitheater named for C. Spencer Pompey, a pioneer black educator.Atlantic Community High School was rebuilt in 2005 on a different site from the previous school, a plan which was met with much contention.Other notable recent Delray Beach projects are:Expansion of the South County Courthouse, which has more than doubled in size and will potentially hold jury trials in the future.[citation needed]
New Delray Beach Public Library building, which is adjacent to the South County Courthouse and also share a high-capacity parking garage facility.[citation needed]
The current mayor of Delray Beach is former vice mayor Woodie McDuffie.In 2007, Delray Beach was labeled as the drug recovery capital of the United States because it had one of the country’s largest recovery community and relative number of halfway houses. However, as of July 7, 2009, Mayor Woodie McDuffle and the city commissioners have approved four ordinances that change the status of Delray Beach as the recovery capital, making it illegal for sober houses and other transient rentals to operate in the area. These ordinances may be tested in the courts in the future.
Geography
Delray Beach is located at 26°27′33″N 80°04′59″W / 26.459101°N 80.083038°W / 26.459101; -80.083038. It lies directly north of Boca Raton, Florida and directly south of Boynton Beach, Florida. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.9 mi² (41.2 km²), of which 15.4 square miles (40 km2) is land and .53 square miles (1 km2) is water (3.34%). Delray Beach's location in South Palm Beach County is in the middle of Florida's Southeast Economic Region, within 30 minutes of two international airports and two seaports.
Downtown location
In earlier years downtown Delray was centered along Atlantic Avenue as far west as Swinton Avenue and as far east as the intracoastal waterway. Downtown has expanded since then. In 2010, downtown extends west to I-95 and east as the Atlantic Ocean; The north-south boundaries extend roughly two blocks north and south of Atlantic Avenue.
Climate
Delray Beach has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af).
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 60,020 people, 26,787 households, and 15,081 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,905.6/mi² (1,507.7/km²). There were 31,702 housing units at an average density of 2,062.9/mi² (796.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.49% White (61.8% were Non-Hispanic White,) 26.63% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races, and 3.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.97% of the population.There were 26,787 households out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87.In the city the population was spread out with 18.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 25.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.The median income for a household in the city was $43,371, and the median income for a family was $51,195. Males had a median income of $33,699 versus $28,469 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,350. About 8.2% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 75.44% of all residents, while French Creole accounted for 11.73%, Spanish consisted of 7.02%, French was at 1.87%, Italian at 0.88%, and German made up 0.75% of the population.As of 2000, Delray Beach had the sixteenth highest percentage of Haitian residents in the US, with 10.50% of the population.
Sports
Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (ITC) is an ATP World Tour 250 series men's tennis tournament held every year in the city. It is played on hard courts. The event was held in Coral Springs from 1993–1999; in 1999, it was relocated to the Delray Beach Tennis Center. American Todd Martin won the first ever ITC in 1993.[citation needed].On July 20, 2010, the city's commissioners proclaimed that the city's name would be officially changed to Tennis Beach for one week in honor of its nomination by the United States Tennis Association as one of the top tennis towns in the United States.
Economy
Pet Airways has its headquarters in Delray Beach.
Retail
Downtown Delray Beach is a retail, cultural, and residential hub. The area offers restaurants, retail, nightclubs, and art galleries. The city presents a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere,[citation needed] which is aided by the prevalence of parallel parking. In addition, there are a number of free municipal parking lots and garages.
Tourist attractions
In 2009, expansion of the Downtown Delray Beach Arts District was established that features galleries, and cultural organizations in South Florida. These have existed in Delray for more than 20 years along the Atlantic Avenue and the connecting side streets.The Delray Affair is a three day long art and street fair, in the Downtown Delray Arts District annually.[citation needed]The Delray Beach Garlic Fest is a three day music, food, and art festival held annually on the grounds of Old School Square.[citation needed] Originally held in November, in 2006 it was moved to the second weekend of February.Art & Jazz on the Avenue, held six times a year, is produced by the Delray Beach Downtown Marketing Cooperative.Gallery Walk held every Friday nights 7pm to 10pm where downtown galleries, art studios, and showrooms open their doors to the public for an evening of art, music, & refreshments along Atlantic Avenue in the Downtown Delray Arts District.[citation needed]
Recent development
Downtown Delray has had a building boom from roughly 2003-2008. New mixed-use development projects have recently been constructed in the areas immediately north and south of Atlantic Avenue. To accommodate the anticipated growth the city has also built two new municipal parking garages.
Notable landmarks and buildings
The Colony Hotel, built in 1926, is a 'Delray Beach Historic Landmark'
Old School Square
Delray Beach Tennis Center, Tennis stadium capable of seating 8,200 spectators
St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, on the edge of the downtown area.
Points of interest
American Orchid Society Visitor Center and Botanical Garden
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Roji-en Japanese Gardens
Delray Beach Public Library
Cason Cottage
Old School Square
Downtown Delray Beach Arts District
The Artists Guild
Delray Tennis Center
Spady Museum
South County Courthouse
Wakodahatchee Wetlands
Transportation
Delray Beach (Tri-Rail station)
The Downtown Roundabout: A free shuttle that connects the Tri-Rail Station to Downtown Delray Beach. With two routes, and 22 stops throughout the downtown, it operates 7 days a week.
Notable people
Mike Rumph, retired NFL free safety for the Washington Redskins.
Bobby Butler, retired NFL player of the Atlanta Falcons. The first person out of Delray Beach to reach the NFL.
Leslie Buck- businessman, designer of theAnthoracoffee cup. Buck owned a second home in Delray Beach.
Brandon Flowers. Professional football player
Rod MacDonald, singer-songwriter-guitarist.
Gabriel Schillinger, a humanitarian activist and entrepreneur.
Samari Rolle, retired NFL cornerback of the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens
Sister cities
Delray Beach has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:Miyazu, Kyoto,Japan- Miyazu was the birthplace ofGeorge Morikami, for whomMorikami Parkand theMorikami Museum and Japanese Gardensis named.
Moshi,Tanzania
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'Old School Square Cultural Arts Center – Creatively Blending Past and Present in Downtown Delray Beach'
Spady Museum, Connecting Culture and Community
