Lake Worth, FL

Lake Worth is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. The population was 54,821 at the 2010 census. It is part of the West Palm Beach– Boca Raton– Boynton Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city of Lake Worth was founded in 1905 by developer George E. Merrick and named for his home town of Lake Worth, Texas. The city's early development was spurred by the construction of the Southern Railway line through Palm Beach County and its proximity to Miami. In 1910, Lake Worth had 1,500 residents and boasted a small downtown area with a post office, two churches, two stores and a hotel. By 1920, the population had increased to 5,000 and there were several businesses including a bank, three newspapers (the " Lake Worth Herald", "The Sun" and "The News-Press"), an ice cream parlor and several restaurants including Merrick's Cafe (now known as Harry's Bar & Grill).

In 1926, Lake Worth became incorporated as a city with a population of 10,000. That year also saw the completion of what is now called City Hall which replaced an earlier structure that had been destroyed by fire. The new building featured an art deco design by noted architect Paul Cret designed specifically for Lake Worth. In 1928 Merrick Park opened adjacent to City Hall featuring tennis courts (now used for concerts), baseball fields (now home to the Palm Beach Cardinals minor league baseball team) and a pool which served as both public recreation area and venue for local events such as political rallies and beauty pageants.

During World War II , many men from Lake Worth served in various branches of the military including: 2nd Battalion Coast Artillery; 3rd Battalion 328th Infantry Regiment; 4th Naval District Headquarters; 511th Engineer Combat Battalion; 602nd Tank Destroyer Battalion; 753rd Signal Company ; 801st Airborne Engineer Battalion ; 916th Field Artillery Regiment .

In 1950 , Interstate 95 was completed through southern Florida linking Miami with Orlando making it much easier for residents living in Lake Worth to commute to work in either city. This period also saw significant growth in commercial development with new businesses opening including banks (Bank One), supermarkets (Safeway), department stores (Macy's)and movie theaters (Palm Theatre).

In 1965 , Hurricane Betsy caused extensive damage throughout Palm Beach County particularly in areas such as Lake Worth where over 100 homes were destroyed or damaged beyond repair leaving thousands of people homeless . Despite this setback , within two years most of the rebuilding had been completed resulting in what is now considered one of lake worths most vibrant neighborhoods – Wellington Estates . Wellington Estates features large single-family homes on large lots surrounded by well-manicured gardens providing residents with plenty of space both indoors and outdoors .

Today , despite facing some challenges due to rising housing costs , especially near South Florida's more affluent areas , overall business activity continues to grow steadily throughout lake worth with new restaurants opening along Wellington Avenue such as Lenny's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar ; Butcher & Bee ; Sushi Zen ; Bottega Louie Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar ; Doughboys Pizza Pub . Additionally retail developments are expanding into formerly vacant industrial areas such as The Shops at Wellington Place which features upscale fashion retailers such as Tory Burch boutiques along with other high-end retailers such as Tiffany & Co., Sephora Beautylish Ulta Beauty store Kohl’s Department Store HomeGoods store Bed Bath & Beyond store among others .

Overall , despite some challenges stemming from rapid growth over past few decades there has been significant progress made towards revitalizing downtown area while maintaining its historic character while continuing to attract new businesses and families who appreciate its close proximity to world-renowned attractions like Trump International Golf Club Mar-a-Lago Club Walt Disney World Resort Universal Orlando Resort SeaWorld Orlando Aquatica Theme Park among others making it oneof west palm beach county’s most desirable places to live