Wellington is a village just west of West Palm Beach in central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. As of 2014, the city had a population of 61,485 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, making it the most populous village in the state. It is the fifth largest municipality in Palm Beach County by population. Wellington is part of the Miami metropolitan area. Wellington was named Money Magazine's "Top 100" Best Places to Live in 2010. Although Wellington is not a village under any standard definition of the term village in the US, it is referred to officially as the "Village of Wellington". The area is also home to The Mall at Wellington Green and a shopping plaza surrounding it.
History
The Equestrian Capital of the World, Wellington, FL - Wellington, Florida is the Equestrian Capital of the World and the most popular equestrian-lifestyle destination. Over 20000 participants call Wellington their temporary home during the months...
Wellington was originally the world's largest strawberry patch on land called the Flying Cow Ranch; "Flying" because the founder was an aviator, and "Cow" stood for the initials for Charles Oliver Wellington (C.O.W.). In the 1950s, Mr. Wellington bought 18,000 acres (73Â km2) of central Palm Beach County swampland, which would eventually become the Village of Wellington. Wellington began as a planned unit development approved by Palm Beach County in 1972, and up until 1990, it functioned as a sprawling bedroom community with few shopping centers or restaurants until it was incorporated in December 1995. It has now become known as an international center for equestrian sports.
Geography
Wellington is located at 26°39′18″N 80°15′15″W (26.655135, âˆ'80.254136). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 31.4 square miles (81 km2), of which 31.0 square miles (80 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) is water (0.99%).
Economy
B/E Aerospace has its corporate headquarters in Wellington.
Demographics
As of 2010, there were 22,685 households, with 13.3% being vacant. In 2000, there were 12,938 households out of which 69.7% were married couples, 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.4% were non-families. 13.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.25.
In 2000, the village the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
As of 2015, the median income for a household in the village was $77,233. The per capita income for the village was $40,726. About 2.9% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2000, 83.52% of residents spoke English as a first language, while 12.18% spoke Spanish, French accounted for 0.98%, French Creole for 0.79%, Italian made up 0.61%, and Vietnamese was the mother tongue of 0.47% of the population.
As of 2000, Wellington had the eighty-fifth highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, with 3.27% of the village's population.
Parks and recreation
The Village of Wellington has the following parks:
Wellington provides a number of ball fields.
Beach activities are around a half hour's drive time, due east, to the Palm Beaches. For variety, from Wellington one can access Fort Lauderdale less than one hour away or travel to South Beach approximately a one and half hour's drive.
Equestrian sporting events
Wellington is known for its equestrian community and hosting equestrian events, notably show jumping, hunting, dressage and polo.
Wellington is host to the Winter Equestrian Festival, the largest and longest running horse show in the world from January to April. It holds more than forty weeks of equestrian competitions per year. A new expansion includes the Global Dressage Festival. International competitors attend the equestrian events and social event held in the community.
Each year Wellington hosts several high-goal polo tournaments including the USPA Piaget Gold Cup and the Nespresso U.S. Polo Open at the Palm Beach International Polo Club. The International Polo Club was an idea created by players to build a facility to showcase the skills of the ponies and players. The arenas of play include three state-of-the-art playing fields and a stick and ball field. Brunches, charities, corporate events and more are hosted at the International Polo Club in Wellington.
Arts and culture
Wellington has a large renovated public library and hosts seasonal events such as the annual Top Gun model aircraft show, the Barett-Jackson Auto auction, art and antique shows and holiday parades.
The Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre regularly hosts musical and film events in their outdoor venue.
The Wellington Amphitheater hosts events like free movie night, musical and comedy performances, the Food Truck Invasion and many more.
Wellington has two regional malls The Mall at Wellington Green, and the Old Wellington Mall along with many other nationally known retailers located in outdoor shopping venues along the major commercial highways.
There are a number of entertainment and cultural venues such as the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and the Norton Museum of Art in nearby West Palm Beach.
Transportation
Wellington's public transportation consists of Palm Tran. It also served by Palm Beach International Airport.
Uber is available.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
The School District of Palm Beach County serves Wellington.
Public schools in Wellington and schools serving Wellington include:
2013-2015 A-rated schools:
Public Elementary Schools
- New Horizons Elementary School
- Discovery Key Elementary School
- Binks Forest Elementary School
- Elbridge Gale Elementary School
- Equestrian Trails Elementary School
- Panther Run Elementary School
Public Middle Schools
- Wellington Landings Middle
- Emerald Cove Middle School
- Polo Park Middle School
Public High Schools
- Wellington High School
- Palm Beach Central High School
Community colleges
Palm Beach State College has proposed a Wellington campus. The Wellington town council voted affirmatively on August 13, 2008 to enter negotiations with the college. Plans fell through.
Public libraries
The Palm Beach County Library System operates the Wellington Branch.
Publications and news
Wellington is serviced by a few different mainstream news publications.
- The Town-Crier Newspaper: First and longest serving local newspaper serving Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Florida, Loxahatchee, Florida and surrounding areas.
- Live Wellington: Owned and operated by the Sun Sentinel. Live focuses on news in Wellington.
Notable people
See also
- The Siren (sculpture)
References
External links
- Wellington, Florida Website Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more
- City-Data.com Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Wellington
- The Wellington Magazine