Palm Beach, Florida

The beaches are one of the main reasons people flock to Florida. With clear water in multiple shades of blue and wide sandy playgrounds, the beaches are open to everyone here. I am unaware of any private beaches in Florida, such as those in California.

I traveled to Palm Springs for lunch with a friend last week. Although she doesn’t live there, it was a good place for us to meet, and she was familiar with the village. While I’ve been through the area several times, I’ve never had time to stop. The photo below is of Worth Avenue, a mere ten minutes from the famed Mar-a-Lago. (We won’t go there in this post.)

The small town is very pretty, with every inch manicured to perfection.

Palm Beach is located on an Atlantic Ocean barrier island across the Intercoastal Waterway and the Lake Worth Lagoon from West Palm Beach. While the two towns are close together, Palm Beach's vibe completely differs from West Palm's.

If you explore this area online, understand which town your article or blog is talking about. They are very different from each other, even though many of the videos and articles will combine the two. Since I’m not a resident, I have no idea how each town’s residents feel about the other.

I visited West Palm at the end of the pandemic, and it was a ghost town. Many of the shops were closed, and only some of the bars and restaurants were open. The downtown West Palm area appeared more vibrant during this trip, and new planned communities have opened outside the city. If you are looking for furniture, West Palm has the largest Restoration Hardware I’ve ever seen, which takes up an entire city block and includes a rooftop restaurant.

Palm Beach is a town built from—and for—serious money. Statistically, the cost of living in Palm Beach is 97% higher than the Florida average, already higher than the national average. The median home price is almost a million dollars. On the other side of the bridge, West Palm's cost of living is only 8% higher than the Florida average, with a median home price of about two hundred thousand dollars. Some of the difference can be credited to land mass alone, as West Palm is much larger than the small village on the ocean.1

Crossing the bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway from one to the other, you will see how important the water is to this community. Most Florida residents love boating, yet this county has super, mega, and gigayachts 2at the marinas, readily visible from the bridge across the Intercoastal.

As you know, if you have read about the places where I travel, I always look at the real estate prices and imagine myself living in the area. In searching Realtor.com, the first property that popped up was on Everglades Island, near Palm Beach. The home was $47,900,000 for a “TEAR DOWN”— meaning you are buying a lot for almost $50 million.

And remember, annual Florida real property taxes will be 1.8% to 2.0% of the value. Many believe the “taxes” will be lower if they move to Florida. While there is no state income tax, Florida does make up for that in real property taxes. Trust me, it is a shock when you see that first bill, even though you know it is coming.

The architecture on Worth Avenue and the surrounding streets reminded me of a cross between Vienna and Mediterranean Italy blanketed with American excess. I am used to the streets of Miami and Istanbul: messy, loud, and full of people. Here, the small town was quiet, genteel almost, with only two types of people—residents and tourists—each distinctly identifiable.

Of course, no one in Palm Beach walks more than a block or so. One street was lined on both sides with parked luxury automobiles, such as Lamborghinis, Masaratis, Bentleys, etc., guarded by three private security guards and one pair of local police.

The first interesting thing I recognized when stepping out of the car was the increase in temperature and humidity. Only an hour and a half north of Miami, I was surprised at the serious change. I am used to the constant breeze in Miami, and even if the temperature is in the 80s, depending on the humidity, it does not feel that hot. Even if I go inland to Coral Gables or down to South Miami or Pinecrest, there is always a breeze, and unless we are in the middle of summer, the temperature is pleasant, and the winters are terrific.3

Palm Springs had no breeze, even two blocks from the beach. I could see the water, and when I walked down to the Atlantic, the heat was significant even though I finally picked up the ocean breeze. Maybe it was an unusual day?

Important? Probably not, but interesting. The weather gets down to the forties several times in the winter, which doesn’t regularly occur in Miami.

After an outdoor lunch at Renato’s, my friend gave me a quick tour of the downtown area. It is possible to wander through the passages, finding sculptures and lush gardens mixed in with the boutiques, art galleries, and exclusive restaurants. It was a pleasant walk, with only window shopping involved. I understand the boutiques off Worth Avenue are more reasonable, but I didn’t check.

This article has focused on the community's wealth. While I’m used to seeing significant wealth now, having lived in Miami for several years, I still wonder how our world would be if such wealth were used for more important things other than houses, yachts, and automobiles—and larger yachts and even more expensive automobiles.

There are things to do around Palm Beach and hotels nearby. Look at the Tripadvisor page and see if these fit your budget.

Or maybe you’re like me, and several hours for lunch is all you need. But you have to admit, the beach is beautiful.