Wellington, Florida

Wellington, Florida
Village
Village of the ferrets
Nickname(s): "The Winter Equestrian Capital of the World"[1][2][3]
Motto: "Unique Hometown, Family Atmosphere, Family Environment"[4] and "A Great Hometown...Let Us Show You!"[5]

Location of Wellington in Palm Beach County, Florida
Coordinates: 26°39′18″N 80°15′15″W / 26.65500°N 80.25417°W / 26.65500; -80.25417Coordinates: 26°39′18″N 80°15′15″W / 26.65500°N 80.25417°W / 26.65500; -80.25417
Country  United States of America
State  Florida
County Palm Beach
Incorporated December 31, 1995
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
 • Mayor Anne Gerwig (R)[6][7]
 • Vice Mayor John Greene
 • Councilmembers John T. McGovern, and Matt Willhite, Vacant
 • Village Manager Paul Schofield
 • Village Clerk Awilda Rodriguez
Area[8]
 • Village 45.03 sq mi (116.63 km2)
 • Land 31.05 sq mi (80.4 km2)
 • Water .31 sq mi (0.8 km2)  .99%
Elevation[9] 13 ft (5 m)
Population (July 1, 2014)[10]
 • Village 59,860
 • Density 1,300/sq mi (510/km2)
 • Metro 5,463,857
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 33411, 33414, 33449, 33467
Area code(s) 561
FIPS code 12-75812[11]
GNIS feature ID 1759737[12]
Website http://wellingtonfl.gov/

Wellington is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. As of 2014, the city had a population of 61,485 according to the U.S. Census Bureau,[10] 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 South Florida Metropolitan Statistical 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".

History

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 (73 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.[13] It has now become known as an international center for equestrian sports.[14]

Geography

Wellington is located at 26°39′18″N 80°15′15″W / 26.65500°N 80.25417°W / 26.65500; -80.25417 (26.655135, −80.254136).[15] 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) of it is water (0.99%).

Economy

B/E Aerospace has its corporate headquarters in Wellington.[16]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
19804,622—
199020,670347.2%
200038,21684.9%
201056,50847.9%
Est. 201459,860[10]5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]
Wellington Demographics
2010 CensusWellingtonPalm Beach CountyFlorida
Total population56,5081,320,13418,801,310
Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010+47.9%+16.7%+17.6%
Population density1,258.9/sq mi670.2/sq mi350.6/sq mi
White or Caucasian (including White Hispanic)80.0%73.5%75.0%
(Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian)64.8%60.1%57.9%
Black or African-American10.4%17.3%16.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)19.4%19.0%22.5%
Asian3.8%2.4%2.4%
Native American or Native Alaskan0.2%0.5%0.4%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian0.0%0.1%0.1%
Two or more races (Multiracial)2.5%2.3%2.5%
Some Other Race3.1%3.9%3.6%

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.[18]

As of 2000, Wellington had the eighty-fifth highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, with 3.27% of the village's population.[19]

Parks and recreation

The Village of Wellington has the following parks:

  • Aquatics Complex
  • Aero Club Drive Park
  • Amesbury Park
  • Azure Park
  • Berkshire Park
  • Block Island Park
  • Boat Ramp to Lake Wellington
  • Commons Preserve
  • Dorchester Place Park
  • Essex Park
  • Farmington Park
  • Field of Dreams Park
  • Foresteria Park
  • Greenbriar Park
  • Little Blue Park
  • Margate Park
  • Mystic Way Park
  • Olympia Park
  • Patriot Memorial
  • Peaceful Waters Sanctuary
  • Pine Valley Preserve
  • Primrose Park
  • Scott's Place
  • Skate Park at Village Park
  • Staimford Park
  • Summerwood Circle Park
  • Tiger Shark Cove Park
  • Veteran's Memorial
  • Village Park
  • Wellington Community Center
  • Wellington Community Park
  • Wellington Green Park
  • Wellington Rotary Peace Park
  • Wellington Tennis Center
  • Yarmouth Park

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

Beezie Madden and Onlight, Grand Prix competition at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, Wellington, Florida.

Wellington is known for its equestrian community and hosting equestrian events, and is considered the top International Equestrian destination for the equestrian disciplines of show jumping, hunting, dressage and polo.

Wellington holds the largest and longest running horse show in the world from January to April.[20] It is host to the Winter Equestrian Festival and 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.[21]

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.[22] 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 [23] 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.[24]

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.[25]

Wellington has two regional malls The Mall at Wellington Green, and the Old Wellington Mall along with a 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.

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

Public Middle Schools

Public High Schools

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.[26]

Public libraries

The Palm Beach County Library System operates the Wellington Branch.[27]

Publications and News

Wellington is serviced by a few different mainstream news publications.[28]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to horse town U.S.A, where Wellington, Fla. is the equestrian capital of the world". The Washington Post by Nicole Crowder (January 6, 2015). Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Palm Beach Polo: Equestrian". palmbeachpolo.com. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  3. ↑ "In a Florida Town, Horses Upstage the Celebrities". The Wall Street Journal by By Amy Gamerman on June 23, 2013 4:13 p.m. ET. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Village of Wellington: History". web.archive.org. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Wellington: A Great Hometown...Let Us Show You!". web.archive.org. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  6. ↑ "February 2016 Voter Guide" (PDF). League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County. February 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. Anne Gerwig-R
  7. ↑ "Mayor Anne Gerwig". Wellington, FL. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Florida by place Population, Housing Units, Area and Density:2000". US Census Bureau. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
  9. ↑ "Wellington, United States Page". Falling Rain Genomics. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
  10. 1 2 3 "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  12. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  13. ↑ "Palm Beach County History Online: Wellington". pbchistoryonline.org. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  14. ↑ "108th US Open Polo Championships 2012". "Wellingtonpolo.net". Retrieved 2012-07-07.
  15. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  16. ↑ "Locations." BE Aerospace. Retrieved on July 13, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  18. ↑ "MLA Data Center Results for Wellington, Florida". Modern Language Association. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  19. ↑ "Ancestry Map of Cuban Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  20. ↑ Palm Beach International Equestrian Center
  21. ↑ Minnick, Andrew,U.S. Teams Finish 1-2 at Wellington Dressage Nations Cup presented by Stillpoint Farm, USEF Network, April 13, 2013
  22. ↑ Palm Beach International Polo Club
  23. ↑ Palm Beach County Library
  24. ↑ Wellington events
  25. ↑ The Wellington Amphitheater
  26. ↑ http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/08/c10a_pbcc_edit_0708.html
  27. ↑ "Wellington Branch (Wellington)." Palm Beach County Library System. Retrieved on July 13, 2010.
  28. ↑ Wellington Newspapers, Walkabout Wellington
  29. ↑ "Amy Fisher Article on WalkAboutWellington". "WalkAboutWellington.com". Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  30. ↑ Bill Gates Buys Home in Wellington, FL
  31. ↑ "Committee Details". United States Equestrian Foundation. Retrieved 2013-05-12.

External links

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