Riviera Beach, Florida

Riviera Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, which was incorporated September 29, 1922. Due to the location of its eastern boundary, it is also the easternmost municipality in the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people in 2015. In the 2010 U.S. Census, the total population of Riviera Beach residents was 32,488 people.

Riviera Beach, Florida
City
City of Riviera Beach
Location of Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida
Coordinates: 26°46′48″N 80°4′2″W
Country United States of America
State Florida
County Palm Beach
Settled (Lake Worth Settlement)Early 1860s-1880[1][2]
Settled (Oak Lawn Settlement)1881-1892[1][2]
Platted (Riviera Settlement)1893-1921[1][2]
Incorporated (Town of Riviera)September 29, 1922 (1922-09-29)[1][2]
Incorporated (Town of Riviera Beach)1941[1][2][3]
Incorporated (City of Riviera Beach)1959[1][2]
Named forFrench Riviera[4]
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • MayorRonnie Felder (D)[5]
 • CouncilmembersTradrick McCoy, KaShamba Miller-Anderson,
Shirley Lanier, Doug Lawson, and
Dr. Julia Botel
 • City ManagerJonathan Evans
 • City ClerkClaudene L. Anthony
Area
 • Total9.66 sq mi (25.01 km2)
 • Land8.28 sq mi (21.44 km2)
 • Water1.38 sq mi (3.57 km2)
Elevation
13 ft (4 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total32,488
 • Estimate 
(2019)[7]
35,463
 • Density4,284.01/sq mi (1,653.97/km2)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
ZIP codes
33403, 33404, 33407, 33410, 33418[8]
Area code(s)561
FIPS code12-60975[9]
GNIS feature ID0289758[10]
WebsiteRiviera Beach official website

Riviera Beach is predominantly an African-American city and it is on the List of U.S. cities with African American majority populations. It is home to the Port of Palm Beach and a United States Coast Guard station, and has its own marina.[11][12] Riviera Beach is home to Blue Heron Bridge, one of the country's top-rated beach dive sites.[13] In 2015, Riviera Beach renamed part of Old Dixie Highway that runs inside the city limits as President Barack Obama Highway.[14] The city is also home to Rapids Water Park, a water park attraction for both tourists and residents.

History

Riviera Beach was originally called Oak Lawn, but the settlement was renamed Riviera in 1893.[2] It wasn't until 1941 that "Beach" was added, though it was incorporated in 1922 as only the "Town of Riviera".[2] In 1959, it converted from a "town" status to the present-day "City of Riviera Beach".[1][2] For the first half of the 20th century, its nickname was "Conch Town", after the many Conch people (Bahamians and Bahamian Americans) who resided in the city.[2][3][15][16][17] The city was named after the French Riviera.[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.8 square miles (25 km2), of which 8.3 square miles (21 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (15.33%) is water. The eastern part of the city includes most of Singer Island, a peninsula on the Atlantic coast of Palm Beach County, Florida, which is separated from the mainland portion of the city by Lake Worth's Lake Worth Lagoon.

Climate

Riviera Beach has a tropical climate, more specifically a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af), as its driest month (February) averages 64.8mm of precipitation, meeting the minimum standard of 60mm in the driest month needed to qualify for that designation.[18] Much of the year is warm to hot in Riviera Beach, and frost is extremely rare. As is typical in South Florida, there are two basic seasons in Riviera Beach, a mild and dry winter (November through April), and a hot and wet summer (May through October). Daily thundershowers are common in the hot season, though they are brief. The city of Riviera Beach is home to many varieties of tropical vegetation, which can be seen in its variety of plants, trees, and flowers all over South Florida and the city itself.

Climate data for Riviera Beach, Florida
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 89
(32)		 90
(32)		 95
(35)		 99
(37)		 99
(37)		 100
(38)		 101
(38)		 99
(37)		 97
(36)		 95
(35)		 92
(33)		 90
(32)		 101
(38)
Average high °F (°C) 75
(24)		 77
(25)		 79
(26)		 82
(28)		 86
(30)		 89
(32)		 90
(32)		 90
(32)		 88
(31)		 85
(29)		 80
(27)		 76
(24)		 83
(28)
Average low °F (°C) 57
(14)		 59
(15)		 62
(17)		 66
(19)		 71
(22)		 74
(23)		 76
(24)		 76
(24)		 75
(24)		 72
(22)		 66
(19)		 60
(16)		 68
(20)
Record low °F (°C) 26
(−3)		 27
(−3)		 26
(−3)		 38
(3)		 45
(7)		 60
(16)		 64
(18)		 65
(18)		 61
(16)		 46
(8)		 36
(2)		 24
(−4)		 24
(−4)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.13
(80)		 2.94
(75)		 4.59
(117)		 3.66
(93)		 4.51
(115)		 8.30
(211)		 5.76
(146)		 7.95
(202)		 8.35
(212)		 5.13
(130)		 4.75
(121)		 3.38
(86)		 62.45
(1,588)
Source: The Weather Channel[19]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1930811—
19401,981144.3%
19504,065105.2%
196013,046220.9%
197021,40164.0%
198026,48923.8%
199027,6394.3%
200029,8848.1%
201032,4888.7%
2019 (est.)35,463[7]9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[20]
Riviera Beach Demographics
2010 CensusRiviera BeachPalm Beach CountyFlorida
Total population32,4881,320,13418,801,310
Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010+8.7%+16.7%+17.6%
Population density3,809.8/sq mi670.2/sq mi350.6/sq mi
White or Caucasian (including White Hispanic)27.0%73.5%75.0%
(Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian)22.9%60.1%57.9%
Black or African-American65.9%17.3%16.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)7.4%19.0%22.5%
Asian2.4%2.4%2.4%
Native American or Native Alaskan0.4%0.5%0.4%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian0.1%0.1%0.1%
Two or more races (Multiracial)2.3%2.3%2.5%
Some Other Race1.9%3.9%3.6%

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,124 households, out of which 27.7% were vacant. In 2000, 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 27.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 4.62.

In 2000, the population was spread out, with 37.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,715, and the median income for a family was $26,756.

In 2000, males had a median income of $27,232 versus $22,410 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,159. About 29.6% of families and 32.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.1% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, those who solely spoke English at home accounted for 90.30% of all residents, while speakers of Spanish were 4.71%, French Creole 2.42%, and French speakers 0.95%.[21]

Education

Public Elementary Schools

  • Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School
  • Lincoln Elementary School (formerly Lincoln High School was only for black students during segregation, and before that it was a called West Riviera Junior High School)[22]
  • Washington Elementary School
  • West Riviera Elementary School

Public Middle School

  • John F Kennedy Middle School (originally John F. Kennedy High School was only for black students during segregation)[22]

Public High Schools

Charter High School

Transportation

Riviera Beach is served by several bus routes operated by PalmTran.[23]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Riviera and Riviera Beach". Palm Beach County Historical Society. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  2. "A History of Riviera Beach, Florida" (PDF). www.rivierabch.com. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  3. "FlashBlack: Riviera Beach (by Lady Hereford)". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  4. Kleinberg, Eliot (September 16, 1987). "A Town By Any Other Name". The Palm Beach Post. p. D7 via Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  5. "February 2016 Voter Guide" (PDF). League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County. February 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. Thomas A. Masters-D
  6. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  7. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  8. "Riviera Beach, FL ZIP Codes". zipmap.net. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  9. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  10. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  11. Riviera Beach Crime Report, cityrating.com; retrieved July 29, 2006.
  12. Riviera Beach struggles to overcome decades of divisiveness, palmbeachpost.com; retrieved July 29, 2006.
  13. "Blue Heron Bridge". Blue Heron Bridge: Diving + Snorkeling Blue Heron Bridge. SinkFloridaSink.com. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  14. "Old Dixie Highway renamed in honor of Obama in Riviera Beach". Sun Sentinel. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  15. "Capturing the "Conch People" in Florida". MyFloridaHistory.org. Florida Historical Society. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  16. Neely, Wayne (9 December 2014). The Great Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928. books.google.com. ISBN 9781491754467. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  17. Foster, Charles C. 1991. Conchtown USA, with Folk songs & tales collected by Veonica Huss. Boca Raton, Florida: Florida Atlantic University Press. ISBN 0-8130-1042-X
  18. "Köppen Climate Classification System". The Encyclopedia of Earth. June 6, 2015. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  19. "Average weather for Riviera Beach". The Weather Channel. March 11, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  20. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  21. "MLA Data Center Results of Riviera Beach, FL". Modern Language Association. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  22. pbchistoryonline.org. "Historical Association of Palm Beach Count: More Schools". Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  23. "Palm Tran Home". Pbcgov.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
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