Palm Beach

According to early settler accounts, Palm Beach received its name from the shipwreck of the "Providencia."

The ship washed ashore in January of 1878 with a cargo of cocoanuts bound from Havana to Barcelona. Early settlers lost no time salvaging and planting the cocoanuts, which were not native to South Florida, hoping to launch the area into the commercial cocoanut industry. But this lush barrier island, 16 miles long and located 65 miles north of Miami, was destined for much bigger things. Its close proximity to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream produced a hothouse environment where the crème de la crème would flourish.

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