Palm Beach County has around 44 billionaires. The super–rich are flocking there for business opportunities, convenient transport links, and a chance to live in “paradise.” Palm Beach County’s grew twice as fast as the US average over the past decade.

It is the oldest incorporated municipality in the South Florida area, incorporated as a city two years before Miami in November 1894. West Palm Beach is located approximately 68 miles (109 km) north of Downtown Miami.

The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity “Lake Worth Country.” These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world.

Once known strictly as a tourism-based economy, Fort Lauderdale now supports a diverse range of industries, including marine, manufacturing, finance, insurance, real estate, high technology, avionics/aerospace, film and television production. Fort Lauderdale is establishing itself as a world-class international business center and one of the most desirable locations for new, expanding or relocating businesses.

The City of Fort Lauderdale is named for a Second Seminole War fortification built on the banks of the New River in 1838. That year, Major William Lauderdale led a detachment of Tennessee Volunteers south along the east coast of Florida to capture Seminole agricultural lands and battle the elusive Indian warriors. Altogether, three forts named after Major Lauderdale would be constructed: the first at the fork of New River; the second at Tarpon Bend; and the largest on the beach at the site of Bahia Mar. None of the forts survive today.

Interesting facts about Miami:

♦ Miami has the largest collection of Art Deco buildings.

♦ The city was founded by a woman – Julia Tuttle.

♦ Miami has the largest cruise ship port in the world

♦ The first Burger King opened in Miami.

♦ Some people call Miami the “Wreckcreational” diving capital. There are over 50 shipwrecks under water, which scuba divers love to explore.

♦ The city is named after the Mayaimi tribe.

Situated on Biscayne Bay at the mouth of the Miami River, Miami is a major transportation and business hub, a leading resort and Atlantic Ocean port.

Miami Beach is a south Florida island city, connected by bridges to mainland Miami. The southern end, South Beach, is known for its international cachet with models and celebrities, and its early–20th–century architecture in the Art Deco Historic district with pastel–colored buildings, especially on Ocean Drive.