San Castle, Florida

San Castle, Florida
CDP
San Castle, Florida
Coordinates: 26°33′54″N80°03′40″W / 26.56500°N 80.06111°W / 26.56500; -80.06111
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Palm Beach
Area [1]
• Total	0.42 sq mi (1.09 km2)
• Land	0.42 sq mi (1.09 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	23 ft (7.0 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,755
• Density	8,947.7/sq mi (3,454.71/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Area codes	561, 728
GNIS feature ID	2628532 [2]

San Castle is a census-designated place (CDP) in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 3,755 as of the 2020 census.

Geography

San Castle is located between Interstate 95 and the Intracoastal Waterway; it borders Lantana to the north, Hypoluxo to the east and Boynton Beach to the south.

Topography

San Castle is situated on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, a relict shoreline and dune system associated with the Pamlico and Talbot terraces of the Pleistocene epoch (approximately 125,000 years ago). Formed when sea levels were approximately 30 feet higher than today, this ridge originally existed as a barrier island composed of accumulated sand and coquina (Anastasia Formation). ^{[3] [4]}

Due to the high elevation and well-drained sands of this ancient coastline, the area supports remnants of the Florida scrub ecosystem. This is one of the rarest and most endangered ecological communities in Palm Beach County, with less than 2% of the original scrub habitat remaining. ^[5]

Climate

San Castle lies at the northern edge of the tropics, sharing the same latitude (approx. 26° 33′ N) as Grand Bahama. The community experiences a Tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am), characterized by hot, humid summers and warm, drier winters. This climate is heavily moderated by the Gulf Stream, which flows less than a mile offshore and stabilizes annual temperatures.

As a coastal development, San Castle is located a zip code north of the USDA Hardiness Zones 11a, with average annual extreme minimum temperature at 40 °F (4.4 °C). This frost-free environment allows for the cultivation of tropical flora, including coconut palms and the rare Southeast Florida native Pseudophoenix sargentii (Buccaneer palm), as well as various tropical fruit trees that cannot survive further inland.

^[6]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2010	3,428		—
2020	3,755		9.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

2020 census

San Castle racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^[8]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	776	20.67%
Black or African American (NH)	1,456	38.77%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	1	0.03%
Asian (NH)	25	0.67%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)	0	0.00%
Some Other Race (NH)	14	0.37%
Mixed/Multiracial (NH)	107	2.85%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,376	36.64%
Total	3,755	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,755 people, 1,160 households, and 797 families residing in the CDP. ^[9]

2010 census

San Castle racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^[10]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	874	25.50%
Black or African American (NH)	1,292	37.69%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	17	0.50%
Asian (NH)	21	0.61%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)	0	0.00%
Some Other Race (NH)	17	0.50%
Mixed/Multiracial (NH)	73	2.13%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,134	33.08%
Total	3,428

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 3,428 people, 880 households, and 672 families residing in the CDP. ^[11]

In 2015, the median household income of the 1,078 households in San Castle, FL grew to $49,107 from the previous year's value of $42,869. ^[12]

In 2016, the most common first languages spoken in San Castle are English at 50.4%, Haitian (French) Creole at 31%, Spanish at 18.3%, and Chinese at 0.3%. And as of 2016, US citizens accounted for 77.7% of the population.

History

Pre-History

Prior to modern settlement, the high ground of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge was part of the greater Jaega tribe territory. The area lies just north of the historic Boynton Mound complex, a significant indigenous site that was largely destroyed in the early 20th century to provide shell fill for construction and development of Ocean Ridge.

Postwar development

Following World War II, the area was developed to meet the growing demand for housing in South Florida as well as for mango plantations. Platted primarily in the late 1950s, the community was designed as a residential subdivision featuring single-story homes consistent with the Florida Ranch architecture popular during that era.

Modern era

Over the decades, the community evolved into a distinct census-designated place (CDP) separate from the neighboring municipalities of Lantana and Hypoluxo. Beginning in the 1980s and continuing through the 1990s, San Castle developed a diverse demographic identity, becoming a hub for Caribbean-American culture within Palm Beach County.

Crime

Despite its small size, the CDP has been notable for being home to the San Castle Soldiers, a set of the greater Top 6 gang; who was featured on the show Gangland, on the History Channel. The gang is notorious for being involved in the Christmas Eve shooting at the Boynton Beach Mall, which resulted in a death. ^[13] The gang was also involved in several other homicides. ^[14]

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: San Castle, Florida
3. "Geolex — Anastasia publications". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
4. "Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area". Florida Hikes. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
5. "Sandy Flatlands: Scrub and Scrubby Flatwoods". Palm Beach County History Online. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
6. "Reference Maps". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
8. "HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE: 2020". data.census.gov. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
9. "HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES: 2020". data.census.gov. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
10. "HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE: 2010". data.census.gov. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
11. "HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES: 2010". data.census.gov. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
12. "San Castle, FL". Data USA. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
13. "Nights bring crime in San Castle". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
14. "Gang-related homicides affiliated with the Top 6". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.