Pleasant City (West Palm Beach)

Last updated October 07, 2019

Pleasant City is a neighborhood in West Palm Beach, Florida north of 15th Street, and east of Dunbar Village and the Florida East Coast Railway. Established in 1905 and incorporated into the city limits in 1912, it was developed for African-American workers who were employed at area hotels and other businesses.

West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The population was 99,919 at the 2010 census. West Palm Beach is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,158,824 people in 2017.

Florida is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is Florida's most populous urban area. Tallahassee is the state's capital.

Dunbar Village is a 246-unit public housing community located within the North Tamarind neighborhood of West Palm Beach, Florida. The community is directly east of North Tamarind Avenue, and borders the neighborhoods of Pleasant City and Northwood Pines. It is named after the late 19th- and early 20th-century poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar. The community was built from 1939 to 1940 for African Americans, and is alike to Liberty Square and Edison Courts in Miami for its "army barracks" configuration. Constructed shortly after the passage of the Housing Act of 1937, the community is one of the first public housing in the state of Florida.

History

In 1900, land developer George Currie plotted a strip of land in the north end of West Palm Beach to provide homes for African Americans forced to leave their living quarters in the "Styx" on South County Road on Palm Beach Island.^[1] He called the area Pleasant City, gave the streets pleasant-sounding names, and sold the 100 x 50 lots for $150 up.

These families, numbering more than 1000, had come to Palm Beach in the mid-1800s to extend the Florida East Coast Railroad from Juno to West Palm Beach. They also built the Royal Poinciana Hotel and the mansion Whitehall (now -2017- the Flagler Museum), for Standard Oil magnate Henry Morrison Flagler.

The Royal Poinciana Hotel was a Gilded Age hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, United States. Enlarged twice and doubling in size each time, it became the largest wooden structure in the world, with 1,700 employees and accommodations for 2,000 guests. It closed and was razed during the Great Depression.

Whitehall is a road in the City of Westminster, Central London, which forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Square. The street is recognised as the centre of the Government of the United Kingdom and is lined with numerous departments and ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, Horse Guards and the Cabinet Office. Consequently, the name 'Whitehall' is used as a metonym for the British civil service and government, and as the geographic name for the surrounding area.

During the twenty years of living in the "Styx" these settlers married, started families, established businesses, churches, schools, civic and fraternal organizations that extended to Pleasant City.

Pleasant City, the oldest African-American community in West Palm Beach, is a 27-block area that had a population close to 2800 residents.^{[ when? ]} It is bordered on the north by 23rd Street, on the north by 15th Street, on the east by Dixie Highway and on the west by the Florida East Coast Railway, which made it a stronger business area.

The Dixie Highway was a United States automobile highway, first planned in 1914 to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. It was part of the National Auto Trail system, and grew out of an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final result is better understood as a network of connected paved roads, rather than one single highway. It was constructed and expanded from 1915 to 1929.

Florida East Coast Railway Class II railroad operating operating in Florida

The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México.

Once the hub of black business and beautiful single-family homes, the area has been on the decline for several years^{[ when? ]} because of hurricane damage, poorly managed public housing, and politics.^{[ citation needed ]}

Most historic landmarks have been demolished by community redevelopment efforts to prevent them having historic designation.^{[ citation needed ]}

Demographics

Culture

The Pleasant City Family Reunion Committee was established in 1993 and founded by Everee Jimerson Clarke to sponsor the first Pleasant City Community Reunion in conjunction with the West Palm Beach Centennial Celebration in 1994. Former residents, who had property and close ties to the area had been away more than 30 years found that life in Pleasant City had changed. Many residents became discouraged and moved away to seek opportunities elsewhere.

The Heritage Gallery

The Heritage Gallery was opened September 21, 1996 at 2315 N. Dixie Highway to create a lasting memorial to the Pioneers of Pleasant City. It was a reflection of the heritage, lifestyles, and interest of the Pioneers. It maintains a library of historic documents, oral histories, artifacts, photographs, art, and memorabilia available to the general public. The Heritage Gallery aims to serve as a resource center for the most of the African American Historic projects in Palm Beach County since 1996.

The Heritage Gallery trains youth and sponsors historic events including The Living Legends of Negro Baseball, The Triple Nickles, Buffalo Soldiers, National Designers, Artists and honoring deserving Achievers.

Heritage Gallery Programs includes: Heritage Gallery Tours, History Study Groups, Jazz Preservation Society, Inter-generational Society, Eleganté International Teen Club, Computer Lab, Camp Heritage Trail, Special Events, Pioneer Days, Ms. Senior Queen Pageant, Father’s Day-Mother’s Day, Youth in Business, Youth Performing Arts, and Community Resource Center

Parks and Recreation

Crime

While the neighborhood is plentiful by historic means, it has suffered from urban decay. Pleasant City, and the surrounding communities of North Tamarind are classified as low-income because of high levels of poverty. This is also where the majority of the city's black population lives.

Pleasant City is also known for being the hub of high level drug trafficking to the rest of South Florida. Many chains of organized crime have and are operating in the neighborhood, ^[2]

Redevelopment

Merry Place is an affordable housing project developed by the West Palm Beach Housing Authority (WPBHA) in Pleasant City. The WPBHA built a 128 affordable apartment complex on part of the available land in 2007. In 2018, Pulte Homes announced plans to build 36 affordable townhouses adjacent to the Merry Place Apartments in partnership with the WPBHA. The WPBHA also holds vacant land at Merry Place with room for 52 condominiums.^[3]

Business

The oldest business in Pleasant City is Bush Brothers Provision Company. Built in depression stricken 1925 using local day laborers to share the work, it is still operating in the same building owned by the same family.^[4]

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References

↑ Clarke, Everee Jimerson. Pleasant City West Palm Beach (Black America Series) Copyright 2005 Arcadia Publishing.
↑ "Gangs in Palm Beach County", The Palm Beach Post , 2007. Retrieved on 2009-05-15.
↑ Bandell, Brian (April 10, 2018). "Pulte to build affordable townhouses in Palm Beach County". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
↑ "About Us". bush-brothers.com.

Clarke, Everee Jimerson. Pleasant City West Palm Beach (Black America Series) (c) 2005 ISBN 0-7385-1758-5. Arcadia Publishing. Printed in Great Britain.

External links

Coordinates: 26°43′51″N80°03′18″W / 26.7308205°N 80.0548894°W / 26.7308205; -80.0548894

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[1] Clarke, Everee Jimerson. Pleasant City West Palm Beach (Black America Series) Copyright 2005 Arcadia Publishing.

[2] "Gangs in Palm Beach County", The Palm Beach Post , 2007. Retrieved on 2009-05-15.

[3] Bandell, Brian (April 10, 2018). "Pulte to build affordable townhouses in Palm Beach County". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved October 6, 2019.

[4] "About Us". bush-brothers.com.