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About Boynton Beach
It was 1894, one year
after the last Barefoot Mailman walked along its sandy
shores and two years before Henry Flagler built his
famous railroad, that a former Civil War major from Port
Huron, Michigan named Nathan S. Boynton first set eyes
on the area that now bears his name.
He was so impressed by the natural beauty of what he
saw, the year-round sunshine and pristine beaches, that
he returned a year later with a group of colonists and
built the famous Boynton Beach Hotel to serve as his
family's summer residence.
The first settlers soon realized that an unlimited
assortment of fruits and vegetables thrived in the
fertile climate. Cultivated pineapples, tomatoes,
mangos, oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes were
packed in crates and shipped by the ton on the newly
built Florida East Coast Railroad to satisfy the
appetites of hungry Americans across the country.
Boynton Beach remained a fairly unknown tropical
paradise known for its perfect weather and delicious
produce until the end of World War Two.
Soldiers returning home from the war discovered that the
small town located only fifty miles north of Miami was
an extraordinarily healthy place to raise a family. In
addition, Boynton's close proximity to the Atlantic's
Gulf stream soon yielded a bonanza of world-record
catches and guaranteed that the best kept secret on
Florida's Gold Coast would be a secret no longer.
Since that time, Boynton Beach has grown steadily and
never looked back. The city's population has risen from
5,000 in 1958 to a present number of approximately
60,000 residents. Most importantly, Boynton Beach has
expanded wisely, retaining the charm of her orange
groves, fishing marina and sandy beaches.
Major Boynton and his colorful hotel have long passed
into the annals of history, but the irresistible
qualities that attracted him and the city's first
settlers remain as strong as ever to entice a new
generation of visitors and residents. |
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