Royal Palm Beach is a village in southeast Florida, located within Palm Beach County. The population was measured at 21,523 in the 2000 census. As of April 2008, the recorded population was 31,864. The village is located approximately fifteen miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean.Royal Palm Beach is known for its many parks and general mission to protect green space, as evidenced by the recent acquisition of 190acre to create a master central park and the development of 25acre preserved into a passive bird watching and nature park. The village offers a variety of activities for the outdoor and sports enthusiast including soccer, basketball, tennis, Pop Warner youth football and cheer, senior activities, and year-round golf programs. The public schools within the Village consist of "A"-rated elementary and middle schools and there are numerous private schools offering classes from pre-kindergarten through high school.HistoryIncorporated on June 18, 1959, Royal Palm Beach has grown from a primarily uninhabited swamp and natural preserve and former Seminole hunting ground into a thriving village of nearly 25,000 residents.It was not until the 1950s, when Philadelphia supermarket magnates Sam and Hattie Friedland purchased 65000acre for approximately $1.25 million in what is now the Royal Palm Beach village and Acreage areas, that the natural wilderness landed on national fastest growing community lists (in its size category) in the 1980s. The Friedlands subsequently sold their land to Miami developer Arthur Desser, founder of Lefcourt Realty Group. About 4,200acre were earmarked for Desser’s Royal Palm Beach development.
