About the City of Greenacres (History, Land Uses, Demographics)

Located in the central part of Palm Beach County, the City was founded by Lawrence Carter Swain, as a “Good Place to Live”, and was originally incorporated in 1926.

The City is governed by a Mayor and five council members who establish policy for the City while the daily operations are administered by a city manager. The City provides a complement of municipal services including Public Safety (Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services), parks and recreation, planning, building, engineering, and public works.

With a land area of approximately 6 square miles and a population of over 32,370, the City of Greenacres is the tenth largest of the 38 municipalities in Palm Beach County.

The City has 16,685 dwelling units providing diversity in type (single family, condominiums, villas, townhomes and apartments) and price range. The majority of the commercial establishments offer a variety of services, restaurants, retail, and amusements, mainly located along Lake Worth Road, Forest Hill Boulevard, Tenth Avenue North, and Jog Road.

The City is home to five elementary schools, three middle schools and a high school, as well as numerous houses of worship, a library, and a post office. The City has 11 parks with a combined area of over 93 acres providing a variety of recreational opportunities for day and night time play for residents of all ages. Adjacent to the City is Okeeheelee Park, a regional county park providing over 1700 acres of recreation. The City’s Community Center is host to a variety of youth, adult, and senior classes and activities.

The City of Greenacres has been named a “Tree City USA” for 15 straight years by the National Arbor Day Foundation due to the demonstrated commitment to plant and maintain trees in public spaces. In 2007 and 2008 the City was recognized as one of the “100 Best Communities for Young People” in the nation by America’s Promise-The Alliance for Youth, the nation’s largest alliance dedicated to children and youth.

While providing the best, and most cost efficient public services and facilities, the City is recognized as a safe, attractive, well maintained and financially stable community that is a “A Great Place to Be”.

Greenacres Historical Events

1923	The City of Greenacres was founded by Lawrence Carter Swain who moved his family to this area from Massachusetts. During the 1920’s, the Town of Palm Beach and other coast resort areas were booming. The wealthy were well provided for in terms of housing and community services. However, there were few homes that were built or available for the middle class. Motivated by the desire to provide a community for the middle class Mr. Swain began accumulating property in this area, ending up with approximately 1,000 acres of property. This land was divided into sections or "plats". Plat II laid out one-half mile west of Military Trail, became the "Original Section" of the City and still exists today.
1926	Officially incorporated as “Greenacres City”. Mr. Swain’s office staff voted on a list of potential names. The City’s slogan, “A Good Place to Live” was also chosen at that time. First recorded devastating hurricane, known as ‘The Big Blow’ hit the City on September 19, 1926.
1928	Second devastating hurricane hit almost two (2) years later almost to the date on September 16th and both hurricanes virtually destroyed the City.
1945	Third disaster hit the City in April when the Florida State Legislature abolished the City’s Charter. A group of disgruntled residents presented a petition to the Legislature, which resulted in the City losing its status as a municipality. However, the community was re-established as a City within the same year and was reincorporated in 1947. The City prospered and kept pace with its growing and diversified population by continuing to increase service delivery to the residents.
1960's	A City Hall complex was built on Perry Avenue and Fourth Street; and the Community Hall was built on Martin Avenue and Fourth Street. The City Hall housed a public library and other City departments, with the exception of the Fire and Public Works Department.
1970's	Greenacres established a full-time Police Department that replaced the Town Marshal. The City began providing full-time fire protection by hiring its first Chief and 6 full-time firefighters in 1974.
1980's	Greenacres, listed as the seventh largest and fastest growing municipality in central Palm Beach County. Planning for a new City Hall (located at the intersection of Tenth Avenue North and Sherwood Forest Boulevard) began as it was determined that the old City Hall structure would not be able to accommodate future growth. In 1984, residents approved a bond referendum to issue General Obligation Bonds to construct the City Hall on Tenth Avenue North, the Public Safety Complex (located on Jog Road), and development of recreational facilities. This era brought about great interest to invest in the City’s future. In 1985, the City embarked upon the implementation and development of the Department of Public Safety. This new idea combined the police, fire and emergency medical services, an innovative concept that provided for dual certified officers, improved emergency response time, and tremendous cost savings to Greenacres residents.
1990's	City residents voted in favor of a referendum changing the City’s name from the “City of Greenacres City” to the “City of Greenacres”. During the 1990’s, the City continued to experience tremendous development and growth through annexation of unincorporated Palm Beach County property in an effort to square off the boundaries. The 1990 Census population figure of 18,683 was much lower than anticipated and brought great concern to City Officials. Council authorized the City to conduct a “Special Census” in 1993, which validated an additional 3,000 residents, bringing the new population count to 21,966. This increase in population provided valuable revenue from the State of Florida to the City for the remainder of the decade.
2000's	City Officials organized another American Assembly process to gather consensus and visioning for the City; improvements were made to Ira Van Bullock ball fields; construction of the Community Center on Swain Boulevard was completed; construction began on the Greenacres Freedom Park aka Pinehurst Park; the Public Safety Station No. 2 was constructed on Haverhill Road; annexation of unincorporated property in the southern portion of the City continued; and the City enhanced recreational and educational programs for residents.
Present	City Officials authorized on-going enhancements to the parks system, along with street improvements, voluntary annexations and new developments; and authorized the construction of a new Municipal Complex and Public Works facility off of Melaleuca Lane. The construction was completed in July of 2007. Today, Greenacres enjoys a population of more than 32,209 residents and has five (5) elementary schools; three (3) middle schools; and one (1) high school, with eleven (11) neighborhood parks. City Officials and City Staff take great pride in the City’s sense of community, its improved neighborhoods and parks, landscaping and beautification programs, as well as the efficiency in service delivery that make Greenacres… “A great Place to Be”.