Riviera Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, which was incorporated on September 29, 1922. Due to the location of its eastern boundary, it is also the easternmost municipality in the Miami metropolitan area. In the 2020 U.S. Census, the total population of Riviera Beach residents was 37,604 people.[12]
Riviera Beach was originally called Oak Lawn, but the settlement was renamed Riviera in 1893.[1] It wasn't until 1941 that "Beach" was added, though it was incorporated in 1922 as only the "Town of Riviera".[1] In 1959, it converted from a "town" status to the present-day "City of Riviera Beach".[6][1] For the first half of the 20th century, its nickname was "Conchtown", after the many Conch people (Bahamians and Bahamian Americans) who resided in the city.[1][2][17][18][19] The city was named after the French Riviera.[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.8 square miles (25 km2), of which 8.3 square miles (21 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (15.33%) is water. The eastern part of the city includes most of Singer Island, a peninsula on the Atlantic coast of Palm Beach County, Florida, which is separated from the mainland portion of the city by Lake Worth'sLake Worth Lagoon.
Climate
Riviera Beach has a tropical climate, more specifically a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classificationAf), as its driest month (February) averages 64.8mm of precipitation, meeting the minimum standard of 60mm in the driest month needed to qualify for that designation.[20] Much of the year is warm to hot in Riviera Beach, and frost is extremely rare. As is typical in South Florida, there are two basic seasons in Riviera Beach, a mild and dry winter (November through April), and a hot and wet summer (May through October). Daily thundershowers are common in the hot season, though they are brief. The city of Riviera Beach is home to many varieties of tropical vegetation, which can be seen in its variety of plants, trees, and flowers all over South Florida and the city itself.
Riviera Beach, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 37,604 people, 12,045 households, and 7,425 families residing in the city.[25]
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 32,488 people, 12,015 households, and 7,710 families residing in the city.[26]
2000 census
As of 2000, 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 27.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 4.62.
In 2000, the population was spread out, with 37.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,715, and the median income for a family was $26,756.
In 2000, males had a median income of $27,232 versus $22,410 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,159. About 29.6% of families and 32.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.1% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2000, those who solely spoke English at home accounted for 90.30% of all residents, while speakers of Spanish were 4.71%, French Creole 2.42%, and French speakers 0.95%.[27]
Government
Riviera Beach has a mayor–council–manager form of government.[28] Ronnie Felder was elected to a second three-year term as its mayor in 2022.[29] Jonathan Evans, who was fired as city manager by three city council members in 2017 "for cause, for misfeasance" but without further explanation, returned to that position in 2019,[30] and as of July 2022[update] was in negotiations for a contract renewal.[31] The city is divided into five districts, each with a council member; the mayor does not vote.[29]
Lincoln Elementary School (formerly Lincoln High School was only for black students during segregation, and before that it was a called West Riviera Junior High School)[34]
Washington Elementary School
West Riviera Elementary School
Public Middle School
John F Kennedy Middle School (originally John F. Kennedy High School was only for black students during segregation)[34]
Burt Reynolds (1936–2018) – actor, moved to Riviera Beach in 1946 at the age of 10; his father, a police officer, was once the Riviera Beach Chief of Police
^Foster, Charles C. 1991. Conchtown USA, with Folk songs & tales collected by Veonica Huss. Boca Raton, Florida: Florida Atlantic University Press. ISBN0-8130-1042-X
^Foster, Charles C. 1991. Conchtown USA, with Folk songs & tales collected by Veonica Huss. Boca Raton, Florida: Florida Atlantic University Press. ISBN0-8130-1042-X
.jpg)
