Riviera Beach, Florida

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Riviera Beach, Florida
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto = A Harbor City

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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = flag|United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = flag|Florida
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = noflag|Palm Beach
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 25.5
area_land_km2 = 21.6
area_water_km2 = 3.9
area_total_sq_mi = 9.8
area_land_sq_mi = 8.3
area_water_sq_mi = 1.5

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 29884
population_density_km2 = 1384.3
population_density_sq_mi = 3585.3

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 4
elevation_ft = 13
latd = 26 |latm = 46 |lats = 48 |latNS = N
longd = 80 |longm = 4 |longs = 2 |longEW = W

postal_code_type =
postal_code =
area_code = 561
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 12-60975GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0289758GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Riviera Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, U.S.A. which was incorporated September 29, 1922. The population was 29,884 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to be 32,522. [ [http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2004-04-12.xls Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Florida, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004] - retrieved July 29 2006] Riviera Beach is predominantly an African American city and it is on the List of U.S. cities with African American majority populations. It is home to the Port of Palm Beach and a United States Coast Guard station, and has its own marina. The city consistently has crime rates well in excess of the United States average and is also notable for its high levels of poverty. [ [http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Riviera+Beach&state=FL Riviera Beach Crime Report] - retrieved July 29 2006] [ [http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2006/07/02/m1a_RBnew1_0702.html Riviera Beach struggles to overcome decades of divisiveness] - retrieved July 29 2006] The city has been increasingly targeted for redevelopment aiming to take advantage of the city's desirable location along the Lake Worth Lagoon; to this end, a massive taking through eminent domain has been proposed. [ [http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/000405.php An Eminent Domain High Tide in Riviera Beach] - retrieved July 29 2006]

Geography

Riviera Beach is located at coor dms|26|46|48|N|80|4|2|W|city (26.779940, -80.067286)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.5 km² (9.9 mi²). 21.6 km² (8.3 mi²) of it is land and 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²) of it (15.33%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 29,884 people, 11,387 households, and 7,526 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,383.5/km² (3,585.3/mi²). There were 14,220 housing units at an average density of 658.3/km² (1,706.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 25.75% White (25.4% were Non-Hispanic White,) [cite web |url=http://www.muninetguide.com/states/florida/municipality/Riviera_Beach.php |title=Demographics of Riviera Beach, FL |publisher=MuniNetGuide.com |accessdate=2007-11-13] 67.81% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.10% from other races, and 2.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.51% of the population.

There were 11,387 households out of which 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 the city 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. 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, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 90.30% of all residents, while Spanish consisted of 4.71%, French Creole was at 2.42%, and French speakers made up 0.95% of the population. [cite web |url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=12&county_id=&mode=&zip=&place_id=60975&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r |title=MLA Data Center Results of Riviera Beach, FL |publisher=Modern Language Association |accessdate=2007-11-13]

Besides being a predominately African American and black community, as of 2000, Riviera Beach's Haitian community had the fifty-ninth highest percentage of US residents, with 2.10% of the city's population (tied with Coral Springs, as well as Haverstraw, NY and East Massapequa, NY.) [cite web |url=http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Haitian.html |title=Ancestry Map of Haitian Communities |publisher=Epodunk.com |accessdate=2007-11-13]

In the 1930s, Riviera Beach was also known as the home of many Bahamian immigrants, known as "Conchs". A 1939 study by the WPA's Florida Writers Project (by writer Veronica Huss and photographer Charles Foster) of the Conchs was undertaken, resulting in a national traveling exhibit entitled "Conch Town."

Education

*Suncoast High School
*Inlet Grove High School
*John F Kennedy Middle School
*West Riviera Elementary School
* [http://www.rbmaritimeacademy.org Riviera Beach Maritime Academy]
*Lincoln Elementary School

Trivia

*Movie Actor Burt Reynolds' father, Burton Leon Reynolds Sr., was once chief-of-police in Riviera Beach. [Reynolds, Burt. 1994. My Life. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6130-4 Pp. 18-9]
*NFL superstar All-Pro and Pro Bowl wide receiver Anthony Carter was born and attended school in Riviera Beach.
*NFL superstar All-Pro and Pro Bowl player Devin Hester was born and attended school in Riviera Beach.
*An episode of the MTV reality show Made was set here, with Brittany Fontaine becoming homecoming queen at her high school, Inlet Grove.

References

External links

* [http://www.rivierabch.com/ Riviera Beach official website]
* [http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/photo_exhibits/wpa/ Online version (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida) of a 1939 WPA exhibit on the Conchs of Riviera Beach, Florida ]