West Palm Beach: Henry Flagler's American Florence

Founded by railroad magnate Henry Flagler as a working-class counterpart to nearby Palm Beach, West Palm Beach today holds his sumptuous museum villa.

The center, desired by Henry Flagler as a small American Florence, is visited comfortably on foot.

The Flagler Museum, the former villa of railroad magnate Henry Flagler in Renaissance style, preserves original furnishings from the early twentieth century in nearby Palm Beach.

A short walk away, CityPlace, a pedestrian neighborhood with shops and restaurants, animates West Palm Beach's center with contemporary Mediterranean architecture.

Continuing along the waterfront, one walks the Waterfront, with views of the Intracoastal Waterway that separates the city from the more exclusive Palm Beach.

Toward evening, local restaurants animate the city's nightlife with views of yachts moored in the canal, among Florida's most elegant.

Henry Flagler, railroad magnate who developed much of Florida's eastern coast, founded West Palm Beach in eighteen ninety-four as a worker neighborhood for laborers in his luxury hotels in nearby Palm Beach, today two distinct cities.

The Flagler Museum, the magnate's former residence donated to the nation by his heirs, also houses a private railroad car personally used by Flagler on his business and leisure travels.