Over two miles of clean, warm, white sand beach stands between Delray Beach and the sparkling blue Atlantic Ocean, which is one of reasons that this resort town is one of the nicest in the country. The only city in Florida to twice receive the prestigious All-America City designation by the National Civic League,  Delray Beach has superb recreational facilities, world-class shopping, lovely deco architecture, and top line cultural and entertainment attractions.

Life is to be lived, and in Delray Beach, that is just what people do. A subtropical climate means that residents and visitors alike can make maximal advantage of the beach, sunbathing, swimming, playing volleyball, and generally getting their priorities right. Parks are well planned; Pompey Park has a million dollar pool complex, and Miller Park has baseball diamonds and soccer and other sports fields. Bicycles may be rented downtown.

The Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is located just off Highway 441 between Delray and Boynton, and can be toured by airboat.

Museums include the Cornell Museum at the historic Old School Square and the superb Morikami Park and Museum, which pays homage to the region's early settlers from Japan. The yearly Roots Cultural Festival celebrates the town's wider cultural heritage.

The restored Crest Theatre is a state-of-the-art performing arts venue, and it plays host to a wide range of theatre, music, and dance performances, both local and national. The Delray Beach Playhouse and the Pottery Playhouse are two community theaters that continue to amuse, challenge, and entertain audiences.

The arts play a vital part in the life of Delray Beach. The Old School Square Cultural Arts Center in the old Delray Beach High School is a multi-million dollar facility on beautifully landscaped grounds, featuring a museum, a theater, and an outdoor entertainment pavilion. On the National Register of Historic Places, the center is a gathering place for the entire community. Right next to the arts center, an artist's colony is emerging, dubbed "Pineapple Grove" by residents and full of local sculpture. Art galleries and artists studios abound, and bring life to the heart of downtown Delray. The Women in the Visual Arts Gallery supports local women artists and runs classes and workshops, and the innovative Palm Beach Photographic Centre is well known for its superb workshops in photography and digital imaging, which are attended by photographers, graphic designers, photojournalists, filmmakers, desktop publishers, architects, and advertising professionals from across America.

There are plenty of places to eat and to shop in Delray Beach. Most restaurants have outdoor tables and dining tends to be informal in this holiday town; all cuisines imaginable are represented. Shopping is varied; from the charming downtown to the ABC Carpet and Home outlets, there is something for every need. The Ocean City Lumber Company in the historic Pineapple Grove district of downtown Delray Beach has art galleries, designer clothing stores, and hip cafes, and Blood's Hammock Groves is still thriving since its inception in the nineteen-forties as a great place to buy citrus, flowers and plants, fresh herbs, and beautiful handmade plant pots.

The city has designated several neighborhoods as historic districts and residents are encouraged to preserve their historic homes. Over ninety percent of local businesses are small and people cooperate to keep the economic climate supportive, making Delray Beach a friendly place to live and work.

LOCATION

Delray Beach nestles the Atlantic shore about 8 miles north of Boca Raton in Southern Florida's balmy Palm Beach County.

Three primary routes pass through Delray Beach, connecting it to surrounding towns and most of Florida's major cities. Highway 1 hugs the coast and journeys south to Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, and north to Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, and beyond. I-95 runs parallel to Highway 1 on the inland side, and also travels south to Miami and north to West Palm Beach and Melbourne.

About 8 miles inland from downtown Delray Beach, the Florida Turnpike (Route 869) makes its way northwest to Orlando and south to Miami. Highway 441 meets Highway 98 just north of Boynton Beach at Greenacres; Highway 98 journeys west to the shores of Lake Okeechobee (about 56 miles from Delray Beach). Highway 441 south travels to Fort Lauderdale.

Florida's Pacific seacoast is readily accessible; I-75 west from Fort Lauderdale journeys across the state to Naples.

Delray Beach is about 6 miles south of Boynton Beach on Highway 1, and about 30 miles north of Fort Lauderdale. The bright lights of Miami Beach are about 58 miles away.

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS

Delray Beach is about 15 miles south of Palm Beach International Airport and about 28 miles north of Fort Lauderdale International. Direct flights from Palm Beach International reach cities across the nation, as well as centers in Brazil, Europe, the British Isles, and Japan. Fort Lauderdale International has flights to Canada, South America, and the Caribbean, as well as to cities across America.

Palm Beach County runs a bus service in the area and South Florida's Tri Rail commuter rail system connects Palm Beach with Miami, passing through Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale along the way.

BRIEF HISTORY

Originally a tropical wilderness on the shores Atlantic and home to the Calusa Indians for centuries, the settlement of Delray Beach was formed in 1894 by a small group of adventurers from Michigan, led by William Linton and David Swinton. These hardworking pioneers tilled the land and grew crops year round, supplementing their diet with fish and seafood.

In 1896 the Florida East Coast Railway came through, giving the farmers an easy means to ship their produce north to the cities. Locals began exporting pineapples, tomatoes, peppers, beans and other fruits and vegetables to the ready markets in the north.

Flager, the railway magnate, attracted pioneers from Japan through businessman Joseph Sakai and by the turn of century a number of Japanese had arrived to grow pineapples. Together they formed the Yamato Colony; visitors can learn about them at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, which was built on lands donated by settler George Morikami.

The small agricultural town was named Delray in 1901, which is Spanish for "of the king", and it continued to grow on a firm agricultural base. Before the Great Depression Delray was a sought after holiday spot; this trend continued after the Second World War. Today Delray Beach has a healthy local economy, based on agriculture and boosted by tourism and the arts.

ABOUT EDUCATION
Delray Beach's public schools are cared for by the School District of Palm Beach County, which was rated third in the United States in comparison to other districts of a similar size by the national business journal Expansion Management.

There are several private schools in Delray Beach and for the most part these are run by Christian denominations.

There are a wide range of good colleges and universities nearby Delray Beach, including Palm Beach Community College, Barry University, Lynn University, Florida Atlantic University, and the renowned Harid Conservatory dance school at Boca Raton (all under 8 miles away). Other options are the Palm Beach Community College (about 12 miles away in Lake Worth), and Palm Beach Atlantic College-West Palm Beach (about 15 miles away in West Palm Beach).