Pleasant City, West Palm Beach, Florida

Encyclopedia : P : PL : PLE : Pleasant City, West Palm Beach, Florida

Pleasant City is a neighborhood in West Palm Beach, Florida north of downtown. The neighborhood has been run-down and in decline for decades, including the streets of North Tamarind and the surrounding area. It was developed for African American workers who were employed at hotels in West Palm Beach itself, Palm Beach, and Boca Raton (many workers moved to Pearl City, a Boca Raton neighborhood equivalent to Pleasant City). Pleasant City was established in 1905, but not incorporated into the city limits until 1912.

Although rich in history, the neighborhood of mostly frame vernacular houses has deteriorated from poor maintanance and years of neglect.

Crime

In the neighborhoods surounding Pleasant City and the neighborhood itself, are very poor with high levels of poverty. This is also where the majority of the city's African American population lives. It is also known for being the hub of high level drug trafficing to West Palm Beach itself, as well as Palm Beach and Boca Raton.

Nicknames & streets

Pleasent City is often known as "The Northside." Some of the streets in North Tamarind, Pleasant City, and the streets surrounding the neighborhoods are Avenue S, Beautiful, Broadway, Comfort, Division Ave., Dixie Hwy., Douglas Ave., Henrietta Ave., Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Rosemary Ave., and Sapodilla Ave.

Redevelopment

The southern parts of the streets listed have seen some redevelopment which has been taken over by downtown extention for the shopping district CityPlace. This forced many African Americans to leave their neighborhood.

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