Palm Beach Shores 55+ Community

Palm Beach Shores comprises .52 square miles of Southern Singer Island.  Many of the town's properties are waterfront real estate with the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Palm Beach Inlet on the southern border, and the Lake Worth Lagoon to the west.  According to World Population Review, the 2022 population of Palm Beach Shores was 1,262.  The residents' median age is 58.4, and 54% of the adult population participates in the labor force.   Even though many of the town's residents are retirees, there is only one Palm Beach Shores 55+ Community.  Ocean View Condo offers 18 units in a small boutique building within walking distance to the beach, a diverse array of restaurants, and nightlife.

With such limited availability in this Palm Beach Shores 55+ Community, you may want to search all Palm Beach Shores homes for sale if you are considering this small tropical enclave for your Florida retirement.  Of course, relocating to Palm Beach Shores may require patience as there are only approx. 955 residences in this small town.  With only 318 single-family houses, 476 condominiums, 103 co-ops, and 58 multi-family dwellings, the perfect home may take some time to come on the market in this highly sought-after seaside town.

Palm Beach Shores Lifestyle

Palm Beach Shores affords residents an active lifestyle with a small-town feel.  Most activities are centered around the water.  With convenient ocean access through the Palm Beach Inlet, boating and fishing are popular activities on Singer Island.  Whether you have a small fishing boat or a superyacht, you will likely find a boat slip at either Sailfish Marina Resort or Cannonsport Marina.  Both marinas lease slips annually and short-term to accommodate residents and visitors alike.  Of course, you don't have to own a boat to ride the waves of the turquoise waters surrounding Palm Beach Shores.  You can always book a private charter, wildlife excursion, or sightseeing tour through the Water Taxi or  Aqua Adventure Tours.  This angler's paradise also offers a plethora of fishing charters to choose from.  Peanut Island has a fishing pier, and Phil Foster Park features a pier and two fishing platforms if you prefer shore fishing.

There are so many ways to enjoy the pristine waters of Palm Beach Shores.  Scuba diving and snorkeling at Phil Foster Park in nearby Riviera Beach is a favorite pastime among locals.  The Phil Foster Snorkeling Trail features an 800-foot long artificial reef that is easily swimmable from shore.  You can encounter a wide assortment of marine life along the trail, including parrotfish, barracuda, octopus, sea horse, starfish, crab, lobster, and shrimp.  Parasailing, tubing, wakeboarding, and water skiing are other popular activities with Adventure Watersports nearby, where you can rent equipment.  Palm Beach Shores also offers excellent swimming with crystal clear water that constantly moves due to its proximity to the Gulf Stream.  There is a lot to be said for simply spending a relaxing day on the beach with frozen drinks and fantastic seafood steps away at one of the many resorts on Singer Island.

Palm Beach Shores may be a small town, but you don't have to venture out to nearby Riviera Beach or West Palm Beach for delicious dining options or nightlife.  The Islander Grill and Tiki Bar is the perfect location to enjoy a slow-roasted prime rib dinner in a nautical-themed dining room, sip on tropical cocktails at the tiki bar, and dance to live music.  The Sailfish Marina Resort is another excellent restaurant with a tiki bar in Palm Beach Shores.  They feature a breakfast buffet with an omelet station and fresh waffles where anglers can fuel up before a long day on the water.  The Sailfish is an excellent choice for a seafood dinner with locally caught seafood pulled straight from their fishing boats when possible.  Castaway's Craft Beer & Pizza has a full bar, 72 types of beer, and firestone oven-baked pizza with shrimp and baked clams as topping options.  Castaways is not just a great place to eat; they also offer fun social events, including bingo, trivia, and patio parties with live music.

History

In present-day Palm Beach Shores, the first settlers were anglers and squatters that named their community Inlet City.  The fishermen were drawn to the area by the island's proximity to the Gulf Stream.  While squatters were attracted to the lack of government oversight, allowing them to build wherever they desired.  When Inlet City existed, back in 1908, Singer Island and Palm Beach were still connected.  Early settlers hand-dug a series of waterways to Lake Worth, but the federal government did not dredge the current inlet until 1918.  These early settlers used the canal that existed at the time in Riviera Beach to separate the single men from the families.  They built a store and a church that doubled as a school.

Paris Singer, Singer Sewing Machine heir, made the second attempt at building a community on the island.  He envisioned a popular tourist destination with two hotels and a 36-hole golf course.  He hired famed architect Addison Mizner to start construction on the Blue Heron Hotel.  Mizner's services did not come cheap; Singer agreed to pay him $6,000 a year for life to focus the rest of his career on the Palm Beach area.   In 1925, he constructed a wooden bridge to the mainland to provide easy passage for his future hotel guests.  The project was projected to cost four million dollars, an astonishing figure for the 1920s.  Singer planned to fund construction by selling lots throughout the island.  Sadly, Singer was met with a series of unfortunate events.  The Florida land boom began to slow in 1925, a hurricane destroyed his bridge and caused damage throughout the island in 1928, and the stock market crashed in 1929.  The Blue Heron Hotel was never completed; the partial structure stood for fourteen years until it was demolished for scrap steel.  Singer went from riches to rags and spent the rest of his life on a houseboat in the Nile River.

Where Singer met defeat, A.O. Edwards found great success.  Edwards made his fortune building railroads and hotels abroad before setting his sights on Singer Island.  In 1947, he purchased 240 acres after his first visit to the island.  Edwards divided the land into 631 lots with commercial and apartment buildings along the shorelines.  Lots sold quickly, and by 1951 the town of Palm Beach Shores was incorporated, and Edwards became the first mayor.  The Palm Beach Shores of today is not much different from the city that Edwards planned in the 1940s.  The Town Commission strives to preserve Palm Beach Shores as "the best little town in Florida."

Simply scroll down to the Featured Neighborhoods section on this page to explore the Palm Beach Shores 55+ Community.  You can find active listings, association rules & regulations (including detailed pet restrictions), monthly maintenance dues, and amenities.  Click the "Explore Nearby" box to discover shops, restaurants, nightlife, entertainment, hospitals, and transportation in the surrounding neighborhood.  Happy Browsing!