Ocean Ridge, Florida

Ocean Ridge, Florida
Town
Town of Ocean Ridge
Location of Ocean Ridge, Florida
Coordinates: 26°31′30″N 80°3′2″W / 26.52500°N 80.05056°W / 26.52500; -80.05056
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Palm Beach
Settled (Boynton Settlement)	c. 1877-1897[1]
Incorporated (Town of Boynton Beach)	1931[1][2]
Incorporated (Town of Ocean Ridge)	1939[1]
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Geoff Pugh (R)
• Vice Mayor	Steve Coz
• Commissioners	Carolyn Cassidy, David Hutchins, and Ainar Aijala Jr.
• Town Manager	Lynne Ladner
• Town Clerk	Kelly Avery
Area [3]
• Total	1.75 sq mi (4.54 km2)
• Land	0.76 sq mi (1.97 km2)
• Water	0.99 sq mi (2.57 km2)
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,830
• Density	2,404.73/sq mi (928.76/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	33435
Area code(s)	561, 728
FIPS code	12-50950[4]
GNIS feature ID	0288040[5]
Website	www.oceanridgeflorida.com

Ocean Ridge is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The town is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 1,830 at the 2020 US census.

The approximate coordinates for the Town of Ocean Ridge is located in South Florida at 26°31′30″N 80°03′02″W / 26.525113°N 80.050443°W / 26.525113; -80.050443.^[6]

Ocean Ridge is a small coastal community along Florida State Road A1A. It lies 1.6 miles north of Briny Breezes, 1.3 miles east of Boynton Beach and 4.3 miles south of South Palm Beach. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), of which 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) (57.00%) is water.

The Town of Ocean Ridge has a tropical climate, similar to the climate found in much of the Caribbean. It is part of the only region in the 48 contiguous states that falls under that category. More specifically, it generally has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification: Aw), bordering a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification: Am).^[7]

The Town of Ocean Ridge was founded in 1931 as the Town of Boynton Beach, which was originally part of the Town of Boynton. Major Nathan S. Boynton toured the area in 1894, and established the Boynton Beach Hotel in 1897. The Town of Boynton was incorporated in 1920. In 1925 Addison Mizner drew plans for a 2,000 room hotel in Boynton. The hotel, said to cost between $8,000,000 and $10,000,000 was touted as "one of the largest and most magnificent hotel in south Florida." Some local disagreements and the 1926 and 1928 hurricanes along with the bush following the boom squashed the dream. Mizners property, "Mizner Mile" was sold to Col. Robert R. McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune in 1930 who turned the property into his private estate. It was the largest transaction in Palm Beach County real estate history.^[1]

In 1931, due to disputes over beach area property taxes and the Town of Boynton's rising debt load, twelve homes created the "Town of Boynton Beach". But in 1937, the Town Commission called a special emergency meeting over changing Boynton Beach's name, because mail was being missent to Daytona Beach due to the similarities in name. Marion White Bird, the daughter of then Mayor Michael White, suggested the name "Ocean Ridge" and won a contest for choosing a new name. The name was officially changed to "Ocean Ridge" in 1939. Two years later, the Town of Boynton itself changed its name, to "Boynton Beach".^[1]

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,830 people, 858 households, and 456 families residing in the town.^[11]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,786 people, 960 households, and 450 families residing in the town.^[12]

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 1,636 people, 875 households, and 494 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,909.6 inhabitants per square mile (737.3/km²). There were 1,449 housing units at an average density of 1,691.3 per square mile (653.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.35% White (95.7% were Non-Hispanic White),^[13] 0.12% African American, 0.55% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.93% of the population.

In 2000, there were 875 households, out of which 11.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.87 and the average family size was 2.41.

In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 10.3% under the age of 18, 1.8% from 18 to 24, 18.5% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 35.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $70,625, and the median income for a family was $99,184. Males had a median income of $91,198 versus $31,607 for females. The per capita income for the town was $76,088. About 2.6% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 91.09% of all residents, while French consisted of 3.45%, Spanish was at 3.10%, German at 1.38%, Persian was at 1.50%, and Italian made up 0.96% of the population.^[14]

As of 2000, Ocean Ridge had the nineteenth highest percentage of Canadian residents in the US, with 1.70% of the population (tied with twenty-nine other US areas, including Palm Beach Shores).^[15]

• Town of Ocean Ridge