Palm Beach is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, occupying a narrow barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, directly east of West Palm Beach. With a population of roughly 9,500, it is a small, low-density community whose national profile far exceeds its size, built on more than a century as a winter resort destination. The town's identity was forged in the Gilded Age. Henry Flagler, the railroad and oil magnate, transformed the island in the 1890s, opening the Royal Poinciana Hotel in 1894 and The Breakers in 1896, and later building Whitehall, his private estate, which now operates as the Flagler Museum. That era set the architectural and social tone that still defines Palm Beach, from its Mediterranean Revival buildings to its carefully landscaped streets. Today the town balances residential exclusivity with a functioning resort economy. Worth Avenue, running from the ocean toward the Intracoastal, is among the country's best-known shopping streets, lined with boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. The beaches — including Phipps Ocean Park, R.G. Kreusler Park, and the Town of Palm Beach Municipal Beach — anchor recreation along the Atlantic, while the Intracoastal side supports boating, fishing, and the waterside Lake Trail. Schools fall under the School District of Palm Beach County, which serves the entire county and ranks among the ten largest districts in the United States, with roughly 235 schools and about 190,000 students. A short bridge crossing connects residents to West Palm Beach, with its downtown, airport, and cultural and transit options, giving the island both seclusion and convenience. Palm Beach suits those drawn to an oceanfront, historically layered setting with a quiet, resort-town pace, where the water is always close and the amenities of a major coastal county lie just across the bridge.