Wellington is a village in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of 2006, the village had a population of 55,584 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wellington is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a July 2006 estimated population of 5,463,857.

History
Wellington was originally the world’s largest strawberry patch, the Flying Cow Ranch. C. Oliver Wellington bought 18,000 acres (73 km²) of swampland in the 1950s in central Palm Beach County that eventually would be called the Village of Wellington. Wellington began as a planned unit development approved by Palm Beach County in 1972. For many years it functioned as a bedroom community with few shopping centers or restaurants until it was incorporated in December 1995. Wellington holds the largest horse show in the world from the last week in January to the middle of March.

Geography
Wellington is located at 26°39′18″N, 80°15′15″W (26.655135, -80.254136). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 31.4 mi² (81.2 km²), of which 31.0 mi² (80.4 km²) is land and 0.3 mi² (0.8 km²) of it is water (0.99%).

Demographics
As of the census of 2007, there were 54,791 people, and as of 2000 38, 912 people, 12,938 households, and 10,686 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,230.7/mi² (475.2/km²). There were 14,761 housing units at an average density of 475.4/mi² (183.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 88.75% White (79.7% were Non-Hispanic White,) 5.38% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, and 1.84% from other races. 11.50% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,938 households out of which 69.7% were married couples, 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.4% were non-families. 13.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the village the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $87,000 and the median income for a family was $84,078. Males had a median income of $97,000 versus $91,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $40,726. About 2.9% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, 83.52% of residents spoke English as a first language, while 12.18% spoke Spanish, French accounted for 0.98%, French Creole comprised of 0.79%, Italian made up 0.61%, and Vietnamese was the mother tongue of 0.47% of the population.

As of 2000, Wellington had the eighty-fifth highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, with 3.27% of the village’s population.

Culture
Wellington is world-famous for equestrian and polo events, and the Village of Wellington has a large, recently renovated public library, a recreation center, a number of public parks and ball fields, and hosts seasonal events such as the annual Top Gun model aircraft show and holiday parades. There are a number of entertainment and cultural venues – such as the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and the Norton Museum of Art – in nearby West Palm Beach.

Schools
A large number of recent Wellington residents are families with young children. All of the elementary schools and middle schools within its boundaries are currently A-rated by the Florida Department of Education. There are two high schools in Wellington – Wellington Community High School, which is A-rated, and Palm Beach Central High School, which is also B-rated. The Palm Beach County school system allows students to attend magnet schools outside of the village if they so wish, though students are nominally assigned to schools in their own area.

Elementary schools
New Horizons Elementary School
Wellington Elementary School
Binks Forest Elementary School
Elbridge Gail Elementary School
Panther Run Elementary School
Equestrian Trails Elementary School

Middle schools
Emerald Cove Middle School
Wellington Landings Middle School
Polo Park Middle School

High schools
Wellington High School
Palm Beach Central High School

Private schools
Wellington Christian School
Dillion Country Day School

Colleges
Palm Beach Community College has proposed a Wellington campus. The Wellington town council voted affirmatively on 13 August 2008 to enter negotiations with the college. Plans are to complete the new campus in 2010.

Notable Wellington Residents
Vanilla Ice, rapper
Tommy Lee Jones, actor
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, baseball player (Texas Rangers)
Jessie Hester, former NFL wide receiver, uncle of Devin Hester
Bruce Springsteen, musician
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, has a home in Palm Beach Polo
Stephanie Seymour, former model
Joan Lunden, broadcaster
Glenn Close, actress
Dave O’Brien, sports broadcaster
Angel Hernandez, umpire
Sammy Sosa, baseball player
Wendy Whoppers, big bust model and pornstar.
Fred Taylor, running back, Jacksonville Jaguars

Above information was gathered from the Wikipedia free online encyclopedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)