North Palm Beach, FL: A Local’s Guide

North Palm Beach is a small planned village in northeast Palm Beach County. Five and a quarter square miles, two of them water, a public Jack Nicklaus golf course owned by the village itself, and a quieter side of South Florida that visitors miss because they think they want the louder one.

Where is North Palm Beach, FL?

North Palm Beach is a 5.29 square mile planned village in northern Palm Beach County, Florida, on the western shore of the Lake Worth Lagoon. Incorporated in 1956 as a master-planned community, it sits between Palm Beach Gardens to the west and Singer Island to the east, twenty-five minutes north of Palm Beach International Airport. About 13,000 residents, median age 55.5.

What North Palm Beach is known for

North Palm Beach was master-planned from mangrove swamp in 1956 and won the National Association of Home Builders Best Planned Community award the year it incorporated. The village owns a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course on land that stayed in public hands by design. Lake Worth Lagoon frontage shapes most of the housing stock. A median age over 55 gives the village its quiet, snowbird-anchored character. And the location puts PGA National, Singer Island beaches, and Palm Beach International all inside a 25-minute radius without forcing you to live in any of them.

• A planned community from 1956

  John D. MacArthur bought 2,600 acres of mangrove swamp and farmland in 1954 for $5.5 million and built a village from scratch. Roads, infrastructure, parks, golf course, country club, marinas, all planned together. The village won the National Association of Home Builders’ Best Planned Community award in 1956, the year it incorporated.

• A Jack Nicklaus golf course that anyone can play

  The North Palm Beach Country Club is publicly owned by the Village. The course was redesigned by Jack Nicklaus as a Signature course in 2006, the new clubhouse opened in 2019, and the whole thing remains open to non-residents at public rates. The clubhouse restaurant inside (operator transitioned in 2024) is a popular non-golfer destination too, with long views of the course and the Intracoastal.

• Water on most sides

  The village is 38 percent water by area. The Lake Worth Lagoon runs along the eastern edge, and a network of inner waterways wraps around the country club. Three internal bridges (Parker, Lighthouse Drive, and Earman) cross those waterways inside the village. Singer Island and the Atlantic beaches sit across the lagoon, five to ten minutes east via PGA Boulevard or Blue Heron Boulevard.

• Quieter and older than its neighbors

  Median age is 55.5, with about a third of residents 65 or older. The village skews toward year-round retirees and seasonal snowbirds rather than the young-family demographics that dominate Palm Beach Gardens or Jupiter. Streets are quiet, the pace is slower, and the dinner crowds turn over earlier in the evening.

• Close to everything without being in it

  PGA National (and the Cognizant Classic at the end of February) is ten minutes northwest. The Gardens Mall is twelve minutes. Singer Island’s public beaches are five minutes across the bridge. Palm Beach International Airport is twenty-five minutes south. None of it is in North Palm Beach, but all of it is reachable without the friction of being in it.

One thing worth clearing up before going on: North Palm Beach is not the same as the Town of Palm Beach. The cluster of towns around it on the map:

• North Palm Beach (Village of). The planned waterfront village. Older skew, quieter streets, public Jack Nicklaus golf, easy Intracoastal access.
• Palm Beach Gardens. Larger, more commercial neighbor to the west. PGA National, The Gardens Mall, more young-family residential.
• Lake Park. Smaller working town directly south. Originally part of the same MacArthur land. Less manicured, more affordable, growing arts district.
• Singer Island (Riviera Beach). The barrier island across the bridge. High-rise oceanfront condos, public beaches, and MacArthur Beach State Park at the north end.
• Juno Beach. Small residential beach town just north. Loggerhead Marinelife Center is here, not in NPB.
• Jupiter. Beachy and lighthouse-anchored, fifteen minutes north along US-1. Different town, no city-level short term rental permit. See our Jupiter, FL guide for the full picture.

Why the village stays small

Five and a quarter square miles. About 13,000 residents. No big-box retail inside the village limits, no commercial high-rises, no commercial waterfront. US-1 is the only meaningful retail corridor; the rest of the village is housing, marina, and water. The master plan written in 1956 concentrated commerce on the highway, capped density everywhere else, and the village has held that line for almost seventy years.

The trade-off is that for almost anything not residential (groceries beyond the corner market, a Target, a movie theater, a chain dinner) you cross the bridge into Palm Beach Gardens or drop south to Lake Park. It’s a five to ten minute drive. For most visitors, that’s the right side of the trade.

The Lake Worth Lagoon and the marinas

Almost everything about North Palm Beach is shaped by the lagoon. Property values, restaurant locations, the rhythm of a Saturday morning, the housing stock. The Lake Worth Lagoon runs the full length of the village’s eastern edge, separating it from Singer Island. Inside the village, three smaller bridges (Parker on US-1, Lighthouse Drive, and Earman) cross the inner waterways that wrap around the country club. To get to the Singer Island beaches, you take PGA Boulevard or Blue Heron Boulevard further south.

• Anchorage Park

  The Village’s public water access. Boat ramps, kayak and paddleboard launches, dog park, baseball fields, and the annual Heritage Day festival in early April. The east end opens onto the Earman River and the Intracoastal beyond.

• Old Port Cove and the marinas

  Old Port Cove on the north side of the village is one of the larger marinas on this stretch of the Intracoastal, with deep-water slips that handle yachts that wouldn’t fit further south. North Palm Beach Marina (also at Old Port Cove) sits next door. Lake Park Marina is a short walk south across the village line. Casual marina-side dining is the village’s default Friday-night move.

• The lagoon itself

  The Lake Worth Lagoon is a 21-mile estuary that runs between the mainland and the barrier islands. NPB sits at its northern end. The lagoon is the boating, paddling, and fishing route that connects the village to Singer Island, Peanut Island, and the Atlantic. Standup paddleboarding from Anchorage Park to the bridge and back is a 45-minute paddle on a calm morning.

Things to do

North Palm Beach is more of a base than a destination. Most of what counts as a full day happens just over the bridge on Singer Island, ten minutes north in Juno Beach, or fifteen west at PGA National. That is mostly a feature: short drives, no parking battles, an easy commute back to a quiet house at night.

• Play (or eat at) the North Palm Beach Country Club

  A Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course on land the Village owns. Non-residents can play; tee times book through the club website. The clubhouse restaurant is open to the public regardless of whether you golf, with one of the better long views in the village. The operator changed in the past year, so call ahead to confirm hours and the current menu.

• MacArthur Beach State Park

  Ten minutes east across the bridge on Singer Island. A 1,600-foot wooden boardwalk crosses the Lake Worth Lagoon to a stretch of beach so undeveloped it does not feel like Palm Beach County. Nature center, ranger-led kayak tours through the mangroves, and one of the best loggerhead nesting beaches in South Florida (June through October). Modest entry fee.

• Kayak the Earman River from Anchorage Park

  Free public boat launch, calm protected water for beginners, and a paddle that opens out into the Lake Worth Lagoon. Rentals at nearby outfitters. Best on a weekday morning before the boat traffic picks up.

• Catch the Cognizant Classic at PGA National

  Late February through early March, ten minutes northwest in Palm Beach Gardens. The PGA Tour event formerly known as the Honda Classic. North Palm Beach rentals book solid for the tournament week; this is the single biggest short term rental demand spike of the year in this submarket.

• Walk Singer Island’s beaches

  Cross any of the three bridges and you’re at high-rise oceanfront within a few minutes. Public beach access at Ocean Reef Park (Riviera Beach) and the north end of Singer Island near MacArthur Beach State Park. Calmer in the morning, busier in the afternoon.

• Loggerhead Marinelife Center (Juno Beach)

  Twelve minutes north in Juno Beach. Sea turtle rescue hospital with free admission, suggested donation. Loggerhead runs guided turtle walks Tuesday through Saturday in June and July; reservations open in May and sell out within days.

• John D. MacArthur Beach and Singer Island sandbar

  At low tide, a long sandbar emerges off the north end of Singer Island, just inside the inlet. Locals walk out on it with coolers and chairs. The walk is shallow but tides matter; check the chart before you go.

• Walk Crystal Tree Centre

  Small mixed-use cluster on US-1 with independent shops, salons, and a handful of long-running tenants. The kind of low-rise plaza Palm Beach County keeps losing to redevelopment.

A day trip worth the drive

• Peanut Island

  Twenty minutes south, then a short ferry from Riviera Beach. Snorkeling around the perimeter, JFK’s Cold War bunker preserved on site, picnic pavilions and camping. A half-day trip that earns the drive.

Where to eat

North Palm Beach has two tiers of restaurant. Waterfront-tier places where the view does some of the work, and quieter local spots where the kitchen does all of it. Reservations matter in season (December through April), much less from May through October.

Waterfront

• Frigate's Waterfront Bar and Grill. On the Earman River with a dock for boats. Sushi plus standard American. Live music on weekends. Best at sunset.
• Cod & Capers. Seafood market with a casual dining room. Order what was caught that morning. The pick if the rest of the table is debating.
• SeaHawk Prime by David Burke (Lake Park, just south). Recently opened waterfront steakhouse inside Nautilus 220, technically over the village line in Lake Park. Dress code is real, prices are New York. The view is the lagoon at night.

Local favorite

• Brass Ring Pub. The hole-in-the-wall with the best burger in North Palm Beach. Looks like nothing from the parking lot. Just trust it and order the burger.
• The clubhouse restaurant at NPB Country Club. Inside the clubhouse, open to non-golfers. Long view of the course and the Intracoastal. Operator changed in the past year, so check hours before going.
• Limoncello Ristorante. Italian, family-run, the kind of place that fills with regulars at 6:30. Reasonable wine list.
• La Bamba. Mexican and Spanish, large dining room, easy for groups and kids. Generous portions, fair prices.

When to come

The popular answer is December through April. The locals’ quieter favorite is late April and May, when the snowbird crowds have gone and the water is still warm. The Cognizant Classic at PGA National in late February is the single biggest demand spike of the year for North Palm Beach short term rentals. August and September are the months to avoid.

Is North Palm Beach safe?

Yes. North Palm Beach consistently ranks among the safer municipalities in Palm Beach County, with violent crime well below the state average and property crime in line with comparable affluent coastal towns (see FBI Crime Data Explorer or NeighborhoodScout for current figures). The village runs its own police department. Standard caution applies to anything left visible in a parked car overnight, especially near the marinas.

North Palm Beach, FL FAQ