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Homebuyers, such as Denise and Will Weathersby, are heading to Palm Beach Gardens — and loving their decision.
Melissa Sweredoski
Wall Street South execs are moving north — but only a few miles.
And they’re not alone, as many house hunters on this end of Florida look to the under-the-radar Palm Beach Gardens — just 12 miles north of Palm Beach, which offers more space and less of a hustle.
As The Post reported in 2023, Wall Street entities like Goldman Sachs have set up shop in new shiny towers in West Palm Beach, and luxury shopping and dining areas are now carved into the coastal Florida city.
But the bustling corporate occupation of West Palm Beach and the billionaire boom in neighboring Palm Beach is making some there seek sanctuary, and lower prices, in this lesser-mentioned neighbor, Palm Beach Gardens — swapping the Palm Beaches’ swinging social scene for the country club lifestyle.
“We put in a tremendous amount of due diligence into finding this place,” Will Weathersby told The Post of his new home in Palm Beach Gardens, purchased last June for $4.35 million. He and his wife Denise had eyed a move from Florida’s Gulf Coast, and began looking around the Palm Beach area before settling on a newly renovated four-bedroom in the Old Marsh Golf Club. “We looked around, but ruled out Palm Beach entirely. It’s more crowded; it’s beautiful, but it wasn’t what we were looking for.”
Too touristy? “Yes,” he said. “Here we have the upside of a small community, but with everything you need nearby.”
“It’s fun zipping into Palm Beach whenever we want to,” added Denise.
Most people know Palm Beach Gardens as America’s golfing capital. In fact, the Professional Golfers’ Association of America is headquartered there and PGA Boulevard, the main drag, is Palm Beach Gardens’ dining and shopping hub, with around 100 restaurants and more than 2 million square feet of stores. It’s a sporty town in general, though, and famous for being home to Olympian tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams. It’s outdoorsy, even for non-Olympians.
“What’s wonderful about Palm Beach Gardens is that we have designated 50% green space into our city ordinance,” Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Chelsea Reed told The Post. “We have 10 miles of public access hiking space, and we’re bringing back native Floridian plants and trees there. We’re planting milkweed, and building butterfly and pollinator habitat. Our residents love that they have butterflies and hummingbirds back in their backyards.”
“Right now, we are looking over our backyard onto a wetlands preserve,” added Will Weathersby.
“What’s nice is that Palm Beach Gardens is already built out,” said Janet Lano, who recently returned to the city after buying a condo at Old Palm Golf Club. Lano originally moved to a four-bedroom house in Old Palm in 2016, and then sold it in 2022. She left to live in Jupiter and is now heading back to Old Palm Golf Club since she loved the area so much. She plans to move into her new residence in April. “Other areas you can buy a mansion and then next door they’re tearing something down. There’s always construction.”
It’s not like living in Palm Beach Gardens is living under a rock, more of a nook. Two highways provide easy access to West Palm and Palm Beach — it’s a 20-minute commute — and, as with every city everywhere, construction is happening in Palm Beach Gardens.
Development here kicked off in the 1960s after insurance magnate John D. MacArthur bought a vast tract of land devastated by cattle ranches. MacArthur dubbed his investment Palm Beach Gardens and quickly incorporated the land as a city in 1959 with a population of 1.
“We’re looking at smart development, like redevelopment of empty strip malls,” said the mayor. “We are addressing workforce housing, which is essential for the community to…
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