West Palm Beach is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 82,103. It is the county seat of Palm Beach County. The city was founded in 1894, as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth. During the 1920s, the city boomed and was a rival to Miami, leaving it with many historic structures and neighborhoods. The city quickly declined thereafter, however, due to hurricanes, the Great Depression and rampant suburbanization. In the past 10 years, however, the city had undergone a tremendous renaissance as newcomers have rediscovered the city's historic areas and a resurgent downtown entertainment and shopping district. Due to Florida's stringent annexation laws, the city's boundaries remain roughly at their 1920s position, giving the city a population much smaller than the large metropolitan area of nearly 1.2 million people that surrounds it. In 2000, the city was the focal point of a controversy regarding voting irregularities that some claim may have affected the outcome of the 2000 Presidential Election. The opportunity to enjoy Florida's environment without the negatives (crowds, pollution) abounds in West Palm Beach. It's nursing offerings are broad and from many schools, leaving nurses the option to study in an excellent area. Click here to read more about nursing schools, fields in nursing, and living in West Palm Beach.