Belle Glade, Florida

Belle Glade, Florida
Belle Glade, Florida
City
	City of Belle Glade
	Main Street in Belle Glade
	Seal
	Nickname: Muck City
	Motto: Her Soil is Her Fortune
	Location of Belle Glade, Florida
	Coordinates: 26°41′7″N 80°40′17″W / 26.68528°N 80.67139°W
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Palm Beach
Settled (Hillsboro Settlement)	c. 1912–April 8, 1928
Incorporated (Town of Belle Glade)	April 9, 1928
Incorporated (City of Belle Glade)	September 11, 1945
Government
• Type	Commissioner-Manager
• Mayor	Steve B. Wilson
• Vice Mayor	Joaquin Almazan
• Commissioners	Mary Ross Wilkerson,; Andrew L. Berry, and; City Treasurer Zayteck D. Marin
• City Manager	Diana Hughes
• City Clerk	Jessica Figueroa
Area
• Total	7.03 sq mi (18.21 km2)
• Land	6.97 sq mi (18.06 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.15 km2)
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	16,698
• Density	2,395.01/sq mi (924.66/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	33430
Area code(s)	561, 728
FIPS code	12-05200
GNIS feature ID	0278445
Website	http://www.bellegladegov.com/

Belle Glade is a city in south-central Florida and it is the far western part of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 16,698, down from 17,467 in the 2010 census.

Belle Glade (and the surrounding area) is sometimes referred to as "Muck City" due to the large quantity of muck, in which sugarcane grows, found in the area.^[1] Despite being located in the South Florida region of the state, Belle Glade is culturally more associated with the Florida Heartland.

For a time during the early to mid 1980s, the city had the highest rate of AIDS infection per capita (37 cases in a population of roughly 19,000) in the United States.^[12] According to the FBI, in 2003, the city had the second highest violent crime rate in the country at 298 per 10,000 residents.^{[citation needed]} In 2010, the Palm Beach County sheriff's office estimated that half of the young men in Belle Glade between the ages of 18 and 25 had felony convictions.^[13]

^ ^a ^b Adelson, Eric. "The Chase". ESPN The Magazine. ESPN. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
^ Cite error: The named reference MC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c "Viva Florida 500 - History Happened Here: Belle Glade". Retrieved March 12, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Palm Beach County Historical Society: Belle Glade". www.pbchistoryonline.org. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "This week in history: Belle Glade incorporated". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Belle Glade, Florida, USA". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "The Chamber - Belle Glade Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Information Center: Our History". www.bellegladechamber.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "City of Belle Glade: About Us". www.bellegladegov.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Belle Glade, Florida
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ AEGiS-Miami Herald: PLAGUE BAFFLES TOWN Belle Glades AIDS rate tops in U.S Archived 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine
^ Ovaska, Mark (February 2, 2012). "Muck City. Way Out". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2018.

[MuckCity-1] Adelson, Eric. "The Chase". ESPN The Magazine. ESPN. Retrieved May 23, 2011.

[MC-2] Cite error: The named reference MC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[BGViva-3] "Viva Florida 500 - History Happened Here: Belle Glade". Retrieved March 12, 2019.

[BGHist-4] "Palm Beach County Historical Society: Belle Glade". www.pbchistoryonline.org. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.

[BGHistPBP-5] "This week in history: Belle Glade incorporated". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved March 12, 2019.

[EncBritBG-6] "Belle Glade, Florida, USA". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 12, 2019.

[BGCOurHistory-7] "The Chamber - Belle Glade Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Information Center: Our History". www.bellegladechamber.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.

[BGGov-8] "City of Belle Glade: About Us". www.bellegladegov.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2019.

[CenPopGazetteer2020-9] "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.

[gnis-10] U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Belle Glade, Florida

[GR2-11] "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.

[12] AEGiS-Miami Herald: PLAGUE BAFFLES TOWN Belle Glades AIDS rate tops in U.S Archived 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine

[ovaska-13] Ovaska, Mark (February 2, 2012). "Muck City. Way Out". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2018.

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