The History of Loxahatchee Groves, Florida
Settled around 1917, incorporated in 2006. The story of a canal-built farming community that waited almost a century to become a town, then did it to stay rural.
Call (954) 290-5177 →Loxahatchee Groves began as a farming settlement around 1917, after the West Palm Beach Canal opened western Palm Beach County to agriculture. The name is commonly traced to Seminole and Muscogee words meaning "river of turtles." The community stayed unincorporated for nearly ninety years, then became a town on November 1, 2006, a decision residents made to gain local control and protect the rural character that earned it the motto "Florida's Last Frontier."
Canals First, Then a Community
The story of Loxahatchee Groves is the story of water management. In the early 1900s, the Southern States Land and Timber Company purchased a large tract of western Palm Beach County land that was, at the time, mostly wet and unworkable. The completion of the West Palm Beach Canal around 1917 changed that. Drained land could be farmed, and early planners saw an opportunity for an agricultural community connected by roads and canals.
George Frederick Bensel and engineer Torvald Garfield Thorgesen helped map and develop what became Loxahatchee Groves. The Palm Beach Loxahatchee Company later bought thousands of acres and laid out the roads and canals that still define the town's grid today. The community that grew here was built on groves, nurseries, and farms, not subdivisions.
What the Name Means
"Loxahatchee" is commonly traced to Seminole and Muscogee words meaning "river of turtles." The "Groves" half of the name reflects the agricultural identity the founders intended, and that identity never fully left. A century later the town is still known for nurseries, equestrian properties, and working land.
Key Dates
- Early 1900s, Southern States Land and Timber Company purchases the tract that includes today's town
- Around 1917, the West Palm Beach Canal is completed and settlement begins
- 1920s onward, the Palm Beach Loxahatchee Company develops roads and canals for farm parcels
- 1967, Lion Country Safari opens just west of the town area and becomes one of Palm Beach County's best known attractions
- November 1, 2006, Loxahatchee Groves incorporates as a town
- 2024, Hurricane Milton brings severe weather to the western communities, including tornado damage
Why Incorporation Came So Late
Most Palm Beach County cities incorporated decades before Loxahatchee Groves did, even though the Groves had been settled longer than many of them. The 2006 incorporation was defensive. As Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, and newer developments pressed in from every side, residents wanted local control over zoning and land use so the town could stay rural by choice rather than urbanize by default. That decision is why large lots, rural roads, and horse properties still exist minutes from major shopping corridors.
Landmarks and Nearby Places
- Loxahatchee Groves Park
- Lion Country Safari, open since 1967
- The town's historic canal and road grid, dating to the original agricultural plan
- Grassy Waters Preserve in nearby West Palm Beach
- Wellington's equestrian venues just to the south
Jeff David, Leak and Subsurface Locators
The same history that makes Loxahatchee Groves special shows up in my work. This community was literally built on drainage, canals, and moving water, and on acreage lots that soil movement and drainage still matter today. Decks settle, skimmers shift, and underground plumbing on a large parcel has a lot more distance to cover than in a subdivision.
When I inspect a pool out here, I document the whole setting, the shell, the skimmer, the lines, the equipment pad, and the ground conditions around them. On rural property, the land is part of the diagnosis.
Pool Losing Water in Loxahatchee Groves?
Leak and Subsurface Locators serves Loxahatchee Groves and all of Palm Beach County. Licensed CPC1457277. Most estimates by phone. Price given upfront.
(954) 290-5177 (561) 325-2678