Delray Beach outgrows small-town charm with focus on the arts
More than 100,000 people head to Delray Beach each April to enjoy the Delray Affair, one of the largest arts and crafts fairs in the southeast United States. For three days, seven blocks are shut down as more than 500 artists and their works fill downtown’s famous Atlantic Avenue. Delray Beach used to be known for its beach-town charm, but now the first thing people think of is “The Ave.” “There are a bunch of clubs and restaurants, and there’s always some festival happening down there,” says Lee Montgomery, a Keller Williams Realty Realtor and Delray Beach local. “When we first moved here, it was an unknown city. It’s grown a lot. Now, you’ll see new businesses opening and buildings going up.” Downtown may have experienced the biggest transition, but the city itself still boasts an oceanfront unobscured by high rises and longstanding neighborhoods surrounded by swaying palms and mature live oaks.
Atlantic Ave in Downtown Delray offers local eateries and stores near West Delray.
Visitors browse through diverse vendor booths at the Delray Beach Memorial Day Craft Festival.
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Nightlife on Atlantic Avenue
“The Ave,” as locals call it, is the city’s home for shopping and dining. Buzzing with activity, especially once the Snowbirds arrive, Atlantic Avenue is where locals go for high-end boutiques and restaurants like Cut432, a modern steakhouse that has become a local favorite since opening 13 years ago. The dinner spot was started by the same local group that owns El Camino, a wildly popular modern Mexican restaurant with killer cocktails and authentic recipes, earning a place on OpenTable’s Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in America.
While the bars don’t stay open until 4 a.m. like those in Miami, there’s plenty of fun to have before the streets roll up at 2 a.m., from throwing axes surrounded by pink flamingos at THRoW Social to popping champagne bottles in Honey’s V.I.P. lounge.
This area is also home to the iconic Colony Hotel, a historic 1920s Spanish Revival known for its mustard yellow stucco exterior and terracotta barrel roof tiles.
Delray Beach residents can enjoy the night life on Atlantic Avenue.
Downtown is a short walk from Delray Municipal Beach
Atlantic Avenue connects downtown Delray Beach to the city’s municipal beach, which spans 2 miles and attracts more than 3 million visitors annually. As with many of South Florida’s coastal communities, the oceanfront is on the east side of a barrier island. Its sandy shores are a jumping point for seaside fun, from sand volleyball and kite flying to snorkeling, surfing and sailing.
Towering palm trees and tropical undergrowth separate the beach from parking along State Road A1A, also known as Ocean Boulevard, a famous thoroughfare on the island. “What’s nice about Delray, as opposed to other cities, is that you can walk from the beach to all the restaurants downtown,” says longtime resident Lenny Felberbaum, a fourth-generation Realtor and License Partner of Engel & Völkers. “You could stay at a hotel by the beach for two weeks and never eat at the same place twice.”
The Intracoastal Waterway runs north and south between South Florida’s mainland and coast. Marinas, yacht clubs and private docks dot its shores. To get out on the blue water, boaters travel about 10 miles down the waterway and pass through the Boca Raton Inlet.
Country Clubs are another popular recreational avenue in Delray Beach, home to eight luxury golf and country club communities. The Seagate Country Club features a recently renovated 18-hole championship golf course and various athletic amenities, such as clay tennis courts. Members can also use the Seagate Beach Club – which doubles as an opulent hotel – to enjoy seaside dining, private beach access, full service on the sand and more.
Delray Beach has 56 parks in total. Many are neighborhood pocket parks, and some are multi-acre escapes into nature, such as Lake Ida’s east and west parks. The green spaces wrap around the titular Lake Ida, with picnic areas, quiet fishing spots, paved walkways, boat ramps and little beaches.
Delray Beach residents enjoying the St Patricks Day festivities along Atlantic Avenue.
Welcome to Delray Beach where coastal charm meets vibrant living.
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Lake Ida and Delray Beach’s increasing prices
As of late 2024, the city’s median listing home price was about $300,000, a figure that includes single-family homes, condos and townhouses. According to Felberbaum, new construction and developments continue increasing prices. “There’s a big push to tear down the older homes built in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” he says, “And people are coming in and building bigger houses.” This trend is evident in the historic Lake Ida neighborhood on the city’s north side, where spacious leafy lots feature midcentury bungalows and newly built modern mansions alike.
Lake Ida is one of the city’s most expensive communities, and the median list price is $2.1 million. The artsy Pineapple Grove’s median list price is about $880,000. Felberbaum says options for starter homes east of Interstate 95 are dwindling, but there are a couple of pockets left, such as Tropic Palms. The lake- and canal-bound neighborhood is set between I-95 and U.S. Route 1, with midcentury ranch-style homes and a median listing price of $400,000. More affordable options can be found west of I-95, excluding the master-planned country club communities with multimillion-dollar houses.
Delray Beach enjoys a tropical climate year-round, and with that consistent balmy weather comes an acute awareness of hurricane season, from June 1st to November 30th. Homebuyers should learn about the community’s flood zones, although Felberbaum advises investing in flood insurance regardless of zoning.
Two story oversized home in the heart of Delray Beach.
Walk out your back door and onto your boat in the Tropic Isle neighborhood in Delray Beach, FL.
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The Pineapple Grove Arts District and Old School Square
One of the more popular areas of Delray is the Pineapple Grove Arts District, a stretch of downtown with sprawling murals, impressive statues and a series of art galleries, eateries, salons and studios. This area is home to Old School Square, an arts-focused community campus with grassy open space wrapped around three historic school buildings saved from demolition by Delray Beach residents in the late 1980s. The buildings have since been repurposed as the Cornell Art Museum, which features contemporary works by Floridian artists; Vintage Gym, a popular venue for weddings and other private events; and the Creative Arts School, a cornerstone of Delray Beach’s creative scene.
The school shares a building with an elegant, intimate venue, Crest Theatre. With both of them closed for remodeling, locals have turned to Arts Garage, a nonprofit performing and visual arts center. The center promotes local visual artists as well by displaying their artwork through rotating exhibits shown in the Marshall Family Foundation and Black Box galleries.
The city hosts numerous annual events, including Art & Jazz on the Avenue, the Halloween Parade, Kidsfest and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival. Between Atlantic Avenue and Old School Square, something is always happening, Felberbaum says. “Wednesday nights, we have a drum circle. You bring your drums, congas, bongos, djembes… and people dance. It’s like something out of Woodstock, but family-friendly.”
The Green Market is another weekly Old School Square event, bringing in more than 50 vendors selling locally cultivated goods and handmade products. Old School Square is also a holiday destination thanks to the annual lighting of a 100-foot Christmas tree. “They set up a whole little village in the square,” Felberbaum says. “The city has done a great job of bringing people and families in. They come to see the tree lighting from all over.”
Pineapple Grove in Delray Beach offers residents a wide range of restaurants and bars.
Dive into Downtown Delray Cornell Art Museum, where contemporary art thrives.
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The School District of Palm Beach County and Boca Raton's business sector
Delray Beach is served by the School District of Palm Beach County, which is graded a B-plus on Niche. Standout public schools include Atlantic High School, graded B-plus, offering choice academies and in-house programs, such as the architectural drafting and design program. American Heritage Schools’s Palm Beach Campus, graded A-plus, is a popular choice for private education. It holds the No. 1 spot on Niche’s list of the county’s best private high schools and No. 5 on the list of Florida’s best private high schools.
While the arts flourished in Delray Beach, the city’s southern neighbor, Boca Raton, was growing its job market. Since the 1990s, Boca Raton changed from a small seaside town where the wealthy winter to a coastal principal city with a burgeoning business sector. “You know how people say Dallas-Fort Worth? Well, we’re growing into being known as Boca Raton-Delray,” Montgomery says. Major companies like Office Depot, Tyco Integrated Security and ADT Security Services have established headquarters in Boca Raton. Montgomery says Delray Beach prices are catching up to Boca’s. However, Delray is still a more affordable option for those working in Boca Raton. Most Delray Beach workers are employed by private companies. The city’s leading industries include education, healthcare, finance, arts and entertainment. Many commute to work. The top employers in Delray Beach proper are Wells Fargo, AT&T and Walmart.
Pine Grove Elementary staff is committed to the students of Delray Beach..
Front entrance of Boca Raton Community Middle School.
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Interstate 95 to Miami or Fort Lauderdale
Interstate 95 runs through the middle of the city, going as far north as the Canadian border and as far south as Miami, roughly 50 miles south. Other major cities along I-95 include Fort Lauderdale, 30 miles south, and West Palm Beach, which has the closest international airport, about 20 miles north. Atlantic Avenue is the city’s main east-west thoroughfare, running from the ocean to the Everglades. County-managed PalmTrans bus stops are throughout the city, and downtown offers a free shuttle service through the Freebee app.
Crime
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, reported violent crimes in Palm Beach County dropped slightly in 2021, while reported property crimes decreased by about 22%. According to the Delray Beach Police Department, the city's overall crime rate decreased by almost 20% during the same year. The police department received $1 million in funding to support the License Plate Reader Program, part of the department’s Real Time Crime Center.
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Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
