Royal Palm Beach

La Mancha is where cozy suburbia comes wrapped in a tropical South Florida setting, complete with plenty of palm trees. This is a section of Royal Palm Beach that attracts residents with its lawn sizes, well-rated schools and well-kept homes, all with the allure of no homeowners associations. It’s a quiet, sidewalk-lined neighborhood that’s still close to an assortment of commercial amenities. “It’s such a great family community,” says Carol Arya, a local Realtor with KW Reserve Palm Beach. Though some homes here were built in the early 2000s, most date back to the 1980s. Single-story options fill the neighborhood, with mostly Craftsman or contemporary houses sitting on quarter-acre lawns dotted with palm trees. Houses here typically run from $400,000 to $700,000. The quaint setting and lack of an HOA make these hot properties when they reach the market. La Mancha is covered by The School District of Palm Beach County, a system with a B-plus overall grade on Niche. Kids in the neighborhood can start at the A-minus-rated H. L. Johnson Elementary, which includes a dedicated STEAM academy with year-long projects at each grade level. Students can then carry that to the STEM Pre-Engineering Academy at Crestwood Middle, a B-rated campus. Royal Palm Beach Community High, which also has a B grade, offers college and career academies in everything from STEM to marketing and entrepreneurship. Arya, who has more than 20 years of real estate experience, says the central location is another reason people like this area. The neighborhood is close to Florida’s Turnpike and Interstate 95, making for easy access to cities like Boynton Beach 25 miles away. Okeechobee, North Jog Road and Belvedere Road connect locals to Palm Beach International Airport without having to hop on the highway. And commuters here can take advantage of the multiple Palm Tran bus stops along Okeechobee, too. La Mancha’s tranquil atmosphere leaves room for green space. A couple of parks in the neighborhood are within walking distance. Earth Day Park is a place to relax under the shade of broad oak trees while enjoying views of one of the village’s canals. Todd A. Robiner Park, down the street, is more than twice the size at 5 acres and comes complete with a dog park and a canal-side fishing pier. Golfers can enjoy the Village Golf Club, too, an 18-hole public course that spills over into the neighborhood. Okeechobee Boulevard runs along the southern edge of La Mancha, an artery that’s not just convenient for transportation but also for dining. Brass Ring Pub Sports Bar & Grille is particularly close, and popular for its burgers and wings. Peppermint Thai & Sushi, a bit farther down, is renowned for its Panang curry. Royal Palm Beach Boulevard, one of Okeechobee’s cross streets, is home to The Crossroads shopping plaza, complete with a Publix supermarket and a Walgreens. Infusion: A Rollin' Creamery, is in The Crossroads, too, specializing in sweet treats like boba and rolled ice cream. The Village of Royal Palm Beach hosts multiple community events over the course of the year, but the Royal Palm Beach Green Market and Bazaar and the Fourth of July Celebration are two of the biggest, says Ryan Jennings, a local Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Wellington who has some two decades of realty experience. The Green Market takes place at Village Hall, which is located less than 2 miles from La Mancha and has vendors with products ranging from seafood to baked goods. The Fourth of July fest happens at Commons Park, a spot that’s also just a couple miles outside La Mancha and features a petting zoo, a cornhole tournament, live music and, of course, fireworks.

Within walking distance to a variety of big-name shopping and local eateries, the Counterpoint Estates community is bursting with diverse flavors and lush scenery. While these conveniences are close by, the headliner is undoubtedly the area’s beautiful parks – including Calypso Bay Water Park – which provide residents of this Royal Palm Beach suburb with countless ways to have a good time. For fun indoors, Counterpoint Estates residents can catch the latest flicks at Regal Royal Palm Beach or go to Connolly's Sports Bar & Grill for pool and drinks with a side of live rock music. And checking off daily shopping lists is easy with the Cobblestone Village, Commons at Royal Palm, and Village Shoppes shopping centers within the neighborhood. For a bite, patrons can smell the cupcake goodness wafting out the front door before even entering Smallcakes. Three childhood friends with a shared love of Florida's beach lifestyle, tacos and tequila came together to open PapiChulo Tacos. Morgan's is a snug neighborhood spot serving hearty American breakfasts and lunches with a Southern twist. At Thai Basil by Amy, the lemongrass comes straight from the chef's garden, and El Palacio del Mofongo highlights the culture of the Dominican Republic. For groceries and essentials, there are plenty of big names in the area like Target, Walmart and Costco. Paved trails weave in and out of Counterpoint Estate’s subdivisions, connecting residential sidewalks to both commercial plazas and green space. Quaint and colorful 700- to 2,000-square-foot Mediterranean-inspired ranch homes surrounded by green flora and shrubbery typically range between $350,000 and $550,000. There are mostly smaller wood frame homes toward the front of the community, and then the properties get larger and pricier further into the back of the community. On the west side of Counterpoint Estates is the popular and spacious Commons Park. Kayakers enjoy the 19-acre lake, while kids play on the splash pads and playground. Athletes and dog parents take advantage of the green space, where an outdoor arena is always hosting different bands. The clubhouse center on-site offers a banquet room, sports shops and a restaurant. There are also a few smaller parks on the water, including Lakeside Challenger Park – which memorializes the astronauts who died in the Challenger space shuttle – and Penzance Park – a smaller lot with a play area and a fishing dock. Seminole Palms Park stretches more than 70 acres, where teams play on the lighted athletic fields. The hot spot, though, is Calypso Bay Water Park, open from March through September. There, families can lounge on the lazy river, glide down the water slides and splash around the water playground. Students living in Counterpoint Estates can begin with a 14-1 student-teacher ratio at Cypress Trails Elementary, which Niche grades a B-plus. They can then progress to a 15-1 student-teacher ratio at Crestwood Community Middle, which receives a B. Royal Palm Beach Community High serves the area’s older learners. Niche grades this school a B and ranks it in the top half of the best college prep high schools in Florida. Locals can take U.S. Route 98 east for 12 miles and land in downtown West Palm Beach. Or, they can take Florida’s Turnpike 70 miles south to arrive in the heart of Miami. There are several PalmTran bus stops dispersed along Florida State Road 7, which lines the east side of Counterpoint Estates.

In the heart of Royal Palm Beach is Village Walk, a neighborhood sought after for its luxury 55-plus communities, quaint single-family subdivisions and easy access to one of the city’s most popular parks. The community fans out around Commons Park, a recreational behemoth with amenities for casual fans of the outdoors and nature lovers. It covers nearly one-third of the neighborhood and is regularly used for city-sponsored events, making it a prominent feature of the community. The neighborhood is also near several major highways, making shopping, dining out and communicating convenient. According to Andrew Burr, an associate broker at The Keyes Company, the market here is starting to level out after a slow couple of months. "Six or eight months ago, there might have been one or two properties for sale in the neighborhood, but today there's eight, so we are definitely adding inventory," Burr says. "It's a fairly balanced market, but it's been the victim of HOA prices and insurance," he adds. There are several 55-plus communities, such as Village Walk, Strathmore Gate and Greenway Village, all of which have HOAs and resort-style amenities like clubhouses with pools and sun decks. Most homes in Village Walk and Strathmore Gate are attached custom builds with back terraces, some overlooking the canal. They tend to have between one- and three-bedrooms and sell for between $165,000 and $370,000. Greenway Village is a condo community with one- and two-bedroom units, some overlooking lakes or the canal. One-bedrooms start around $135,000, while two-bedroom units can go for more than $225,000. There are other non-age restricted condo and townhome communities, too, with two- to three-bedroom units selling for between $200,000 and $375,000. Single-family homes come in a handful of styles, the most popular being contemporary and Mediterranean-inspired ranches painted in neutral or pastel colors like sand and seafoam green. Most have three or four bedrooms and sit on mid-sized manicured lots. They sell for between $460,000 and $675,000. Village Walk is served by The School District of Palm Beach County, which includes Cypress Trails Elementary School, graded a B-plus on Niche; Crestwood Middle School, graded a B; and Royal Palm Beach Community High School, graded a B. Royal Palm Beach Community High offers over 40 clubs and activities for students to participate in, including seven nationally recognized honor societies. The neighborhood is also near several highly rated private schools, including Western Academy Charter School, which serves Kindergarten through 8th grade students. There are a handful of local eateries in the neighborhood, including Hot Pie, a pizza joint known for its New York-style pies, its wide beer selection and its laid-back sports bar atmosphere. Peppermint is another neighborhood favorite, offering authentic Thai cuisine and fresh sushi. And residents rave about Brass Ring Pub, home of the best burgers in Palm Beach County, according to the Palm Beach Post. NFL signs and fish statues are mounted side-by-side on wood-paneled walls in this low-key sports bar and grille. Shopping options sit just outside the neighborhood, including a standalone Target about 3 miles away and a Publix and Dollar Tree in The Crossroads shopping center, about 1 mile away. And for more options, The Mall at Wellington Green, about 6 miles away, is home to more than 150 shops and eateries. At the center of Village Walk is Commons Park, a 163-acre outdoor space with a slew of amenities. Along with traditional features like trails, small boat launches into lakes, playgrounds and picnic areas, the park has more unique offerings like a golf training center, a frisbee golf course and an on-site community center complete with a café and sporting goods shop. The community center was added in 2021 and has become a central location for community programming. "It's nice to have a common building that people can use," Burr says. "Instructors hold Zumba classes; people rent it out for arts and crafts.” Another popular park in the neighborhood is Bob Marcella Baseball Complex, a 20-acre space with fields and courts for baseball, basketball and tennis. There are also integrated playgrounds, picnic pavilions and trails throughout the grounds. The smallest park here is Veterans Park, a 6-acre outdoor space emphasizing outdoor entertainment with its amphitheater, picnic pavilions and splash foundation. It also has an on-site café with patio seating that overlooks the grounds. The Royal Palm Beach Green Market & Bazaar is a reoccurring event held every Saturday morning from October to April on the lawn outside the Royal Palm Beach Village Hall in the corner of town. More than 100 vendors set up booths selling organic foods and spices, artisan baked goods, flowers and handcrafted art pieces. On average, about 42,000 carloads of visitors cycle through the market each week. A city-run reoccurring event is the Food Truck Expo and Concert series, held in Commons Park on Friday nights throughout the year. Food trucks offering a variety of cuisines descend upon the park as rock tribute bands play the songs of icons like Jimmy Hendrix and Nirvana. The city's staple annual event is the Royal Palm Beach Seafood Festival, also held at Commons Park. The two-day event highlights the region's freshest seafood while celebrating the community. Rock tribute bands and actors dressed as pirates and mermaids entertain revelers indulging in fish and drinks from local vendors. The neighborhood is near several major highways, including U.S. routes 441 and 98, the latter leading to downtown Palm Beach, about 12 miles away. Public Palm Beach County Palm Tran buses also run through the area, picking up along Okeechobee and Royal Palm Beach boulevards. Air travel is also easily accessible since Palm Beach International Airport is just over 11 miles away. And for emergency medical treatment, HCA Florida Palms West Hospital is around 3 miles away. According to RiskFactor.com, Village Walk is at high risk of experiencing hurricane force winds. Risk of flooding, however, is minimal, with the neighborhood receiving a risk score of 1 out of 10.