Wellington

History

Wellington was originally the world's largest strawberry patch, the Flying Cow Ranch. C. Oliver Wellington bought 18,000 acres of swampland in the 1950s in central Palm Beach County that eventually would be called the Village of Wellington. Wellington began as a planned unit development approved by Palm Beach County in 1972. For many years it functioned as a bedroom community with few shopping centers or restaurants until it was incorporated in December 1995. Wellington holds the largest and longest running horse show in the world from January to March (3 months).
Culture

Wellington is world-famous for equestrian and polo events. It is host to both the Winter Equestrian Festival and over 40 weeks of equestrian competitions per year. A new expansion includes the Global Dressage Festival. In addition, it is one of the top polo destinations in the world attracting the world's most accomplished polo players. The Village of Wellington has a large, recently renovated public library, multiple recreation centers, a number of public parks and ball fields, and hosts seasonal events such as the annual Top Gun model aircraft show and holiday parades. There are a number of entertainment and cultural venues - such as the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and the Norton Museum of Art - in nearby West Palm Beach. The Village is also known for its dedicated equestrian community, and a large population of families with young children (mostly attributable to it having some of the consistently highest-performing schools in the state). It also has a large regional mall The Mall at Wellington Green, along with a many other nationally known retailers (such as Best Buy, Costco, BJ's, Sports Authority, Whole Foods and the like) located in outdoor shopping venues along the major commercial highways.

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Notable Wellington residents

· Curtis Pride, former Major League Baseball outfielder

· Vanilla Ice, rapper

· Tommy Lee Jones, actor

· Jarrod Saltalamacchia, baseball player (Red Sox)

· Jessie Hester, former NFL wide receiver, uncle of Devin Hester

· Bruce Springsteen, musician

· Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City

· Stephanie Seymour, former model

· Joan Lunden, broadcaster

· Glenn Close, actress

· Dave O'Brien, sports broadcaster

· Jeffery Reckseit, CEO of BP America Inc. Florida

· Angel Hernandez, umpire

· Fred Taylor, running back, New England Patriots

· Ian Carey, multi-platinum selling recording artist and music producer

· Fred Couples, golfer (former resident)

· Dick Stockton, Former Tennis Star,(Number 7 in the world at one point)

· Marisa DeMato, attorney and former candidate on NBC's The Apprentice (2007)

· Jon Paul, Ford model and professional bass player.

· Jenny Liu, founder of Koala Corp., a chain of independent pharmacies.