Palm Beach County: 'A Tale of Two Cities'

        If Charles Dickens, the author of "A Tale of Two Cities," was hired to draft an economic analysis of Palm Beach County, the executive summary of his report would conclude: "It is the best of times (in the Town of Palm Beach), and it is the worst of times in the City of Belle Glade."
        While the classic 1859 novel was a social commentary about life in revolutionary France during the 18th century, his descriptions of economic inequality have certain parallels here in Palm Beach County in the year 2014.
        Demographic diversity is often viewed as a community strength, but the economic diversity (disparity) between the rich and poor - or between eastern coastal cities and the three Glades communities - is a social disgrace. A 2013 U.S. Census comparison of Palm Beach and Belle Glade illustrates this wealth disparity and economic divisions in the county.
        Population: The population of Belle Glade is 58% black and 34% Hispanic. A total of 27% is foreign-born, and 31% of the population is under age 18. The Town of Palm Beach is 97% white, less than 4% Hispanic, with less than 7% under the age 18.
        Social Factors: A total of 85% of Palm Beachers are homeowners with a median home value of $859,000. Less than 43% of Belle Glade residents own their own home, and the median value is $113,000. Just 59% of Belle Glade students receive high school degrees, compared to 97.2% in Palm Beach.
        Wealth: The median household income in Belle Glade is $28,495, compared to $106,548 in Palm Beach. In the City of Belle Glade, 35% live below the poverty rate, 26% collect food stamps, about 19% are unemployed and 41% of the population is not in the work force. Only 4.4% of Palm Beachers live in poverty and 4.9% were unemployed in 2012.
        "A Tale of Two Cities" still carries a useful social message today: "It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness... It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
        In Belle Glade there is little hope, but still much despair. Dickens warns the seeds of revolution are planted in fields of human misery.
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