Palm Beach Polo Golf and Country Club's All About Wellington, Florida

All About Wellington

Known as the Equestrian Capital of America, the Village of Wellington is also Palm Beach County’s newest municipality, created in 1996. Encompassing some 18,000 acres, Wellington is already a village of 30,000 people, making it the largest community in the area and the seventh largest in Palm Beach County. The village has a council-manager form of government and is governed by a five-member council which elects one of its own as mayor.

Wellington prides itself on being an equestrian community. The village even has a sizable Equestrian Preservation Area in the southern part of the community which is marked by horse paths and crossings throughout the community. Horses are big business in the village, pumping in an estimated $214 million in direct and indirect spending into the community annually. Wellington’s Palm Beach Polo and Country Club has hosted two U.S. Open polo events in recent years. The polo season during the winter months draws celebrities from around the world. Prince Charles has competed in two polo matches and the late Princess Diana found an admiring and enthusiastic crowd during a visit.

The highlight of the year is the annual Equestrian Winter Festival which, combined with polo, draws tens of thousands of visitors and fans and some 5,000 horses to Wellington. It is called the largest concentration of show and polo horses in the world and runs from January through March each year. The Equestrian Festival features both past and future Olympians competing in stadium jumping and dressage events. Polo matches are usually played between December and April and a local "side sport" is watching for the many celebrities who come to play the "Sport of Kings" or to watch the matches.

Wellington has its own Parks and Recreation Department, anchored by the newly opened 93-acre, $8 million Wellington Community Park on Pierson Road. The athletic park includes a full gymnasium, baseball, football and soccer fields and features a full array of youth sporting events. Right outside the entrance to the park along a unique traffic circle (built to keep traffic at a slow pace), is a special youth athletes commemoration feature created with a $25,000 private grant. It also announces the entrance to the equestrian community which is served by Pierson Road.

With other designated greenspace areas, including 25 neighborhood parks, the village’s recreation department incorporates the desires and interests of all ages into its athletic and cultural programs. Wellington also has its own Boys and Girls Club facility with a newly expanded clubhouse surrounded by village athletic fields.

In a county of superb golf and tennis clubs, Wellington is right out front with its offerings. Some of them include Binks Forest Golf Club, Palm Beach Polo & Country Club and Wellington Country Club. Palm Beach Polo & Country Club also offers croquet which features many national and international events each year.

Wellington boasts of excellent schools from kindergarten to the large Wellington High School. In addition, there are many church and other parochial schools and daycare centers throughout the community. A brand new library opened in 1997.

Wellington’s medical community is anchored by Wellington Regional Medical Center, a 120-bed full-service acute care hospital located at the corner of Forest Hill Boulevard (the main artery into the village) and State Road 7.

Shopping is easy and plentiful in Wellington with a huge offering of specialty stores, small "malls" and plazas located throughout the village. The Mall at Wellington Green is a "super" mall which serves the Western Communities and beyond. Wellington Green is located on 466 acres at the corner of Forest Hill Boulevard and State Road 7, and includes a 1.2 million-square-foot shopping center. Future expansion includes a 300-unit adult congregate living facility, a 400-unit multifamily residential community, a 125-room hotel and 350,000 square feet of office and retail space. The mall itself has two levels and includes major anchor names along with some 120 specialty shops, restaurants and services.

Wellington Commons includes numerous specialty shops, professional offices and restaurants. And directly across its Forest Hill Boulevard location is Wellington Mall, a family center environment "dedicated to the children." The mall features a variety of specialty shops and restaurants and a large central area for special events.

Another major event each year is the Holiday Parade held the first Sunday in December.

Wellington.....a great place to live and do business. If you are planning to relocate or visit, let us say "Welcome to Welly-world".

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