Lantana History

Name

The Town of Lantana, Florida, is named for the genus Lantana, a family of perennial flowering plants native to tropical regions, including South Florida. The small scented flowers are a mixture of vivid yellow, red, and orange.

Geography

The Town of Lantana is a coastal community in Palm Beach County, Florida, in the US, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.

Lantana, Florida, is located at Latitude 26 degrees 34 minutes 58 seconds North, Longitude 80 degrees 3 minutes 27 seconds West (or Latitude 26.58278 degrees North; Longitude-80.057577 degrees West).

History

Although it is one of the smaller communities of Palm Beach County, Lantana is noted as one of the oldest. The first settlers came after Congress passed the Armed Occupation Act in 1842 at the end of the Seminole Wars. One of the pioneer settlers, The Lyman family, is distinguished as the founders of the town. M. B. Lyman brought his family to Lantana in 1888 and started several enterprises. He established a store, Indian Trading Post, and post office in 1889. As postmaster, Mr. Lyman named the post office as Lantana Point for the wild Lantana plant, which grew in abundance in the area. The 'Point' was later dropped. One of the Lyman businesses was the Lantana Fish Company where one hundred thousand-pound catches of fish were common. In the early 1900s the gathering and marketing of oysters became the leading industry.

The Town of Lantana was incorporated in 1921 with 22 residents voting in the first election. At the time of incorporation, the area of Lantana was one square mile with a population of 100 residents. Today, the Town covers 2 square miles.

U.S. Census Information

Current population statistics and other demographic information can be found at the Quick Facts Section of the U.S. Census site.