In my article “Setting: Elements of Towns and Cities,” I wrote about how many writers believe a setting is merely a location; however, setting is not just a location, but everything that would define a location as a place. The seven elements that a writer should focus their setting writing on are the local restaurants, local shops, local events, local activities/entertainment, culture, day/night differences, and people. The best settings serve to incorporate all of these seven elements throughout the story. One area that has an abundance of these seven elements is West Palm Beach, Florida. West Palm Beach includes Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Wellington, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Greenacres, and Royal Palm Beach.

Local Restaurants & Local Shops

West Palm Beach is filled with areas that include both local shops and local restaurants like the Delray Market Place, which is filled with boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, and even a movie theater with a bowling alley. Another major area where locals like to hang is Atlantic Avenue which is a street packed with small locally owned restaurants, fine dining, chain stores, and local boutiques.

Local Events

One of the biggest events in West Palm Beach is the South Florida Fair, which attracts a bit more than a million visitors every year for the 17 days that it is open. Atlantic Avenue is not just a food and shopping area; it also a street that plays host to farmers’ markets, Fourth of July celebrations, and many other local events throughout the year that cause the avenue to be entirely closed off to car traffic.

 Local Activities/Entertainment

When it comes to entertainment, locals make use of the many beaches for a morning or afternoon filled with sunning, swimming, surfing, and/or playing beach sports. Other types of entertainment include the Lion County Safari, Peanut Island, Palm Beach Zoo, Okeeheelee Park, South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, and the Grassy Waters Preserve.

Culture & People

West Palm Beach has a large Hispanic culture as more than 20% of the population identifies as Hispanic. The large Hispanic population has given rise to Cinco de Mayo and Día de Muertos celebrations. The area is well known for the large number of snow birds (people who travel to a warmer area during the winter and then return to their home once winter has ended) that make the area their home during the winter months. Many of the snow birds that travel to West Palm Beach come from New York which has, over the years, given West Palm Beach a New Yorker culture and attitude. The winter months in West Palm Beach are known for being filled with heavy traffic due to the seasonal population increase.

Day/Night Differences

In West Palm Beach, there is a large difference between the day activities and nightlife. West Palm Beach is filled with craft breweries that are scattered all over the place and are always crowed at night. Many of these craft breweries are located inside warehouses and storage units. One such brewery is Devour Brewing Co. that is set up inside a warehouse in Boynton Beach. The brewery is always packed at night with people enjoying craft beers and playing games.