The
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Belle Glade Chamber
welcomes you to our community.
ocated on the southern shores of beautiful Lake Okeechobee, Belle Glade is a great place to find a more relaxing lifestyle where fishing, farming and friendly people are in abundance. One of three cities forming a tri-city area that includes Pahokee, South Bay and Belle Glade is just a 30-minute drive from West Palm Beach, but far from the hustle and bustle of city life. “Her Soil is Her Fortune” is the motto for Belle Glade, and for good reason. Agriculture is our number one industry and our region is truly a land of abundant produce! Thanks to great weather and our rich organic “muck” soil, the Glades is known as the “Winter Vegetable Capitol of the World.” Here we grow food to feed our state, our nation and beyond. Crops such as sugar cane, sweet corn, rice and leafy vegetables as well as cabbage, green beans, celery and radishes thrive in our rich black soil. Our farmers are proud to produce quality crops while meeting and exceeding stringent environment regulations! Belle Glade is the largest city within the 2,862,000-acre subtropical Everglades in the heartland of Florida. Originally known as Hillsboro, Belle Glade was incorporated in 1928 with a population of less than 500. Today, our city has an estimated population of 18,000, and growing. Noted for its largemouth bass, beautiful Lake Okeechobee provides unlimited fishing and boating or just plain relaxing on a lazy afternoon. Torry Island Marina and Campground has something for everyone, and a nearby 18-hole golf course promises laidback enjoyment for the pro and duffer alike. Belle Glade welcomes you to avoid the hassles of metropolitan city life and come grow with us…discover Florida the way it should be! The City of Belle Glade is business friendly and welcoming. Mayor Steve Wilson and City Manager Lomax Harrelle invite companies to come and see what we have to offer. They would welcome you to visit with them and give them the opportunity to share some of the exciting things going on in our city. The mission of our city’s government is to move into the future by improving the quality of life and promoting growth through economic diversification and development of human and natural resources while providing a safe and healthy environment. One of our most active economic engines of the Glades is the LORE Alliance of Palm Beach County, a non-profit entity created in 2006. It is composed of a group of Chamber business leaders, educators, and city managers to act as a voice for the entire Glades region — with a focus on high-quality economic development, education, and infrastructure. If you are looking for higher education opportunities or job skills training, Palm Beach State College, Glades Campus, located on SR 715, has been serving residents of the western communities of Palm Beach County since 1972. The permanent campus was built in 1977 and occupied in January 1978. Guided since 1999 by a consortium of educational, community and civic leaders called the Glades Initiative Partnership Council, the College has expanded general education, occupational training, student services and community outreach to meet the diverse educational needs of the area. The Belle Glade location offers comprehensive courses for college transfer to four-year institutions as well as career, technical and continuing education courses. High-skills career programs are housed at the newly constructed Technical Education Center completed in 2010.
Our tri-city hospital, Lakeside Medical Center is committed to providing quality, compassionate care. The hospital’s dedicated medical staff has earned high marks for quality care and patient satisfaction compared to public hospitals nationwide. Lakeside Medical Center is a 70-bed, acute care facility accredited by The Joint Commission that provides a 24-hour physician-staffed emergency room with access to the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s Trauma Hawk air ambulance. The hospital is one of the largest employers in the Glades region. Often called “The Jewel of the Glades”, the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center is located on the campus of Palm Beach State College. The 470-seat theatre was opened in 1982 and has been a wonderful addition to Palm Beach County’s art and entertainment scene. The Center’s typical season presents play productions, ballets and music of all genres. Over the years, various nationally known celebrities have come to perform at the Center. Noteworthy for the Chamber, we are celebrating our 70th anniversary in 2018. Incorporated in 1938, the Chamber opened its doors with just a few businesses. Today, we have over 200 business and individual members. We are adding to that number every year as new business comes to our area and other businesses expand and diversify. The Belle Glade Chamber of Commerce organized for the purpose of advancing the commercial, industrial, civic and general interest of the City of Belle Glade and vicinity. We continue to do so by encouraging our residents to shop at home as much as possible. We support the economic viability of our community through events we host throughout the year. We help put on the end-of-harvest celebration known as the Black Gold Jubilee Festival. Traditionally held in April, the festival draws several thousand people for a full day of activities on Torry Island. Our next festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 14, 2018. We encourage you to come out and enjoy a great day of food, free entertainment, free children’s rides and games and other activities, culminating in fireworks at dusk. The Chamber also co-hosts the annual City of Belle Glade Fourth of July Celebration each year. The Afro Arts Festival also draws a great crowd every third Saturday of March at Lakeshore Park. Stop by the Chamber located on SR 80 in front of City Hall to see what’s currently happening and what’s coming up in the near future in the City of Belle Glade.
Brenda Bunting and Melanie Grimes Co-Executive Directors Belle Glade Chamber of Commerce
Brenda Bunting
Melanie Grimes
WESTERN PALM BEACH COUNTY | Destination Lake Okeechobee | 2018
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