On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Loxahatchee Groves is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #449 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Loxahatchee Groves’ overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Loxahatchee Groves’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1917.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Loxahatchee Groves’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area now known as Loxahatchee Groves was originally a portion of the 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km2) of land purchased by the Southern States Land and Timber Company in 1902. After the West Palm Beach Canal (C-51), which connected Lake Okeechobee at Canal Point to West Palm Beach, was completed in 1917, George Frederick Bensel, the Southern States sales manager, envisioned a "waterfront" farming community along the canal. Bensel, and company engineer Torvald Garfield "T. G." Thorgesen, created the first topographical map of Loxahatchee Groves during the following three years. Bensel, Thorgesen, and others then established the Palm Beach Loxahatchee Company, and bought 6,500 acres (26 km2) from the Southern States Land and Timber Company, naming the land "Loxahatchee Farms". The Palm Beach Loxahatchee Company built almost 30 mi (48 km) of canals and roads, which were to be maintained by …
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Loxahatchee Groves. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1971Loxahatchee sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Loxahatchee Groves.
Famous people
Famous people close to Loxahatchee Groves
Nobody well known was born in Loxahatchee Groves itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
In 1917, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Loxahatchee Groves’ post office opened in 1925.
How does Loxahatchee Groves rank for history?
Loxahatchee Groves is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #449 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Loxahatchee Groves?
0.0% of Loxahatchee Groves’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1987.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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