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D−History
History · Wellington

Wellington dates to 1972

More historic than 2% of U.S. towns · #608 of 638 in Florida. What drives it

Most of Wellington was built recently: 0.2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: maps from 1946 on and the census since 1980.

1972founded
0on the National Register
0.2%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Wellington began

When was Wellington founded?

1972

Wellington dates its founding to 1972 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1980.

First census: 4,622 in 19802020 census: 61,63754 years

How historic is Wellington?

D−

More historic than 2% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Wellington’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wellington is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #608 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wellington’s overall grade.
Founding era1972, from Wikidata: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19400.2% of homes (±0.2) · typical FL town 0.6% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical FL town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 2%
NewerOlder
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 5%

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 Wellington’s 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.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1972.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Wellington’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Wellington are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wellington’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wellington’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Wellington came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wellington.

Read it all →

In the 1950s, Charles Oliver Wellington, an accountant from Massachusetts, purchased about 18,000 acres (73 km2) of central Palm Beach County swampland located south of Florida State Road 80 (locally known as Southern Boulevard) and west of U.S. Route 441. Wellington named the property Flying Cow Ranch, due to his other occupation as an aviator and his initials spelling the word "cow". The ranch became protected against floodwaters from the Everglades after the United States Army Corps of Engineers constructed a levee to the south of the property between 1952 and 1953. Following his death in 1959, his son Roger inherited the property. The family sold 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) at $300 per acre to Arthur William "Bink" Glisson, Charles' agent. Glisson sold the land for $1,000 per acre within the following several months. Many other farmers began purchasing or leasing portions of the Flying Co…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wellington, 1946 to 1998

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1946On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1972
    FoundingWellington is established
  4. 1998Born hereAnthony Maldonado is born here
  5. 1998Born hereAhmmon Richards is born here
By decade

Wellington, decade by decade

Today30 recent
Nic Roldan2021Nic RoldanUntitled photo2021Untitled photoAdolfo Cambiaso, Team Valiente, 20192019Adolfo Cambiaso, Team Valiente, 2019White-tailed deer 09-20-18-00356412018White-tailed deer 09-20-18-0035641White-tailed deer 09-20-18-00356342018White-tailed deer 09-20-18-0035634White-tailed deer 09-20-18-00356232018White-tailed deer 09-20-18-0035623White-tailed deer 09-07-18-00348222018White-tailed deer 09-07-18-0034822White-tailed deer 09-07-18-00348122018White-tailed deer 09-07-18-0034812White-tailed deer 09-07-18-00347832018White-tailed deer 09-07-18-0034783White-tailed deer 06-24-18-00241622018White-tailed deer 06-24-18-0024162White-tailed deer 06-24-18-00241582018White-tailed deer 06-24-18-0024158Limpkin2018LimpkinWhite-tailed deer Oct 31 2017 AQ6I2746 22017White-tailed deer Oct 31 2017 AQ6I2746 2White-tailed deer2017White-tailed deerDog meets Jesus Lizard2017Dog meets Jesus LizardAug 28 2017 AQ6I31082017Aug 28 2017 AQ6I3108Aug 28 2017 AQ6I30792017Aug 28 2017 AQ6I3079Wellington Florida Aerial2016Wellington Florida AerialWellington Florida Aerial 22016Wellington Florida Aerial 2Oct 21 2016201112016Oct 21 201620111Nov 10 2016237402016Nov 10 201623740Nov 08 2016232642016Nov 08 201623264Nov 05 2016228322016Nov 05 201622832Amphitheater2016AmphitheaterAmphitheater Wellington, Florida front2016Amphitheater Wellington, Florida frontA Horse of Their Own2016A Horse of Their OwnFacundo Obregon in action, Joe Barry Memorial Cup, Wellington, Florida (2013-01-20)2013Facundo Obregon in action, Joe Barry Memorial Cup, We…FL802LakeWorth-ToUS1-ToTurnpike-US441n2012FL802LakeWorth-ToUS1-ToTurnpike-US441nNeil Hirsch2005Neil HirschFLMap-doton-Wellington2004FLMap-doton-Wellington
On the map

Wellington on the map, 1946 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wellington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Wellington on the 1946 USGS mapWellington on the 1967 USGS mapWellington on the 1983 USGS map1946Palm Beach Farms 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 Wellington.

People over time

Wellington, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,00065,00019802000202061,637

Grew from 4,622 people in 1980 to 61,637 in 2020, more than tenfold.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Wellington’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Wellington

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
A
Anthony MaldonadoAmerican baseball player · b. 1998
A
Ahmmon RichardsAmerican-football player · b. 1998
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Royal Palm BeachIts storyD−

Questions about Wellington’s history

What year was Wellington founded?

In 1972, according to Wikidata. the census of 1980 counted 4,622 people here.

How does Wellington rank for history?

Wellington is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #608 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 Wellington?

0.2% of Wellington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1995.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (30), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.