Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about 64 miles north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Worth Lagoon, which was named for General William J. Worth, who led United States Army forces during the last part of the Second Seminole War. Lake Worth Beach also borders West Palm Beach to the north, Lake Clarke Shores to the northwest, and Lantana to its south, while a small section of the city also partitions the town of Palm Beach. The 2010 census recorded a population of 34,910, while the Census Bureau estimated that the population increased to 38,526 as of 2019. Lake Worth Beach is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,158,824 people in 2017.
In 1885, Samuel and Fannie James, both African American, were the first to settle in modern-day Lake Worth Beach, filing a homestead claim on 187 acres. Fannie James operated the Jewell Post Office from 1889 to 1903 to serve the few residents who lived between Lantana and West Palm Beach.