Living on Singer Island: A Lifestyle Guide to Island Life in the Palm Beaches

Water on every side. That’s the first thing you notice on Singer Island, and it never stops being the point.

The Atlantic runs along the east side. The Lake Worth Lagoon wraps the west. The Palm Beach Inlet sits at the south tip, and a state park holds the north end. In between is one of the most complete coastal lifestyles in the Palm Beaches, a few minutes from the mainland.

Where it is, and which town you’re in

Singer Island is a barrier island just north of the Palm Beach Inlet, reached by the Blue Heron Bridge from Riviera Beach. Most of the island is part of the City of Riviera Beach. The southern tip is its own small town, Palm Beach Shores, with its own government and its own rhythm.

Palm Beach International Airport is about 20 minutes away by car, roughly 12 miles via Blue Heron Boulevard and I-95.

A boom-era dream that built the island tall

The island is named for Paris Singer, heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune and one of the founding figures of 1920s Palm Beach. During the land boom, he and architect Addison Mizner planned a grand resort here, the Blue Heron hotel. The boom collapsed before it opened. The unfinished shell stood for years and was finally torn down in 1940.

The name stuck to the main road, Blue Heron Boulevard. And because the island developed later than its neighbors, it grew up rather than out. That’s why the skyline today is oceanfront towers.

Two ways to live here

Most people on Singer Island live high. Condominium towers line Ocean Drive, many looking straight down the beach. It’s lock-and-leave living with the Atlantic as the view, and the building matters as much as the unit.

On the lagoon side, Palm Beach Isles is the other answer: single-family homes, many on deep-water canals with ocean access and no fixed bridges between the dock and the inlet. For anyone who keeps a boat, that run to open water is the whole appeal. Our Waterfront | Boating lifestyle page covers what to check on any dock.

A day on Singer Island

• Morning: walk the beach at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, where nearly two miles of protected shoreline hold the quiet north end. The park’s mangrove estuary is made for a kayak.
• Midday: snorkel the trail at Phil Foster Park, under the Blue Heron Bridge, one of the best-known shore dives in Florida. Or take a water taxi to Peanut Island and its snorkel lagoon.
• Afternoon: wellness without leaving the island. Amrit Ocean Resort’s spa sits right on Ocean Drive. Our Wellness lifestyle page has more on homes built around it.
• Evening: casual beach spots and resort dining along Ocean Drive, or Sailfish Marina and the Palm Beach Shores waterfront at the inlet end.

What to know before you buy

• Building age matters. Florida’s condo safety laws now require structural milestone inspections and fully funded reserves for key building components. Ask for the latest inspection reports, the reserve study, current reserve balances and any planned special assessments before you commit.
• North and south feel different. The north end, near the state park, is quieter. The inlet end is busier and closer to the marinas and water taxis.
• Know which town you’re buying in. Riviera Beach and Palm Beach Shores have their own governments, rules and services.
• Schools are assigned by the School District of Palm Beach County. Check the district’s school locator with the specific address.

Is Singer Island right for you?

• The ocean outside the window and nothing to maintain? An oceanfront tower.
• A boat out back and a fast run to the inlet? Palm Beach Isles.
• A small town at the water’s edge, with the marina down the street? Palm Beach Shores.
• A quieter beach and wide-open nature? Look toward the north end.

Our take: spend a full day before you choose a building. Sunrise at MacArthur, lunch at the inlet, sunset from a balcony. The island tells you quickly which end is yours.

See current opportunities on our Singer Island page, explore Palm Beach Shores next door, or browse our Coastal | Beach Living lifestyle page. Weighing beach towns farther north? Read Juno Beach or Jupiter Inlet Colony: Two Ways to Live on the Sand.

Sources: island history from the Town of Palm Beach Shores and singerisland.com.

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