On March 20, 1959, John D. MacArthur, a multimillionaire insurance magnate and landowner, announced plans to develop almost 4,000 acres and provide homes for 55,000 people in a new community. He envisioned city streets lined with trees and flowers and invested millions of dollars to create a Florida community with plentiful waterways, rolling terrain, magnificent mature pine and shade trees, and rich foliage. He instructed that city streets and construction go around trees that had been growing there for many years. The City of Palm Beach Gardens has grown steadily since 1959, and its reputation and beauty have been preserved and enhanced by keeping the garden city philosophy of its founder, John D. MacArthur. The City of Palm Beach Gardens remains a unique place in which to live, learn, work and play.