In West Palm Beach, Florida, and in the smaller, neighboring communities to the north and south, the old landscape is quickly disappearing as developers clear the remaining orange groves and gardens for shopping malls and gated communities.Between 1990 and 1996, the population of metropolitan West Palm Beach increased more than 30% and the urban area expanded by 75%. While the density of population actually dropped by about 25%, the metro area sprawled out into the surrounding open space.