votes. Wellington officially became a village on December 31, 1995, as a state revenue sharing program required it to exist in 1995 in order to be eligible for funding in 1996. The village became Palm Beach County's 38th municipality and the ninth most populous city in the county at the time, with approximately 28,000 residents. The first village council elections were held on March 12, 1996. None of the candidates for any of the five seats secured a majority of the votes, forcing runoffs to be held on March 26. The first elected village council members were Paul Adams, Michael McDonough, Tom Wenham, Carmine Priore, and Kathy Foster. Two days later, the council held its first meeting and selected Foster for mayor, Priore for vice mayor, and Colin Baenziger for village manager. It has now become known as an international center for equestrian sports. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water (0.99%). Climate As typical in Palm Beach County and South Florida, Wellington has a tropical climate, with two main seasons: warm and dry and hot and wet. Winters are mild to warm and humidity levels are relatively low. During the coolest month, January, average high temperatures are around and lows around . It is not unusual though for winter temperatures to reach . Summertime is rainy season in South Florida and humidity levels increase dramatically. During the hottest month, July, high temperatures are around with lows around . South Florida is vulnerable to hurricanes at this time of year. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, there were 61,637 people, 22,506 households, and 17,104 families residing in the village. 2010 census As of 2010, there were 22,685 households, with 13.3% being vacant. In 2000, there were 12,938 households, out of which 69.7% were married couples, 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.4% were non-families. 13.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.25. 2000 census In 2000, the village the population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from