It is unclear when Northwood Hills was established as a residential neighborhood but one of its early residents, Dr. Eldridge Gale, ran a farm here long before the building boom began according to an early Post article. Dr. Gale, a retired horticulture professor from Kansas State Agriculture College, planted the first mango tree in Florida here, in what was called Mangonia. It was sent to him from India by a former student, David Fairchild, for whom the Fairchild Tropical Garden is named. Seedlings from this tree were given to Captain John Haden and the variety became known as the Haden Mango, the first species to be raised commercially in Florida. Prior to the building boom in the 20's, most of Northwood Hills were mango orchards.
Some early residents remember being paid to gather mangos as children.
One homeowner also distinctly remembers nights being kept awake by hammering. It was the sound of coffin builders in the Lainhardt and Potter lumberyards after the deadly hurricane of 1928. Some of Northwood Hills' early residents were laid to rest in the old Greenlawn Cemetery. Located just south of 29th street and adjacent to Northwood Hills, it is recognized as a historic site by the City of West Palm Beach. All of the streets of Northwood Hills, many by other names or numbers, were completed before 1920, as many articles began to appear in the Post showing homes for sale and heralding the beautiful geography of Northwood Hills.