I am assuming that those are some variety of windmill palm, most likely Trachycarpus Fortunei. They are native to the eastern foothills of the Himalayas in south east China, and are hardy enough to be grown outdoors in the upper reaches of the southern states. They seem to have made it through the brutal 2010 winter just fine (this picture was taken in March of that year). They are one of the hardiest palms in the world, tolerating a snap now and then down to 5F. Of course, the hardiest palm in the world comes from North America, the Needle palm, which can take sub zero temperatures, and grace front lawns in Cincinnati and Washington DC. I have yet to find one myself.
Our palms tend to have a toughness about them, probably because the continent is home to regular powerful arctic outbreaks (this year being a notable exception) that can cause solid freezes as far south as central Florida and well into Tamaulipas in Mexico. Eventually, tropical air masses prevail over northern fronts, but even then cities like Tampico have reported temperatures as low as 36F. Though the palms above are transplants, our palm species such as the Needle palm, Cabbage palm, and Saw palmetto can handle pretty rough circumstances and can be found as far north as the Carolinas and Oklahoma. In general, planted specimens tend to be found in the same areas, which is why these palms were a nice surprise. Out east, I saw a few in Hampton and Norfolk. Dallas was simply loaded with them, and every small town from there to California had at least a few lining the streets. People just have a thing for palms, I suppose, the same as they do for spruce up north. The nice thing is, in some places you can plant both side by side!
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