St. Lucie County, Florida
St. Lucie County | |
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UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 21st |
Website | www |
St. Lucie County (
History
The area was originally inhabited by the Ais tribe, a hunter-gatherer culture whose territory extended from south of the St. John's river to the St. Lucie Inlet. Spanish explorers frequently encountered the fierce tribe as the Spanish treasure routes ran parallel in order to take advantage of the strong Gulfstream current. The area was given several names by the Spanish including Rio de Ays (later changed to Indian River) as well as Santa Lucia, named after the short-lived late 16th-century Spanish fort that bore its name farther south. The fabled 1715 Spanish treasure fleet sank off the area that is now St. Lucie County, leading to the regional naming of the area as the Treasure Coast.
During the early 19th century, the Spanish government issued several land grants in the area, one of which went to settler James Hutchinson. The grant contained 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) and today the barrier island Hutchinson Island still retains his name. During the mid-1800s, Seminoles and runaway slaves sought refuge in the virtually uninhabited area. By 1837 the Second Seminole war had broken out in Florida. In December 1837, a group of soldiers under the command of Lt. Colonel Benjamin K. Pierce sailed down the Indian River and established a fort, naming it after their commander. Today the county seat of St. Lucie County is still known as Fort Pierce. In 1841, the United States government began issuing land grants under the Armed Occupation Act to Americans who were willing to settle the area. Several of these grants were within the boundaries of today's St. Lucie County. The Third Seminole War in 1851 saw the building of a second major American fort in the area, Fort Capron, located in the area that is today's St. Lucie Village.
From this point on the area became gradually more populated as settlers ventured down for health and economic reasons. The Flagler railroad reached the area in the 1890s. Major industries at the end of the 19th century in the area included pineapple, fishing and seafood canning and cattle. Citrus would not become a major crop until the early 1900s. The city of Fort Pierce was chartered in 1901.
Up until 1905 the area had been under
The 1920s saw increased land speculation and planned developments such as Indrio and San Lucie that never came to fruition due to the bust in 1929. During World War II the United States Naval Amphibious Training Base was established in Fort Pierce on North and South Hutchinson Island. During its operation over 140,000 troops were processed through the base. The post-war years saw a major population boom in the area, some of which were returning sailors and their families that had undergone training at the Navy base.[3]
In 1958, the General Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Mackle Brothers, bought tens of thousands of acres of land along the St. Lucie River in the southern part of the county in order to build a new community. Colorful and clever advertising soon drew thousands of northeastern retirees and families to the area, laying the foundation for the future city of Port St. Lucie. Population and building booms in the late 20th century led to the formation of other areas west and south of Port St. Lucie including St. Lucie West and the new master planned community of Tradition. The early 21st century brought many trials for the county including two major hurricanes in 2004 and an economic and housing slump starting in 2008. In 2005, St. Lucie County celebrated its 100th birthday.
Geography
According to the
Adjacent counties
- Indian River County - north
- Martin County - south
- Okeechobee County - west
Transportation
Airports
- St. Lucie County International Airport, a general aviation airport. The nearest commercial airports are in Melbourne, Vero Beach, and West Palm Beach.
Major highways
Public bus service
St. Lucie County is served by the St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization (TPO).
Passenger trains
Until 1968 the
In 2023, Brightline, an inter-city rail route that currently runs between Miami and Orlando, announced that it was looking for sites for a new station on the Treasure Coast.[11] As of 2024, there are currently no plans to add a station in St. Lucie County.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 4,075 | — | |
1920 | 7,886 | 93.5% | |
1930 | 7,057 | −10.5% | |
1940 | 11,871 | 68.2% | |
1950 | 20,180 | 70.0% | |
1960 | 39,294 | 94.7% | |
1970 | 50,836 | 29.4% | |
1980 | 87,182 | 71.5% | |
1990 | 150,171 | 72.3% | |
2000 | 192,695 | 28.3% | |
2010 | 277,789 | 44.2% | |
2020 | 329,226 | 18.5% | |
2023 (est.) | 373,586 | [12] | 13.5% |
U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2010-2019[1] |
Race | Pop 2010[20] | Pop 2020[21] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White (NH)
|
170,032 | 176,533 | 61.21% | 53.62% |
Black or African American (NH)
|
51,373 | 64,597 | 18.49% | 19.62% |
Alaska Native (NH)
|
664 | 568 | 0.24% | 0.17% |
Asian (NH) | 4,226 | 5,678 | 1.52% | 1.72% |
Pacific Islander (NH) | 127 | 141 | 0.05% | 0.04% |
Some Other Race (NH) | 845 | 2,470 | 0.3% | 0.75% |
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 4,527 | 12,919 | 1.63% | 3.92% |
Hispanic or Latino | 45,995 | 66,320 | 16.56% | 20.14% |
Total | 277,789 | 329,226 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 329,226 people, 118,527 households, and 81,648 families residing in the county.
As of the
According to the 2015 American Community Survey, 90.7% spoke English, 14.6% Spanish, 5.0% Other Indo-European languages, and 1.2% Asian and Pacific Island languages.[23]
According to
In 2010 there were 108,523 households, out of which 26.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 24.2% of all non-family households were made up of individuals living alone, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 77.7% 18 years of age and over; 23.2% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years.[23]
According to the 2010 census, the median income for a household in the county was $36,363, and the median income for a family was $41,381. Males had a median income of $30,047 versus $22,684 for females. The
Fauna
Six bird species in St. Lucie County are listed as "highly vulnerable" to climate change:
Politics
According to St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections website, registered voters as of September 10, 2020, totaled 217,666: Democratic 85,714, Republican 72,554, NPA 56,500, Other 2,898.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 86,831 | 50.38% | 84,137 | 48.82% | 1,381 | 0.80% |
2016 | 70,289 | 49.50% | 66,881 | 47.10% | 4,823 | 3.40% |
2012 | 56,202 | 45.58% | 65,869 | 53.42% | 1,230 | 1.00% |
2008 | 52,512 | 43.41% | 67,125 | 55.49% | 1,337 | 1.11% |
2004 | 47,592 | 47.56% | 51,835 | 51.80% | 636 | 0.64% |
2000 | 34,705 | 44.50% | 41,560 | 53.29% | 1,725 | 2.21% |
1996 | 28,899 | 39.10% | 36,169 | 48.94% | 8,838 | 11.96% |
1992 | 24,400 | 35.76% | 23,876 | 34.99% | 19,957 | 29.25% |
1988 | 32,319 | 64.54% | 17,446 | 34.84% | 314 | 0.63% |
1984 | 28,200 | 68.37% | 13,040 | 31.61% | 7 | 0.02% |
1980 | 18,126 | 60.76% | 10,347 | 34.69% | 1,357 | 4.55% |
1976 | 11,502 | 47.51% | 12,386 | 51.16% | 321 | 1.33% |
1972 | 14,258 | 75.40% | 4,593 | 24.29% | 59 | 0.31% |
1968 | 7,281 | 43.02% | 5,232 | 30.92% | 4,410 | 26.06% |
1964 | 7,204 | 48.18% | 7,748 | 51.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 6,354 | 54.24% | 5,360 | 45.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 5,435 | 66.56% | 2,731 | 33.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 4,667 | 62.65% | 2,782 | 37.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 1,689 | 38.04% | 1,704 | 38.38% | 1,047 | 23.58% |
1944 | 920 | 30.17% | 2,129 | 69.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 962 | 30.73% | 2,169 | 69.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 497 | 20.34% | 1,946 | 79.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
1932 | 390 | 19.58% | 1,602 | 80.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 983 | 55.88% | 741 | 42.13% | 35 | 1.99% |
1924 | 524 | 36.95% | 722 | 50.92% | 172 | 12.13% |
1920 | 707 | 35.40% | 1,167 | 58.44% | 123 | 6.16% |
1916 | 134 | 13.14% | 703 | 68.92% | 183 | 17.94% |
1912 | 45 | 8.89% | 352 | 69.57% | 109 | 21.54% |
1908 | 63 | 14.52% | 280 | 64.52% | 91 | 20.97% |
Education
Schools in the county are managed by
- Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute [28]
- Indian River State College Ft. Pierce and PSL Campus
- Keiser University PSL Campus
- University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Ft. Pierce
Libraries
St. Lucie County is served by the St. Lucie County Library System.
Points of interest
- Experimental Oculina Research Reserve
- Heathcote Botanical Gardens
- Navy SEALs)
- Old Fort Park
- St. Lucie County Aquarium[29]
- St. Lucie County International Airport
- St. Lucie County Regional History Center[30]
Communities
Cities
Towns
Census designated places
- Fort Pierce North
- Fort Pierce South
- Hutchinson Island South
- Indian River Estates
- Lakewood Park
- River Park
- White City
Unincorporated communities
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- TC Palm& St Lucie Historical Society. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "St Lucie TPO".
- ^ "COASL: Our Services > Transportation".
- ^ "Treasure Coast Connector: Routes & Maps".
- ^ "Treasure Coast Connector: Home".
- ^ "Florida East Coast Railway". Official Guide of the Railways. 86 (7). National Railway Publication Company. December 1953.
- ISBN 9781554077533.
- ^ "BRIGHTLINE ANNOUNCES PROCESS TO SELECT A TREASURE COAST STATION". www.gobrightline.com. October 26, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: St. Lucie County, Florida". www.census.gov. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
- ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ a b Bureau, U.S. Census. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Waymer, Jim (January 7, 2020). "New Audubon site shows bird decline on Treasure Coast, nationally from climate change". TCPalm. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- ^ "St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections". Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ "FAU HBOI : Florida Atlantic University - Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute".
- ^ "St Lucie County Florida Online || St. Lucie County Marine Center". Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ^ "St. Lucie County, FL : St. Lucie County History".
External links
Governmental
- Board of County Commissioners
- Town & City Web Sites
- Constitutional officers
- Countywide districts
- Multicounty districts
- Judicial branch