Stuart/Martin County

Water seems to be everywhere you look in the county. Martin County contains the world-famous Indian River, the St. Lucie River, the Loxahatchee River, Lake Okeechobee, the Atlantic Ocean and various other creeks and canals. What's your water pleasure? Fishing? Boating? Windsurfing? Kayaking? Canoeing? Swimming? Whatever your choice, it can be enjoyed here.

Fore! Much more than that. There are over 30 public, semi-private and private golf courses to be played around the county. Golf is very popular here, so you'll want to make sure to bring your clubs. Don't play? Don't worry. At most courses you will find a golf professional who can provide lessons.

The county includes four incorporated cities, Stuart, Sewall's Point, Jupiter Island, the small town of Ocean Breeze Park and the unincorporated communities of Hobe Sound, Indiantown, Jensen Beach, Palm City and Port Salerno.

Home Sweet Home

From oceanfront condominiums to country ranches to golf-course homes and everything in between, Martin County has many housing choices available. The Realtor members of the Realtor Association of Martin County can assist you in choosing the right home for you and your family.

Vital Stats

Located on Florida's East Coast, Martin County is 100 miles north of Miami, just north of Palm Beach county, 250 miles south of Jacksonville, covers approximately 556 square miles and is 12 to 85 feet above sea level.

Population: 287,255
Median age: 46.4
Number of new citizens: 2,480 yearly
New job creation: 3.4 percent (1999)
Unemployment rate: 5.3 percent (August, 1999)
Cost of living: 101.22 price level index
Per capita income: $35,503
Median household effective buying income: $36,470

Health care is provided locally by Martin Memorial Health Systems, a not-for-profit community hospital corporation with two locations servicing the county. Martin Memorial Medical Center is in the north end of the county, located at 300 Hospital Ave. in Stuart and Martin Memorial South is located in the southern area of the county at 2100 SE Salerno Road in Stuart. Martin Memorial Health Systems also provides wellness programs and centers, rehabilitation and recovery services, and other health-care services.

Rain & Shine

It's a tropical paradise! The weather is another vital part of the Martin County allure. The mean average temperature is 74, with an average summer temperature of 82. Even in paradise a little rain must fall (but it does beat snow). Average yearly rainfall in the county is 56 inches.

Job Market

The primary industries driving the county economy are agriculture, construction, government, hospitality, ranching, retail and service. Martin County ranks fifth in citrus and vegetable production in the state. The Western area of the county has 40,000+ acres of oranges, grapefruits and lemons marketed under the Indian River label. Also located in this area of the county are many cattle ranches, the world-renowned Payson Park Thoroughbred Training Center and Tampa Farm Service, which produces 11 million dozen eggs annually.

Top employers are:

Martin Memorial Medical Center (health care service), Martin County School District, Martin County Government, Martin County Correctional Institution, Northrop Grumman Aircraft Systems, Inc. (manufacturer of aircraft structural components, aircraft overhaul), Publix Super Markets (retail grocery stores), Via Tropical Fruits, Inc./Caulkins Citrus Concentrate Plant (producer of bulk orange concentrate, lemon & grapefruit concentrate and by-products), Armellini Express Lines, Inc. (trucking company), First National Bank & Trust Co., and Turbo Combustor Technology, Inc. (manufacturer of aircraft parts).

Class Notes

Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the state's Department of Education (http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm). There you'll discover everything you'll need to know about Florida schools -- in general and in particular. All you need is the name of your county and the names of the schools students from your neighborhood attend.

Use links from the DOE home page for general information about entrance requirements, immunizations and so forth.

For the nitty-gritty details that really matter, click on the logo for the "Florida School Indicators Report."

Getting Around

Whether your destination is one of Florida's famous attractions or somewhere else, it is easily reached from Martin County's East Coast location. Interstate 95, the Florida Turnpike and many state and county roads make it easy to reach any destination. If air travel is needed, Palm Beach International Airport is only a short 45 miles south. It is serviced by most major airlines, including American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, US Air and others. Stuart's airport, Witham Field, features a 24-hour tower. It can accommodate charter flights and private planes.

Great Outdoors

Blue skies and warm sunshine are the perfect complement for the many outdoor venues available for you and your family to enjoy in Martin County. Pristine beaches and many exceptional city, county and state parks are located throughout the county.

Public beaches include: Stuart Beach, Sea Turtle/Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound Beach, Bathtub Reef and a dozen beach access strips, including Blowing Rocks Preserve and St. Lucie Inlet Park.

Parks include: Stuart Causeway Park, Jensen Beach Causeway Park, Stuart Recreation Center, Memorial/Bandstand Park, Langford Park, JV Reed Park, Palm City Park, Big Mound Park, Jonathan Dickinson State Park and over 20 more around the county.

From late May to early August you can also witness and participate in a turtle watch on Jensen Beach. This program includes a slide presentation, literature,

sea-turtle artifacts and transportation to the beach to witness the sea-turtle nesting. Reservations are required.

Offshore fishing has given birth to Stuart’s nickname, "Sailfish Capital of the World." Year after year, the local waters are host to many tournaments for the competitive angler. The beaches and the drawbridges offer the non-boating angler ample opportunity to catch the many varieties of fish available in the brackish waters of the local rivers and the saltwater of the surf. Snook, Pompano, Sailfish, Dolphin (not the Flipper variety), Moon Fish, Snapper, King Fish, etc. are all found in abundance here. Lake Okeechobee also offers some of the best bass fishing in the country.

Boating, boating everywhere. Cruisers, sailboats, jet skis, kayaks -- whatever your vessel, you’ll find cruising the local rivers or the Atlantic Ocean smooth sailing. The St. Lucie Inlet provides easy access to the ocean, with the Bahamas only hours away, and the St. Lucie Locks provide access to Lake Okeechobee and points west. The shores of the Indian, St. Lucie and Loxahachee rivers offer spectacular scenery for boaters and passengers in all types of vessels, including kayaks and canoes. You may even catch sight of an alligator, manatee or many of the native birds found here.

Enjoy nature, softball, soccer, tennis, basketball, boating, fishing, surfing, swimming, sunbathing, picnicking and more. It's all here for you to enjoy in the great outdoors.

Good Sports

Martin County is a golfer’s utopia, boasting in excess of 30 courses within a 15-mile radius -- a veritable smorgasbord of championship-caliber courses for the scratch golfer or the weekender. A golfer’s paradise for sure because so many of the country club communities are built around courses designed by Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, Dye, Fazio and Ankrom. Golfing legends Laoretti, Trevino and Norman also make their homes in Martin County communities.

Play ball! The Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Montreal Expos all have spring training facilities within a short drive of Martin County. To the North, the Dodgers play in Vero Beach, and the Mets play in Port St. Lucie. To the south, the Cardinals and the Expos play in Jupiter.

Jai-alai frontons are located within an hour's drive in West Palm Beach, or Fort Pierce. Greyhound dog racing is also located in West Palm Beach.

Hot Times in the City

Whether in the sizzle of the summer or the warmth of the winter, there are always places to go and things to do. Activities and points of interest abound. Martin County affords many interesting places of culture, history and fun.

• The Elliot Museum houses a collection of American memorabilia dating back to 1865 and features the inventions of Sterling Elliot.
• Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge Museum, listed as a National Historic Landmark, is the oldest standing structure in the county, built in 1875. It houses a collection of marine artifacts and maritime exhibits, some dating back to the 16th century.
• The Environmental Studies Center, operated by the Martin County School System, provides environmental education to students of all ages. Visitors can view saltwater aquariums, the wet lab, marine museum, native plant slat house and special lectures and seminars.
• A nature trail and museum can be enjoyed at the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge & Nature Center.
• The Barley Barber Swamp offers a mile-long boardwalk through a 400-acre freshwater cypress swamp preserve with hundreds of species of wildlife and plants. You will experience nature as it was over 100 years ago.
• The Jensen Beach Historical Museum includes a collection of historic photos and memorabilia depicting the rich history of the area dating back to the 1850s.
• The Courthouse Cultural Center is located in the old Martin County Courthouse. The building has been restored to its original 1937 architectural design, houses two galleries and displays historical photographs of early Martin County.
• The Lyric Theatre was built in 1925 and is listed on the National Historic Register. It’s being restored to its original "Art Deco" décor and hosts concerts, plays and other events.
• Local sightseeing cruises are offered by Island Princess Cruises, the Belle Carol, Capt. JP Boat Cruises and Ko-Ko Mo Fun Cruises -- either via regularly scheduled trips or by private charter.

Throughout the year there are many fun-filled festivals, shows and celebrations to be enjoyed by all. Here is just a sampling of some of the them.

• Each February the Martin County Fair showcases an old-fashioned fair with a swine show and sale, a steer show and sale, 4-H activities, national and local entertainment, and a large midway filled with rides and games.
• Stuart Mainstreet hosts Dancin’ in the Streets every August and the Downtown Art Show each February.
• The St. Lucie River Initiative holds its River Dayz Festival each November.
• Jensen Beach hosts its Pineapple Festival each November and a Seafood Festival in April.
• Various Christmas parades (on land and sea) are held each December throughout the county. Many art shows, including Art in the Park, are held all through the year as well.

Shop 'til You Drop

Martin County contains many unique specialty shops throughout the county, the Treasure Coast Mall in Jensen Beach and the Martin Square Mall in Stuart. There is also the B & A Flea Market, which every weekend for 20 years has been offering customers the opportunity to hunt for the unusual in an atmosphere of an old-fashioned street bazaar. The downtown areas of Stuart, with its pink sidewalks and Victorian lamp posts, Jensen Beach with its old Florida-style buildings and Hobe Sound bring you back to a simpler time and place. Their quaint shops, galleries and restaurants showcase the spectacular.

College Scene

Indian River Community College, with its main campus in nearby Fort Pierce, has an active satellite campus, Chastain Center, in Stuart. IRCC is a two-year institution that offers a varied curriculum and has proven to be an excellent school with CLAST test scores among the state's best.

Florida Atlantic University offers students four-year degrees and master's degrees. Two of its campuses, Port St. Lucie to the north and North Palm Beach to the south, are nearby. Both locations are easily reached from I-95 or US 1. Soon FAU will open a large campus in Jupiter just to Martin County's south.

Barry University, a private Catholic institution, has a Treasure Coast campus located in St. Lucie West just to the north of Martin County. 

Photographs of the sunset, Gilbert's Bar & House of Refuge, and beach with boat by Peter Gorman. All photos supplied by the Realtor Association of Martin County, Inc.

© 1998 Florida Association of Realtors