Indian River County

Indian River County is named for the lagoon that flows through it. Its county seat, Vero Beach, derived its name from the Latin "veritas," meaning truth. Other authorities have suggested that Vero is a short name for an old Indian village, Verona.

While numerous posh homes dot the neat-as-a-pin beach area, especially along State Road A1A, the inland area of Vero Beach is perhaps best known as home of Dodgertown, where the Los Angeles Dodgers have held spring training for the past half-century at the 1950s-style Holman Stadium.

The region, especially west of town, is an important citrus producing belt of Florida. The area’s well regarded Indian River label covers a citrus-growing region that extends from southern Brevard County through Indian River and south into St. Lucie, Martin and northern Palm Beach counties.

In recent years, the Vero Beach area has added two challenging golf courses, Indian River Club, a golf community with a Ron Garl-designed course; and Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club, featuring an Arnold Palmer-designed course on the barrier island. Vero Beach is the heartbeat of the county with its many shopping areas, condos and parks.

Other cities and towns within Indian River County include Sebastian, Fellsmere, Indian River Shores, Orchid, Gifford, Winter Beach, Wabasso and Roseland.
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St. Lucie County

Our newest residents are arriving for all the reasons we already knew: clean air, lack of congestion and traffic, a small-town atmosphere and a wonderful, pristine environment. “It’s just like I remember Fort Lauderdale was 25 years ago,” and “People are so nice up here. That’s so refreshing,” are typical of comments I have heard recently from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach transplants. With all that pressure on our surroundings, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the many qualities that make St. Lucie County so unique. Let’s embrace new development while also conserving our environment, while revitalizing our older cities and downtown areas. Old and new can co-exist and keep this a very special place to live, work and play.

St. Lucie County, just north of Stuart and Jensen Beach, offers a diverse mix of people, land uses, and, like Martin County, plenty of waterways and green space.The north end of the county, which includes Lakewood Park, is a laid-back region that hasn’t changed much in decades. The southern reaches are where the action is, primarily in the name of Port St. Lucie, one of the fastest-growing cities in the whole country.

Port St. Lucie now claims a population larger than West Palm Beach but with much less commercial development.

St. Lucie West, which is a part of the city, is a fast-growing planned community on the north side of town. The New York Mets spring train in the enclave.

Fort Pierce, a port city, is the county seat of St. Lucie County. The city was once a key railroad yard for the Florida East Coast Railway. Its downtown area, along the Indian River Lagoon, is experiencing a rebirth with a brand new library, interesting little shops and restaurants, and a Saturday morning riverfront Farmer’s Market during the fall-winter season.

Other towns in St. Lucie County include White City, a charming area just south of Fort Pierce along Midway Road; River Park, one of the first developed areas in Port St. Lucie; the Spanish Lakes manufactured home communities (including developments in Port St. Lucie and north county); Indian River Estates, nestled next to the Savannas State Reserve; Harbour Ridge, an upscale golf course/marina riverfront development near the Martin County line; and Lakewood Park, a subdivision in extreme northern St. Lucie County.
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Martin County

This corner of paradise is known for its colorful people, miles of pristine beaches and tranquil inland waterways — including the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.

Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Okeechobee, Martin County’s people are a diverse lot, including a mix of retirees and young adults.

Most development is east of I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike, and the western reaches of the county are heavily involved in agriculture.

Stuart, the county seat, is the center of commercial activity for the entire county and southern Port St. Lucie. Dozens of quaint shops line the very walkable Flagler Avenue and Osceola Street, in a city once known as Potsdam. Treasure Coast Square, the two-county area’s dominant shopping mall, is located at U.S. 1 and Jensen Beach Boulevard in northern Martin County.

Jensen Beach, Ocean Breeze Park, Palm City, Port Salerno, Hobe Sound and Indiantown are among the other towns within Martin County. Oceanfront Hutchinson Island straddles both Martin and St. Lucie counties.
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Northern Palm Beach County

To fully understand this area, one must appreciate its history - which is relatively long for this part of the country. We usually think of South Florida in general and Palm Beach County in particular as being developed fairly recently.

Tequesta, Palm Beach Gardens and Juno Beach, after all, date only from the 1950s, which is like yesterday to those who come from other parts of the country that were settled before the American Revolution.

But Jupiter boasts the oldest structure in the county - the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse that symbolizes our area, on which construction began in 1855. Yet even that project came well past the midpoint of our recorded history. Spanish explorers visited the Jupiter Inlet in the early to mid 1500s. Perhaps our most famous visitor, Jonathan Dickinson, was shipwrecked here in 1696. And the only military battle that is known to have been fought in this region occurred in 1838, during the Second Seminole War, on land that is now Riverbend Park in extreme western Jupiter.

All this history - as well as other aspects, such as the 1890s Celestial Railroad from Juno to Jupiter - gives our community a depth that is not enjoyed by many of our neighbors in South Florida.

And that gives us a fertile soil of tradition and character in which our constant flow of newcomers can re-establish roots.
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