Port St. Lucie

History

The name "St. Lucie" is originally derived from the name of a settlement near Jupiter Inlet, which was founded on St. Lucia's Day in 1566. Due to numerous errors, the name later came to be associated with the present-day town of St. Lucie Village, Florida, north of present-day Port St. Lucie. After La Florida and St. Augustine, it is the oldest still-in-use European place name in the United States. In the early 1890s, an early pioneer settlement named Spruce Bluff was located along the St. Lucie River, which consisted of a community of several families with a school, post office, pineapple plantation, and sawmill. Currently, the land the settlement was located on is part of the Spruce Bluff Preserve. Along with an old cemetery near the old settlement, the preserve also contains a hiking area, canoe access, observation areas, and a prehistoric Ais Indian mound located on the southern end of the preserve. In the 1950s, the land that eventually became Port St. Lucie was a largely uninhabited tract of land south of White City, composed of a fishing camp (Burt Pruitt's Fishin' Farm) along the St. Lucie River, a few farms and businesses near U.S. 1. In 1958, with a budget of $50 million, the General Development Corporation (GDC) purchased the River Park development and along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. In 1959, the GDC opened its first bridge over the St. Lucie River, allowing for direct automobile access to Port St. Lucie. By February 25, 1961, 250 homes were in the new city. GDC requested the state legislature to incorporate , along with the River Park settlement, into the City of Port St. Lucie. River Park did not incorporate into the city at the request of its residents. Port St. Lucie became a city on April 27, 1961, with the passage of House Bill No. 953,…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which (1.50%) are covered by water. In late 2019, Port St. Lucie began naming different neighborhoods throughout the city. As of 2020, 33 neighborhoods are named in Port St. Lucie: {| |valign="top" width=25%| * Bayshore Business District * Bayshore Heights * Becker Ridge * Canal Pointe * Cashmere Cove * Crane Landing * Fairgreen Crossing * Floresta Gardens * Floresta Pointe * Gatlin Pines * Hidden Oaks |valign="top" width=25%| * Lyngate * Morningside * Newport Isles * Northport Village * Oak Hammock * Paar Estates * Palm Trails * Riverview * Rosser Reserve * Sandhill Crossing * Sandpiper Bay |valign="top" width=25%| * Sawgrass Lakes * Southbend Lakes * St. Lucie North * St. Lucie West * Swan Park * Torino * Tradition * Tulip Park * Veranda * Whispering Pines * Woodland Trails |} Port St. Lucie is located in the broad transition zone between a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), which prevails in Central Florida, and within the northern extent of the tropical climate typical of South Florida. Summers are usually hot, with high temperatures averaging in the low 90°Fs. Winters are usually mild to warm, with average high temperatures in the 70s. The average yearly precipitation is around 53.5 in. In 2004 and 2005, Port St. Lucie was hit directly by three hurricanes: Frances (category 2), Jeanne (category 3), and Wilma (category 3).

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,235
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,719
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,204
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,865
• Boat-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus major Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  6,368
• White Ibis

  Eudocimus albus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,078
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,670
• Fish Crow

  Corvus ossifragus A.Wilson, 1812 · Aves
  5,043