Indiantown, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Indiantown, Florida
Village
Village of Indiantown
SW Warfield Blvd.
Seal
Motto(s):  Where Great Things Grow
Location in Martin County and the state of Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Martin
Settled	Circa 1890s
Incorporated	December 31, 2017
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
Area
• Total	14.44 sq mi (37.40 km2)
• Land	14.18 sq mi (36.73 km2)
• Water	0.26 sq mi (0.67 km2)
Elevation	33 ft (10 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,560
• Density	462.62/sq mi (178.62/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	34956
Area code(s)	772
FIPS code	12-33700
GNIS feature ID	0294216

Indiantown is a village in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,560 at the 2020 census. It is a rural community in the interior of Florida's Treasure Coast region, first established in the early 1900s, then incorporated on December 31, 2017. The village is governed by a mayor and council elected at-large, while day-to-day operations are directed by the village manager.

History

The Indiantown Seaboard Air Line Railroad depot, now demolished

Indiantown was originally established by the Seminole people as a trading post. Tribes fleeing southwards from the U.S. Army after the First Seminole War found the area an attractive place to settle due to a relatively higher elevation and ample hunting and fishing spots. It was then settled by white American migrants in the 1890s.

In 1924, Indiantown was transformed when S. Davies Warfield built an extension of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad from Coleman, Florida, to West Palm Beach, passing directly through—and stopping in—Indiantown.

Warfield planned to make Indiantown the southern hub of the Seaboard rail line. Toward that end, he planned a model city, laying out streets and building a school, housing, and a railroad station. Warfield also built the Seminole Inn, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Seminole Inn

The Florida land boom of the 1920s fizzled out after 1926. Warfield died a year later, putting an end to plans to make Indiantown the Seaboard's southern headquarters. The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane wreaked significant destruction and halted further development.

A serious effort to revitalize the local economy began in 1952 when the Indiantown Development Corporation was sold and restructured as the Indiantown Company. The company was involved in the construction of new water and sewage systems, housing developments, docks making use of the St. Lucie River, and a 6,000-foot (1,830 m) airstrip for bringing in small cargo and civilian air traffic.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Indiantown was home to the Circle T Ranch and its Circle T Rodeo Bowl. The 1963 rodeo event drew approximately 15,000 visitors, making it the largest tourist attraction in Florida at the time. The ranch was later bought out and turned into a filming studio.

Seaboard trains continued to stop at the Indiantown depot through the 1960s, but passenger service to the station was eliminated when Amtrak took over in 1971. The depot was demolished several years later. The Seminole Inn is virtually all that remains of the 1920s boom.

Warfield's contributions to Indiantown are memorialized in, among others, Warfield Boulevard (the main route through Indiantown) and Warfield Elementary School.

Currently, the economy of Indiantown relies heavily on seasonal agriculture. The town also continues to make use of its position near the intersections of many major roads to act as a transportation and infrastructure hub. There are also attempts to take advantage of nearby natural wetlands and to revitalize the rodeo in order to draw in tourists.

Geography

Indiantown is located in western Martin County at 27°2′N 80°28′W / 27.033°N 80.467°W / 27.033; -80.467 (27.0263, –80.4728). It is 12 miles (19 km) east of Port Mayaca on Lake Okeechobee, 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Stuart, the Martin county seat, and 36 miles (58 km) northwest of West Palm Beach.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Indiantown has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37 km²), of which 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²), or 1.80%, are water. The town's southern border is the St. Lucie Canal, connecting Lake Okeechobee with the St. Lucie River near Stuart.

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,560 people, 1,916 households, and 1,357 families residing in the village.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 6,083 people, 1,383 households, and 1,029 families residing in the village.

Public transportation

Martin County Public Transit (MARTY) provides fixed-route bus service through Indiantown.

Parks and Recreation

Christophe Clement at Payson Park for a training session

Indiantown is the home of Payson Park, one of the top thoroughbred horse racing facilities in the United States. Among the trainers with their champion horses who have participated in this event are William Mott, Christophe Clement, Roger Attfield, Shug McGaughey, John Kimmel, and Tom Albertrani. The Monkees frontman, Davy Jones, also kept a stable of thoroughbred horses in Indiantown, and it was here that he died in 2012 on Leap Year Day.

Other parks located within the village are Big Mound Park, Booker Park, Post Family Park, and Timer Powers Park.

Notable people

• Charles Emanuel, professional NFL football player
• Cleveland Gary, professional NFL football player
• Davy Jones, musician and actor from The Monkees
• Corey McIntyre, professional NFL football player
• Patrick Sheltra, 2010 ARCA Racing Series racing champion

See also

In Spanish: Indiantown (Florida) para niños