Martin County, Florida facts for kids

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Martin County

U.S. county

Martin County Courthouse

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Florida

Florida's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Florida

Founded

May 30, 1925

John W. Martin

Largest community

Area

• Total

753 sq mi (1,950 km²)

• Land

543 sq mi (1,410 km²)

• Water

209 sq mi (540 km²) 27.8%%

Population

(2020)

• Total

158,431

• Estimate

(2023)

163,315

• Density

210.40/sq mi (81.24/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional district

21st

Roosevelt Bridge and Stuart City

Martin County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,431. Its county seat is Stuart. Martin County is in the Port St. Lucie, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Martin County was created in 1925 with the northern portion coming from St. Lucie County and southern portion coming from Palm Beach County. It was named for John W. Martin, Governor of Florida from 1925 to 1929.

When the county was created, the western contour followed the shore of Lake Okeechobee, as did the borders of Glades, Okeechobee, and Hendry counties. Palm Beach County had historically claimed all of the surface of the lake as part of its area, to its benefit for the distribution of state and federal highway funds. The state representative of Martin County, William Ralph Scott of Stuart, initiated a bill to divide the lake among its adjacent counties, creating a more equitable distribution of state funds for road creation and maintenance. All bordering counties confirmed the justice of this change and supported its ratification, with the exception of Palm Beach County. Representatives from Palm Beach County later presented Representative Scott with a jug of water, signifying "all the water Bill Scott left Palm Beach County." The jug is in the possession of Stuart Heritage.

Geography

Weather chart for Hobe Sound, FL

2.4

2.6

3.9

2.9

3.5

6.9

6.3

7.3

7.1

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2.4

temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
61 23 11	66 24 12	99 26 14	74 28 16	89 30 19	175 32 22	160 33 23	185 33 23	180 32 22	127 29 20	79 27 16	61 24 13
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 753 square miles (1,950 km²), of which 543 square miles (1,410 km²) is land and (27.8%) is water. It is the fifty-fourth largest county in Florida by land area, and fifty-third largest by total area.

Adjacent counties

St. Lucie County – north
Palm Beach County – south
Hendry County – southwest
Glades County – southwest
Okeechobee County – northwest

National protected area

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge

Environment

Martin County Shore Protection Project

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Martin County Shore Protection Project includes nourishment of approximately 3.75 miles of beach extending from the St. Lucie County line south to the Stuart Public Beach Park in Martin County. Included in the project is restoration of the primary dune and a 35-foot-wide protective berm. The renourishment interval for this project is every 7 years.

The last renourishment of the Martin County Shore Protection Project was completed in May 2013 and included a Flood Control and Coastal Emergency component due impacts incurred with the passage of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The next renourishment event is scheduled for 2019.

The estimated total cost of this project is $69.9 million, $32.5 million of which is to be paid for by the U.S. Federal Government. In Fiscal Year 2015, no funding was appropriated to the project by the U.S. Congress. In the Fiscal Year 2016 U.S. President's Budget Request to the U.S. Congress, no funding dollars was requested for the project.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1930	5,111	—
1940	6,295	23.2%
1950	7,807	24.0%
1960	16,932	116.9%
1970	28,035	65.6%
1980	64,014	128.3%
1990	100,900	57.6%
2000	126,731	25.6%
2010	146,318	15.5%
2020	158,431	8.3%
2023 (est.)	163,315	11.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2019

2020 census

**Martin County racial composition**
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	117,532	119,216	80.33%	75.25%
Black or African American (NH)	7,493	7,277	5.12%	4.59%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	248	218	0.17%	0.14%
Asian (NH)	1,510	2,246	1.03%	1.42%
Pacific Islander (NH)	52	42	0.04%	0.03%
Some Other Race (NH)	139	525	0.09%	0.33%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	1,463	4,720	1.0%	2.98%
Hispanic or Latino	17,881	24,187	12.22%	15.27%
Total	146,318	158,431

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 158,431 people, 65,014 households, and 40,328 families residing in the county.

Transportation

Airports

Indiantown Airport
Witham Field

Major highways

Interstate 95
Florida's Turnpike
U.S. Highway 1
U.S. Highway 98
U.S. Highway 441
State Road A1A
State Road 76
County Road 707
State Road 710
State Road 714
State Road 732

Buses

Martin County Public Transit (MARTY) is the fixed-route public bus service operated by the county.

Intercity rail

Brightline officially announced that an infill station on the Treasure Coast would be built in Stuart and begin service by 2028.

Trails

The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, a segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail, passes through Martin County.

Libraries

The Martin County Library System has 6 branches.

Blake Library (Stuart)
Elisabeth Lahti Library (Indiantown)
Hobe Sound Public Library (Hobe Sound)
Hoke Library (Jensen Beach)
Peter & Julie Cummings Library (Palm City)
Robert Morgade Library (a location adjoining Indian River State College)

Attractions

Florida panther at Possum Long, September 1992

Audubon of Martin County: Possum Long Nature Center, Palm Beach Road, Stuart
Elliott Museum on Hutchinson Island
Jonathan Dickinson State Park in South Martin County
Martin County Fair held every February.
Martin County Public Beaches:
- Hobe Sound Public Beach on Jupiter Island
- Jensen Sea Turtle Beach, Stuart Beach and many beach strips on Hutchinson Island.
Savannas Preserve State Park (extends into St. Lucie County)
St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park on Long Island east of Port Salerno and north of Jupiter Island

Historic areas

On the National Register of Historic Places:

Hobe Sound
- Olympia School, 1925
- Trapper Nelson Zoo Historic District, located south of Hobe Sound is inside Jonathan Dickinson State Park in southern Martin County, 1933
Hutchinson Island
- House of Refuge at Gilbert's Bar, 1876
- Georges Valentine Shipwreck Site, 1904
Indiantown
- Seminole Inn, 1926
Jensen Beach
- Mount Elizabeth Archeological Site, prehistoric
- Stuart Welcome Arch, 1926
- Tuckahoe, 1938
Jupiter Island
- Gate House, 1927
Stuart
- Burn Brae Plantation-Krueger House, 1894
- Lyric Theatre, 1927
- Old Martin County Courthouse, 1937

Other historic areas listed in 1989 by the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects:

All Saints Episcopal Church, Waveland, 2377 N.E. Patrician Street, 1898,
Bay Tree Lodge (Kiplinger House), 143 S. River Road (originally 104 S. Sewall's Point Road), Sewall's Point, 1909
Dudley-Bessey House, 110 S.W. Atlanta Avenue, Stuart, 1909
Dyer Homestead, 1006 S.W. St. Lucie Crescent, Stuart, 1904
Feroe Building, 73 S.W. Flagler Avenue, corner of St. Lucie, Stuart, 1913
France Apartments, 524 St. Lucie Crescent, Stuart, 1927
Golden Gate Building, 3225 S.E. Dixie Highway in Golden Gate south of Stuart, 1925
Kitching House, 210 S.W. Atlanta Avenue, Stuart, 1894
Stuart Feed Store, 101 S.W. Flagler Avenue, Stuart, 1905
Sunrise Inn, S.E. Old St. Lucie Boulevard, Port Sewall. ca. 1925 (demolished)
John E. Taylor House, 204 S.E. Atlanta Avenue, Stuart, 1914