ST. LUCIE COUNTY
Real Estate
|
2007 |
2008 |
4/2009 |
| Median Price* Single Family Home |
$226,000 |
$153,600 |
$116,400 |
| Median Price* Condominium |
$190,000 |
$152,000 |
$121,000 |
* Median Price of 101 homes sold would be that price which is lower than 50 of the prices and also higher
than 50 of the prices. In other words, there are homes and condominiums available in every price range in
St. Lucie County. Median prices shown above are for the Port St. Lucie MSA. The statistics are meant to give
you a feel for the area as compared to others you may be considering and to show the direction of the market.
Taxes
Visit
Buy a Home in Florida for comprehensive property tax information
Weather
Average High/Low in January 64/38, in July 91/70
St. Lucie County is in the middle of Florida’s largest business centers, just 120 miles north of Miami, 60 miles north of West Palm Beach, 120 miles southeast of Orlando and 225 miles south of Jacksonville—yet a world away in spirit. St. Lucie County’s 572 square miles contain two major cities, Fort Pierce in the north and Port St. Lucie in the south. Beautiful Hutchinson Island and several hometown style development communities also contribute to this unique environment.
In 2005, St. Lucie County’s population was 240,039 and was the 2nd fastest growing county in Florida and the 13th fastest growing in the nation. The county experienced a 6.3 percent population increase between 2004 and 2005, was named a top 10 “boomtown” by Inc. magazine in 2006 and ranked the city of Port St. Lucie among “America’s Top Performing Cities” for 2005 job growth by the Milken Institute.
Visitors from around the globe enjoy the Manatee Observation and Education Center in Fort Pierce, where manatees can be seen any time of the year, especially in the winter. The center also offers visitors several exhibits and workshops, as well as boat tours of the picturesque Indian River Lagoon.
Locals and guests alike also enjoy learning about the Indian River Lagoon and its habitat at the St. Lucie County Marine Center, which features the Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit. The center opened in 2001, and it boasts six living exhibits, each featuring a unique marine ecosystem.
Nature lovers will appreciate over 7,000 acres of environmentally protected lands available for nature viewing and hiking seven days a week. Some even offer cycling, canoeing and kayaking opportunities. The Oxbow is but one example of our many gems. At the Oxbow you have 3 miles of trails, a canoe dock with available tours, boardwalks, a nature center and observation towers.
Another unforgettable experience awaits at Frederick Douglass Memorial Park on South Hutchinson Island, where visitors can take advantage of one of the few sites in the state where beach horseback riding is allowed.
Perhaps St. Lucie County’s most beloved natural amenity is our more than 20 miles of unspoiled emerald beaches. Uncrowded public access points all along the coast make it easy to swim, bask, surf fish, look for shells or read a paperback to the sound of gently lapping waves.
The unique location of St. Lucie County provides residents and visitors easy accessibility to activities, events and attractions that can’t be duplicated elsewhere. The climate is excellent with an average temperature range of 63 to 83 degrees, making it a year round destination for indoor or outdoor activities.
Events
- Invitational Billfish Tournament
- Party in the Park
- Jazz Week/Main Squeeze Citrus Festival
www.jazzsociety.org
- New York Mets Spring Training
www.traditionfield.com
- St. Lucie County Fair Backus Art Festival (Early March)
- Sandy Shoes Festival
- Wings ’n Wheels Air & Military Vehicle Show
www.slcwingsandwheels.org
- BBQ Blues & Jazz Festival
www.jazzsociety.org
- Yellowfin Kingfish Classic
- ZoraFest
- Holiday Tree Lighting
- Sights & Sounds on Second
- Christmas in the Gardens
Arts & Culture
Tranquil St. Lucie County has inspired artists in every medium for many decades, and a myriad of local creations are on display in museums and art galleries throughout the county.
Our marvelously restored Sunrise Theatre presents a wide variety of performances and the St. Lucie Community Theater stages an array of productions. Informal dress and inexpensive tickets are the rule of the day, so expect a most entertaining experience.
Check out what’s coming:
Pineapple Playhouse www.slct.8k.com
Sunrise Theatre for the Performing Arts www.sunrisetheatre.com
Parks & Recreation
Between the cobalt-blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, the peaceful flow of the St. Lucie River, the Indian River, a chain of quiet lakes and countless other bodies of water, St. Lucie County boasts a great abundance of aquatic activities. Take rudder, rod, snorkel or surfboard in hand and immerse yourself in an incomparable stream of water-based recreation. Whether you like to go fishing, boating, diving, surfing, canoeing or kayaking, St. Lucie County is truly unmatched.
If you like to troll a strong line from a boat offshore, then this “billfish capital” is sure to serve up a stupendous sport fish trophy to take home. King mackerel, mahi-mahi, snapper, grouper, sea bass and cobia also swim here, and numerous guide and charter services are available to help make your deep-sea dream a reality. Lobster season in St. Lucie—which lasts from August 6 through March 31—is not to be missed, as the area’s teeming reefs are some of the state’s most thriving breeding grounds.
Should you prefer a more peacefully paced Atlantic angling experience, surf fishing along our beautiful coastline offers great fun. And you won’t want to overlook pier fishing at South Jetty Park, where you can cast your cares away on the longest fishing jetty in Florida.
Fishing opportunities also abound further inland for those with an inshore inclination. You can find redfish, channel bass, snook, trout and more in the backwaters of the St. Lucie River, or hook huge bass in the chain of lakes found in the Savannas region of the county.
Some of St. Lucie’s most beautiful natural surroundings are best reached with paddle in hand. Slip into our river, lakes, estuaries and streams for a look at a great array of subtropical birds. Ride the waves in a beach kayak. Discover an active family adventure. Get onboard with the acclaimed canoeing and kayaking of St. Lucie County. Bring your own gear or stop by one of our canoe and kayak rental shops for a day of fun for the whole family!
There are two State parks in St. Lucie County. One of the state's newest seaside parks, Avalon has more than a mile of increasingly rare undeveloped beachfront. The park provides habitat for many species of wildlife. Threatened and endangered sea turtles, like the loggerhead, Atlantic green, and leatherback, nest on the beach during the spring and summer. Dune crossovers protect the fragile dune ecosystem. The park welcomes swimmers, snorkelers, fishermen and sunbathers for beach recreation.
Visit Your Florida Lifestyle for more information on fishing and our Guide to Establishing Florida Residency for Florida fishing license information.
Beaches
The Atlantic Ocean waterfront of St. Lucie County provides inspiration and recreation for its human visitors, a natural habitat for marine life and a tempering influence on St. Lucie’s unusually even climate. Considerable effort has been exerted to keep the beach habitat natural, unspoiled and accessible, and we’re sure you’ll agree its well worth it.
Hutchinson Island’s 22 miles of beaches have 34 public beach access points.
For comprehensive information on ALL Florida Beaches including gift certificates from the best Florida restaurants on or near them, check out The Florida Beach Book!
Golf
Golfers delight in the area’s acclaimed courses year round. Golf Digest magazine recently ranked Fort Pierce the eighth best place in Florida for golfers to live. The area boasts 12 public and semiprivate courses. The PGA Golf Club and Village in Port St. Lucie is the first PGA facility open to the public and the most advanced golf and practice center in the country. This facility alone features a learning center, educational center, historical center and golf club along with 72 holes of golf. The 35-acre learning center, which Golf World says, “might be the best practice facility in the world,” has driving ranges, putting greens, chipping areas and nine different types of bunkers. Other courses nearby include Ballantrae, Fairwinds, Gator Trace, Club Med Resort, St. James, Indian Hills and the Saints of Port St. Lucie, just to name a few. All of this provides you ample opportunities to tee up in our tropical paradise.
Visit Your Florida Lifestyle for additional golf information.
Sports
See the marvelous New York Mets square off against many major league teams every spring in St. Lucie County. The New York Mets make Port St. Lucie’s own Tradition Field the site of their spring training, with home games facing the likes of such heavy-hitting teams as the Atlanta Braves, the Florida Marlins, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Baltimore Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Comprehensive sports information can be found in the Your Florida Lifestyle section on our Home Page.
Hospitals
Visit Florida Medical Resources for comprehensive information including Florida hospital ratings.
Colleges
For information on Lifelong Learning, visit Your Florida Lifestyle.
Shopping
There are many boutiques and specialty shops with unusual—and stylish—resort wear, unique home furnishings and tasteful souvenirs in St. Lucie County.
Every Saturday from 8 a.m. to Noon, (rain or shine, all year round!), the Farmers’ Market gathers in downtown Ft. Pierce and features everything from locally grown produce to award winning sauces to beautiful plants and orchids. Visit the Farmers’ Market website for more information. http://www.ftpiercefarmersmarket.com
St. Lucie County, Florida, Cities & Towns
Incorporated
- City of Fort Pierce
- City of Port St. Lucie
- Village of St. Lucie
Unincorporated
Additional Resources
Featured Cities/Towns
Port St. Lucie
From the mayor:
The City of Port St. Lucie is unique in that it is a large city that retains its “small town feeling.” The city has once again been designated as one of the top ten fastest growing cities in the nation by the U.S. Census office. If you are looking for business opportunities, or just a great place to live and raise a family, we invite you to learn more about our burgeoning city.
We enjoy the Gulf Stream's breezes which cool us in the summer and warm us in the winter and help give us a wonderful climate year-round. An abundance of golf courses, from top PGA courses to our own municipal course, offer golfers lots of opportunities to practice their game. Miles and miles of pristine beaches are just seven miles away and 14 miles of the beautiful St. Lucie River run through the city.
Our city has often been referred to as “Park St. Lucie” because of the number of sports and environmental parks in the city. We are actively pursuing development of a Riverwalk area which will promote cultural, recreational and commercial opportunities. Although we are only 48 years old, action is being taken to insure state-of-the-art planning areas with our Community Redevelopment Area which encompasses 1,700 acres along the U.S. #1 corridor.
The city has an unchallenged reputation of being able to accommodate almost every level of living style from the very modest to the most discriminating. An additional plus for our community is that we have been certified as the safest city in the southeastern United States and the seventh safest in the nation.
We are very proud of our city and very happy to enjoy a high quality of life. On behalf of the City Council, I encourage you to visit our community.
The City Council, as well as myself, welcome any comments or questions you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of service.
Patricia P. Christensen
Mayor
In 2007, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine named Port St. Lucie among the top five places to retire.
Housing is affordable and varied. There are modest homes, gated communities, exclusive country club communities and plenty of oceanfront and canal front options.
If you would like to get a feel for home prices in St. Lucie County, visit www.zillow.com and search for recent homes sold.
If you would prefer to save precious time and would like personalized assistance, call or email us today to take advantage of our free Florida Relocation Services. We’ll answer all of your questions and if the timing is right for you, we’ll introduce you to one of the best real estate agents in St. Lucie County who can provide detailed information and professional assistance.
