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 The city of
Fort Pierce is a historic waterfront city, incorporated in 1901. As one of the oldest communities on the east coast of Florida, Fort Pierce has borne witness to the changing tides of history for over 100 years. Known for its fishing, canning of fish and pineapple, Fort Pierce's early days began to boom and became the economic hub of the Treasure Coast community with the introduction of Flagler's railway in the 1920's.
Today, the waterfront communities includes a transportation network of Florida's Turnpike,
Interstate 95, Highway 70, the St. Lucie County airport and the Port of Fort Pierce.
Fort Pierce has approximately 39,000 residents and encompasses over 20sq miles in a diverse yet neighborly community, which embraces both the richness or heritage and the promise of future growth in St. Lucie County. With both Mediterranean and Florida "Cracker-style" architecture, Fort Pierce has a varied and colorful history, including military activity during the Seminole War and World War II. Downtown has numerous historic buildings that have been renovated, such as the P.P. Cobb building which was constructed in 1882, The United States Post Office and City Hall are also interesting to visit.
Many redevelopment and restoration efforts continue to take place, namely the 1923
Sunrise Theatre that will reopen as a 1200 seat regional performing arts center in downtown. Streetscapes with brick pavers, landscaping and decorative lighting and signage all add to the unique waterfront community. Downtown affords visitors and resident alike with unique shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities.
Fort Pierce is home to numerous modern educational and research facilities, like top-ranked Indian River Community College, the $6 million Smithsonian Institute Marine Station, the
Manatee Observation and Education Center and
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and the
St. Lucie County Historical
Museum. The St. Lucie County Airport has seen significant changes over the years including Customs Services and opportunities for international travel. Several flight training schools are located here as well as other flight related businesses.
The Fort Pierce City Marina is located on the beautiful Indian River in downtown and offers boaters all the amenities of small town life in a peaceful setting. With the close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean via the Fort Pierce inlet, it affords numerous fishing opportunities for both recreational and commercial fishermen and is a short distance to the Bahamas. Fishing and boating are a major part of the local economy with several boat companies located in the area.
Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County continue to lead the State of Florida in grapefruit production. Several large juice companies are based here, including Tropicana, which recently expanded its juice production storage facility. As it has historically, Fort Pierce continues to be an important part of the Treasure Coast of Florida.
More links to area activities are listed below - Click on the
name to go there.
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