The Jupiter Inlet is a natural opening through the barrier islands of Martin and Palm Beach counties in Jupiter, Florida, that connects the south end of the Indian River Lagoon and the Loxahatchee River to the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the six inlets into the Indian River Lagoon System. Its approximate location is 26°56′38″N80°04′18″W / 26.9440°N 80.0716°W .
North of the inlet is Jupiter Inlet Colony, the southern tip of Jupiter Island, which serves as the inlet's north jetty. The inlet’s south jetty consists of the Dubois Park and the town’s natural beachfront extending 3.4 miles south along the county's coastline. [1] It contains the popular tourist site of Jupiter Inlet Light to the north side of the inlet.
The region known as Rio de la Cruz by the Spanish, is first encountered by Juan Ponce de Leon in the spring of 1519. [2] When Ponce de Leon arrived in April of this year accompanied by the galleons Santa Maria de la Consolacion and Santiago, a violent engagement between his crew and the indigenous Jeaga people occurred. [3]
The Jupiter Inlet first appeared on maps dating back to 1671. At the time, it was the only outlet for the diversion of flowing waters from the Loxahatchee River, Lake Worth Creek, and the Jupiter Sound portion of the St. Lucie and Indian River flows. [4] [5] The Inlet was once several hundred yards larger than it is today, however, the artificial development of the St. Lucie Inlet altered the river sources' hydrodynamics and called for the reduction of the inlet’s shoals in order to maintain a more navigable channel. [6]
In 1921, the Jupiter Inlet District was established as an independent special district by the Florida State Legislature in order to maintain the inlet as a safe entry for vessels. [7] The inlets north and south jetties were implemented a year later in 1922 by Chief Engineer of Lake Worth, J.C. Wagen. The jetties were initially constructed each over 300 feet in length and 300 feet apart. In 1929, the north jetty was extended 200 feet while the south jetty was extended by 75 feet. By the early 1930s, a rock ballast had been constructed at the inlets north side to provide stability. [8] In 1942, the inlet was closed due to threats of German U-boats off the coast of Florida during WWII. It remained closed until 1947. [9]
The famous Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse was designed by Lieutenant George Gordon Meade and was chosen to be erected on a hill once thought to be an Indian shell mound or midden in 1853 to the north side of the inlet. [10] [11] Construction was completed in 1860 and remains active as of 2024. [12]
Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 26th-most populous in the United States, with 1,492,191 residents as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is West Palm Beach, which had a population of 117,415 as of 2020. Named after one of its oldest settlements, Palm Beach, the county was established in 1909, after being split from Miami-Dade County. The county's modern-day boundaries were established in 1963.
Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 US Census, the town had a population of 61,047. It is 84 miles north of Miami and 15 miles north of West Palm Beach. Along with the adjacent Village of Tequesta, Jupiter is considered the northernmost municipality in the Miami metropolitan area. It was named the 9th Best Southern Beach Town to live in by Stacker Newsletter for 2022, was rated as the 12th Best Beach Town in the United States by WalletHub in 2018, and as the 9th Happiest Seaside Town in the United States by Coastal Living in 2012.
Jupiter Island is a barrier island on the coast of Martin and Palm Beach counties, Florida. It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by the St. Lucie Inlet, on the west by the Indian River, and on the south by the Jupiter Inlet. Jupiter Island originally was two islands, Long Island on the north and Jupiter Island on the south, which were once separated by an inlet in the vicinity of North Jupiter Narrows and what is officially called Peck Lake, but commonly called Peck's Lake.
Sebastian Inlet, located in Sebastian Inlet State Park in Brevard County, Florida and Indian River County, Florida, offers surfing and fishing opportunities. It is off State Road A1A just 12 miles north of Vero Beach. There are annual surf tournaments, professional and amateur. Visitors fish there, particularly for Snook and Redfish.
The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons: the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River, and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida; one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to more than 4,300 species of plants and animals.
The Hillsboro Canal is located in the southeastern portion of Florida within the South Florida Water Management District, and for much of its length forms the border between Broward and Palm Beach counties; however, its western end was entirely in Palm Beach County, until being recently annexed to Parkland in Broward County. It begins at Lake Okeechobee at the S-2 water control structure in South Bay west of Belle Glade, Florida.
The St. Lucie Inlet, Florida is located between Hutchinson Island and Jupiter Island in Martin County, Florida, at coordinates 27°09′58″N80°09′24″W. The St. Lucie Inlet is one of six inlets into the Indian River Lagoon.
The Jaega were Native Americans living in a chiefdom of the same name, which included the coastal parts of present-day Martin County and northern Palm Beach County, Florida at the time of initial European contact, and until the 18th century. The name Jobé, or Jové, has been identified as a synonym of Jaega, a sub-group of the Jaega, or a town of the Jaega.
The Jupiter Inlet Light is located in Jupiter, Florida, on the north side of the Jupiter Inlet. The site for the lighthouse was chosen in 1853. It is located between Cape Canaveral Light and Hillsboro Inlet Light. The lighthouse was designed by then Lieutenant George G. Meade of the Bureau of Topographical Engineers. Meade's design was subsequently modified by Lieutenant William Raynolds. The Jupiter Inlet silted shut in 1854, forcing all building supplies to be shipped in light boats down the Indian River. Work was interrupted from 1856 to 1858 by the Third Seminole War. The lighthouse was completed under the supervision of Captain Edward A. Yorke in 1860 at a cost of more than $60,000.
The Palm Beach Inlet, also known as the Lake Worth Inlet is an artificial cut through a barrier island connecting the northern part of the Lake Worth Lagoon in Palm Beach County, Florida with the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by the town of Palm Beach on the south, and by the town of Palm Beach Shores to the north. The inlet is also the entrance channel for the Port of Palm Beach. Its coordinates are 26°46′20″N80°02′14″W.
The Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, a part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, is a refuge on Jupiter Island in Florida. Its official name as of 2019 is the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. Part of the refuge is inside the town of Jupiter Island, while the rest is in the unincorporated areas of Martin County. The 1,035-acre (4.19 km2) refuge was established in 1969, to protect the loggerhead and green sea turtles. It is administered as part of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.
Florida's 21st congressional district is a U.S. congressional district on the Treasure Coast. In the 2020 redistricting cycle, the district was drawn as a successor to the previous 18th district and contains all of St. Lucie County and Martin County as well as the northeastern part of Palm Beach County, and includes Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Jupiter, and Palm Beach Gardens, as well as Treasure Coast International Airport. The previous iteration of the 21st district, which extended from Delray Beach to Palm Beach, was instead renamed the 22nd district.
Loxahatchee is an unincorporated community in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located north of Wellington, and west and northwest of Royal Palm Beach, approximately 17 miles (27 km) west of West Palm Beach. Loxahatchee is under the zip code of 33470.
The St. Lucie River is a 35-mile-long (56 km) estuary linked to a coastal river system in St. Lucie and Martin counties in the U.S. state of Florida. The St. Lucie River and St. Lucie Estuary are an "ecological jewel" of the Treasure Coast, central to the health and well-being of the surrounding communities. The river is part of the larger Indian River Lagoon system, the most diverse estuarine environment in North America with more than 4,000 plant and animal species, including manatees, oysters, dolphins, sea turtles and seahorses.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Florida.
Gulf Stream Council is a council of the Boy Scouts of America in southeast Florida with the headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens. Founded in 1914, the Gulf Stream Council serves Scouts in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry counties. Throughout its area, it serves over 24,000 youth.
The Battles of the Loxahatchee occurred west of Jupiter Inlet in South Florida in January 1838 between the United States Military and the Seminole Indians led by Chief Abiaka. The First Battle of the Loxahatchee occurred on January 15, involving a joint Navy-Army unit led by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Levin M. Powell. The Second Battle of the Loxahatchee occurred on January 24 involving a large army under U.S. Army General Thomas Jesup. The two battles were fought around the same area against the same group of Seminoles.
Riverbend Park is a 680-acre (280 ha) park in the Jupiter Farms section of Jupiter, in Palm Beach County, Florida. The area includes the Riverbend Regional Park Historic District with Indian middens and a preserved battlefield from the Seminole War at the Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park adjacent to Riverbend. The park includes 10 miles of hiking/biking trails, 7 miles of equestrian trails and 5 miles of canoeing/kayaking trails and includes a section of the Loxahatchee River, a National Wild and Scenic River. A Florida cracker farmstead is displayed, as well as a Seminole-style chickee for picnics. The battlefield area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.
The South Lake Worth Inlet, also known as the Boynton Inlet, is an artificial cut through a barrier beach connecting the south end of the Lake Worth Lagoon in Palm Beach County, Florida with the Atlantic Ocean. The inlet is 130 feet (40 m) wide and 6 to 12 feet deep.
Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. Its history dates back to about 12,000 years ago, shortly after when Native Americans migrated into Florida. Juan Ponce de León became the first European in the area, landing at the Jupiter Inlet in 1513. Diseases from Europe, enslavement, and warfare significantly diminished the indigenous population of Florida over the next few centuries. During the Second Seminole War, the Battles of the Loxahatchee occurred west of modern-day Jupiter in 1838. The Jupiter Lighthouse, the county's oldest surviving structure, was completed in 1860. The first homestead claims were filed around Lake Worth in 1873. The county's first hotel, schoolhouse, and railway, the Celestial Railroad, began operating in the 1880s, while the first settlers of modern-day Lake Worth Beach arrived in 1885. During the 1890s, Henry Flagler and his workers constructed the Royal Poinciana Hotel and The Breakers in Palm Beach and extended the Florida East Coast Railway southward to the area. They also developed a separate city for hotel workers, which in 1894 became West Palm Beach, the county's oldest incorporated municipality. Major Nathan Boynton, Congressman William S. Linton, and railroad surveyor Thomas Rickards also arrived in the 1890s and developed communities that became Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Boca Raton, respectively.
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