Treasure Coast

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Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties TCFlorida.png
Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties

The Treasure Coast is a region in the southeast of the U.S. state of Florida. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and comprises Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. The region, whose name refers to the Spanish Treasure Fleet that was lost in a 1715 hurricane, evidently emerged from residents' desire to distinguish themselves from the Gold Coast to the south (the coast along Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties).

Contents

The Treasure Coast area includes parts of two metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) designated by the Office of Management and Budget and used for statistical purposes by the Census Bureau and other agencies: the Port St. Lucie MSA (comprising St. Lucie and Martin counties) and the Sebastian–Vero Beach, Florida MSA (comprising Indian River County).

History

The area has long been inhabited, but like other of Florida's vernacular regions, a popular identity for the area did not emerge until the area had its initial population boom in the 20th century. It is one of several "coast" regions in Florida, such as the Gold Coast and the First Coast. [1] The term was coined by John J. Schumann Jr. and Harry J. Schultz of the Vero Beach Press Journal newspaper shortly after salvagers began recovering Spanish treasure off the coast in 1961. [2] The discovery of treasure from the 1715 Treasure Fleet, lost in a hurricane near the Sebastian Inlet, was of major local importance and brought international attention to the area. [3] Press Journal publisher Shumann and editor Schultz noted that there was no name for their area, which was between the well-known Gold Coast to the south (From Palm Beach County to Miami) and the Space Coast to the north (Brevard County). They started referring to their region as the "Treasure Coast" in the newspaper, and this use spread to the community. [2]

Media

Metropolitan areas

The Treasure Coast includes two metropolitan statistical areas designated by the Office of Management and Budget and used for statistical purposes by the Census Bureau and other agencies. These are:

Geography

Indian River Lagoon Area.jpg

All of the Treasure Coast is shielded from the Atlantic Ocean by narrow sandbars and barrier islands that protect the shallow lagoons, rivers, and bays. Immediately inland, pine and palmetto flatlands are abundant. [5] Numerous lakes and rivers run through the Treasure Coast, notably the Indian River, a part of the Indian River Lagoon system. At certain seasons of the year, bridges may impede the red drift-algal flow, causing a "rotten egg" hydrogen sulfide odor in the area. The Treasure Coast is also bordered by the Atlantic portion of the Intracoastal Waterway, a stretch of closed water from Brownsville, Texas, to Boston, Massachusetts. [6]

Communities

Much of the Treasure Coast's population is made up of census-designated places (CDPs), with almost all of these in Martin and Indian River counties. Only one city on the Treasure Coast has a population greater than 100,000 inhabitants, which is Port St. Lucie in St. Lucie County. Here is the classification of the places of the Treasure Coast. C for city, T for town, and V for village.

Place with more than 100,000 inhabitants

Places with 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants

Places with 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants

Places with 1,000 to 5,000 inhabitants

Places with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

Census-designated places (by population, as of 2010 Census)

Transportation infrastructure

Airports

Vero Beach Regional Airport offers commercial passenger service on Breeze Airways. Other commercial airports nearby include Melbourne's Melbourne Orlando International Airport to the north (40 miles from Vero Beach), and West Palm Beach's Palm Beach International Airport to the south (30 miles from Hobe Sound). Other small regional airports in the area include Treasure Coast International Airport in Fort Pierce, and Witham Field in Stuart.

Marine transportation

Fort Pierce Inlet State Park.jpg

The Port of Fort Pierce, in Ft. Pierce, located along the Indian River across from the Fort Pierce Inlet, is one of Florida’s 14 deepwater ports and a locally significant port for imports and exports. The Intracoastal Waterway follows the Indian River as it passes through the Treasure Coast. The Okeechobee Waterway connects Stuart with Ft. Myers on the west coast, passing through Lake Okeechobee about halfway along the route.

Highways

Despite its large population, the Treasure Coast has only two major north–south highways running through the area: Florida's Turnpike (a toll road) and Interstate 95. In the southern half of the Treasure Coast, both routes run generally parallel to each other (twice crossing each other), but are mostly located along the extreme western edges of the cities lining the coast. North of Ft. Pierce, the turnpike leaves the Treasure Coast, heading northwest towards Orlando, leaving 95 as the only north-south highway in the northern half of the area.

Much closer to the coast, U.S. 1 is the only main north–south roadway passing through the cities. Along the western banks of the Indian River, and often on the barrier island for the region (Hutchinson Island and Orchid Island), is Florida State Road A1A.

Beginning in Stuart, Florida State Road 76 runs west out of Stuart, passing Indiantown around halfway through before ending at an intersection with U.S. 98/441 in Port Mayaca. Shortly after leaving Stuart, the road parallels the St. Lucie Canal along its southern edge until both terminate along the eastern shore of Lake Okeechobee.

Florida State Road 70 runs east-west, beginning in Ft. Pierce, passing through Okeechobee before terminating in Bradenton, 148 miles (238 km) from Ft. Pierce.

Florida State Road 60 connects Vero Beach in the east with Clearwater to the west, 161 miles (259 km) away.

Railroads

The Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) operates freight service along the coast throughout the region. It also operates a rail yard just south of downtown Fort Pierce.

U.S. Sugar's South Central Florida Express, Inc. (SCXF) leases tracks between Pahokee and Fort Pierce from the FEC, known as the Lake Harbor Branch (K Branch). Along with trackage rights into FEC's Fort Pierce Yard, they also have a car haulage arrangement with FEC to Jacksonville to interchange with CSX and Norfolk Southern.

Up until 1963, long-distance passenger trains operated along the route. Among the most notable passenger trains were (main sponsors and destinations) the East Coast Champion (Atlantic Coast Line, New York City); City of Miami (Illinois Central, Chicago); Dixie Flyer (Louisville & Nashville, Chicago); Florida Special (winter season only; Florida East Coast Railway, New York City); Havana Special (Florida East Coast Railway, New York City); South Wind (Louisville & Nashville, Chicago). [8] [9] The Southern Railway's Royal Palm from Cincinnati ended its service south of Jacksonville, along the Florida East Coast by 1958. [10]

Amtrak and the Florida Department of Transportation had been discussing returning passenger service to the coast. [11] In 2023, Brightline, an inter-city rail route that currently runs between Miami and Orlando, announced that it was looking for sites for a new station on the Treasure Coast. [12] On March 4, 2024, Brightline officially announced that an infill station on the Treasure Coast would be built in Stuart and begin service by 2026. [13] [14]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian River County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lucie County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

St. Lucie County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 329,226. The county's seat is Fort Pierce, while the largest city is Port St. Lucie, making up 62% of the county's population. St. Lucie County is the principal county of the Port St. Lucie, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Pierce, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Atlantic Coast Florida. It is also known as the Sunrise City. Per the 2020 census, the population was 47,297.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port St. Lucie, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county and the seventh-most populous city in Florida with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Orlando and 113 miles (182 km) north of Miami. It is a principal city in the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes St. Lucie and Martin counties, and as of 2021 had an estimated population of 502,521. Port St. Lucie is also a principal city in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 6,841,100 as of 2021.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian River State College</span> Public college in Fort Pierce, Florida, US

Indian River State College (IRSC) is a public college with a main campus in Fort Pierce, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and serves the counties of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie on the Treasure Coast region of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Road 707 (Treasure Coast)</span> Two segments of road in Florida, US

County Road 707 (CR 707) is a designation applied to two segments of road across three counties on Florida's Treasure Coast. The entire road was formerly designated State Road 707 (SR 707) and has been gradually transferred to county jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 607</span> State highway in Florida, United States

State Road 607 is a state highway that extends 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from its southern terminus to the Indian River County line. A north–south road in northern St. Lucie County and southern Indian River County, it is locally known as Emerson Avenue throughout its route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area code 772</span> Area code in Florida, United States

Area code 772 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Treasure Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The numbering plan area (NPA) includes Sebastian, Fellsmere, Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Jensen Beach, Stuart, Hobe Sound, Indiantown, and other areas in east central Florida. The area code was created in 2002 in a split from area code 561, when the telephone number pool exhausted due in part to the increase of cell phone users.

TCPalm is the digital news site for Treasure Coast Newspapers, the largest daily news operation on the Treasure Coast of southeastern Florida. The region encompasses three coastal counties: Martin County, St. Lucie County and Indian River County. Treasure Coast Newspapers publishes three daily print newspapers: The Stuart News, St. Lucie News Tribune and the Indian River Press Journal, as well as the weekly Luminaries. The site was launched by Scripps Howard newspapers in 1996, and has been owned by Gannett since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida's 18th congressional district</span> U.S. House district for Florida

Florida's 18th congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress, located in the Florida Heartland. In the 2020 redistricting cycle, the district was created as a new district, which includes the inland counties of DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee, as well as most of Polk County and some of Immokalee in Collier County. The previous 18th district, located in the Treasure Coast, was instead renamed the 21st district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lucie River</span> River in the United States of America

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hutchinson Island</span>

North Hutchinson Island is a coastal barrier island in Indian River and St. Lucie counties on the east coast of Florida in the United States. The island is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and is separated from the mainland on the west by the Indian River Lagoon. The portion of the island in Indian River County is known as Orchid Island.

WQCP is a non-commercial FM radio station that formerly broadcast a classical music radio format. It is licensed to Fort Pierce, Florida, and serves the Treasure Coast. On December 4, 2023, the station dropped its classical format for R&B Christmas music, later flipping to an Urban Adult Contemporary format. It is part of IRSC Public Media, a division of Indian River State College, alongside two other stations: WQCS 88.9 FM in Fort Pierce and WQJS 88.5 FM in Clewiston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brightline</span> Intercity rail service in Florida

Brightline is an inter-city rail route in the United States that runs between Miami and Orlando, Florida. Part of the route runs on track owned and shared by the Florida East Coast Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port St. Lucie metropolitan area</span> Statistical area in Florida, US

The Port St. Lucie, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes St. Lucie and Martin counties in the Treasure Coast region of Florida.

Stuart station is a future Brightline inter-city rail station in Stuart, Florida. The station would be located near the Old Martin County Courthouse in the downtown area of the city, having a station size of 8,750 square feet (813 m2) on a 2.35-acre site. Service at this station will begin by the end of 2026.

References

  1. Lamme, Ary J.; Oldakowski, Raymond K. (2007). "Spinning a New Geography of Vernacular Regional Identity: Florida in the Twenty-First Century". Southeastern Geographer. 47 (2): 331. doi:10.1353/sgo.2007.0029. S2CID   129577530.
  2. 1 2 Tyler Treadway (March 27, 2011). "Who came up with the 'Treasure Coast' name?". tcpalm.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  3. "The storm that gave the Treasure Coast its name". The Miami Herald . June 10, 1996. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  4. "WQCS Homepage". WQCS.
  5. "Florida | Infoplease". www.infoplease.com.
  6. Jim Waymer (2010-07-02). "Man on mission to sweeten smell of Indian River Lagoon". Burlington Free Press.
  7. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Port St. Lucie city, Florida; United States". Census.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  8. "Florida East Coast Railway". Official Guide of the Railways. 90 (7). National Railway Publication Company. December 1957.
  9. "Florida East Coast Railway". Official Guide of the Railways. 91 (3). National Railway Publication Company. January 1962.
  10. "Florida East Coast Railway". Official Guide of the Railways. 94 (8). National Railway Publication Company. August 1958.
  11. "Orlando Sun-Sentinel," Feb 22, 2013, Angel Streeter, "Amtrak still hopeful for service on FEC tracks" http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-02-22/news/fl-amtrak-florida-east-coast-railroad-20130215_1_amtrak-service-fec-passenger-service Archived 2018-01-29 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "BRIGHTLINE ANNOUNCES PROCESS TO SELECT A TREASURE COAST STATION". www.gobrightline.com. October 26, 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  13. "BRIGHTLINE ANNOUNCES STATION EXPANSION FOR DOWNTOWN STUART & MARTIN COUNTY". www.gobrightline.com. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  14. Scruggs, Danielle (2024-03-04). "Brightline makes official announcement on Treasure Coast location". WPBF. Retrieved 2024-03-04.


Further reading

27°32′43″N80°23′18″W / 27.5452°N 80.3884°W / 27.5452; -80.3884