Stuart

Stuart is a city in and the seat of Martin County, Florida, United States. The population is 17,425 according to the 2020 United States Census. Stuart is frequently cited as one of the best small towns to visit in the U.S., in large part because of its proximity to the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon. In the 18th century, several Spanish galleons were shipwrecked in the Martin County area of Florida's Treasure Coast. The area was first settled by non-Native Americans in 1870. In 1925, Stuart was chartered as a city and named the county seat of the newly created Martin County. From 1893 to 1895, the area was called Potsdam, in honor of Homer Hine (Jack) Stuart Jr., a local landowner who owned a 160 acres around the railway station. The City of Stuart formally adopted the slogan Sailfish Capital of the World in 1957, following pressure from the Stuart Chamber of Commerce, owing to the many sailfish found in the ocean off the coast. From 1871 to 2005, 19 hurricanes passed through Stuart, including Isbell (1964), Frances (2004), Jeanne (2004), and Wilma (2005) The city has a tropical rainforest climate (Af), with hot, humid summers and warm, drier winters. Late summer brings an increased threat of tropical storms and hurricanes, though landfalls are rare. Several major hurricanes have impacted Stuart since 1900, with Hurricane David in 1979 causing moderate damage to the area.

History

Stuart is the primary city name, but also Sewalls Point are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Stuart, Florida. In 1832, pirate Pedro Gilbert used a sandbar off the coast as a lure to unsuspecting prey. The bar from which he lured his intended booty is named "Gilbert's Bar" on nautical charts. The City of Stuart formally adopted the slogan Sailfish Capital of the World in 1957, following pressure from the Stuart Chamber of Commerce, owing to the many sailfish found in the ocean off Martin County. From 1871 to 2005, 19 hurricanes passed through Stuart, including Isbell (1964), Frances (2004), Jeanne (2004), and Wilma (2005). Stuart was incorporated as a town in 1914. In 1925, Stuart was chartered as a city and named the county seat of the newly created Martin County, Florida. The area that became Stuart was first settled by non-Native Americans in 1870. In 1875, a United States Lifesaving Station was established on Hutchinson Island, near Stuart. Today, the station is known as Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge and is on the National Register of Historic Places. From 1893 to 1895, the area was called Potsdam. Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway connected the area to Daytona Beach in 1892 and Miami in 1896. Stuart was renamed Stuart in 1895, in honor of Homer Hine (Jack) Stuart Jr., a local landowner who owned a 160 acres around the railway station.:7 Rue, Luckhardt, Krueger, Crary, Armellinis, were some of the prominent settler families.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Stuart has a total area of 8.5 square miles (22 km²) The city has a tropical rainforest climate, with hot, humid summers and warm, drier winters. Several major hurricanes have impacted Stuart since 1900, with Hurricane David in 1979 and hurricanes Frances and Jeanne causing moderate damage to the area in 2004. Stuart has an average annual mean maximum temperature of 96.4 °F (35.8 °C), with 81 days of 90+ °F highs annually. The city's annual mean minimum temperature is 37.6°F (3.1 °C) with most winters being frost-free. Stuart is located on the Atlantic seaboard of New England, and is located in the eastern part of the New England Seaboard. It is the only city in the state of New Hampshire with a population of more than 100,000. It has a latitude and longitude of 38.2°S (12.7°E), with an average of 6.3 square miles (16 km²), or 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), in the United States. It was founded in 1803. The town is located near the site of the former British colony of St Vincent and the Grenadines, which is now part of North Carolina. Stuart was founded by English settlers in 1807. It became the first U.N. base in the region, and was the first in the Caribbean Sea to be founded.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 15,593 people, 7,220 households, and 3,422 families residing in the city. The cost of living in Stuart is 88, on a relative scale where the U.S. average is represented by 100. Stuart is publicly seen as a new coming old city, starting a new boom in its local economy with construction of a new bridge, rise of new buildings and roadways being restored. The median income for a household in Stuart was $35,954, and the median income. for a family was $47,736. The per capita income for the city was $25,020. About 7.8% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 9.1% ofThose age 65 or over. The city has a population of 17,425 as of the 2020 United States census, and is expected to grow to 18,000 by the end of the decade. It is located in the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle, near the Florida Turnpike and the Panhandle Highway. The population of the city has grown to more than 15,000 as of 2010. It has a median age of 48 years, and a population density of 2,320.5 per square mile (896.0/km²) The city is located on the Florida panhandle, which is one of the fastest-growing areas of the state.

Economy

Stuart hosts one of the two Florida Department of Health offices in Martin County, the other being in Indiantown. Various businesses cater to tourists, such as fishing charters, boating charters and sailing, cruises, SCUBA and snorkeling, and nature tours. According to the city's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the Stuart area are: Florida Power & Light, Florida Power and Light, and Florida State College of Science and Technology. The city's unemployment rate is 3.7%. The unemployment rate for the city is 2.9%. The poverty rate is 1.8%. The median household income is $50,000. The average household income in Stuart is $52,000, according to the 2011 Comprehensive annual financial report. The median income for the town is $60,000; the average household wage is $58,000 in the city. The town has a population of 4,000 people. It has an unemployment rate of 2.7%, and a poverty rate of 1.4%. The city has a median income of $51,500; the town's unemployment rates are 1.9%, and the median income is 0.6%. The town's population is 4,100; the population's poverty rate was 0.7% in 2011. The state's economy is 2,200 people; the state's GDP is 1,200, and the state has a GDP of 1,300, and it has a poverty level of 0.8% .

Arts and culture

Historic properties in downtown range from the early 1880s to 1940s. Buildings represent a mix of Beaux-Arts, colonial revival, spanish mediterranean, Art Deco, frame vernacular, masonry Vernacular architecture styles. The Barn Theatre, Stuart Heritage Museum, and Tropical Ranch Botanical Garden are examples of historic buildings. Sailfish Splash Waterpark is a water park with a water slide. The Audubon of Martin County has a museum, and the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center has a center for oceanographic research. The Martin County Museum of Art has a gallery, the Martin County Art Gallery, and a gallery with a museum. The Florida Museum of History has an art gallery and a museum with a gallery. The Museum of Fine Arts, Martin County is a museum of art and culture, with galleries in downtown Martin County, Florida, and in the city of Stuart, Florida. It is also a museum and gallery of art in the town's downtown area, and has a collection of artworks from local artists. The museum also has a gift shop, which is open to the public, and an art museum in the downtown area's historic district, which has been open since the early 1900s. The town is home to a number of museums and galleries, as well as a public library and a public park. The city's historic buildings include the Barn Theatre and the Lyric Theatre, which were built in the 1880s and 1890s. It also has the Stuart Heritage House, a historic house and National Register of Historic Places.

Education

Public education in Stuart is administered by the Martin County School District. Stuart is home to the Stuart High School football team. The school is located on the banks of the Stuart River. The football team is known as the "Stuart Rams" The school's mascot is the "Red Devil" and the team's colors are red and white. The team won the state football championship in 2010 and the district's first state championship in 2011. The district also won its first state title in 2012 and the state's second title in 2013. It is located in Martin County, which is part of the state of South Carolina.

Infrastructure

Witham Field is a public-use airport located one mile southeast of the central business district owned by Martin County. US Route 1 passes northwest-southeast through Stuart. Until 1968 the Florida East Coast Railway operated Jacksonville to Miami service, with a station stop in Stuart. The Brightline passenger rail company is extending to the Space Coast and Orlando, north from the West Palm Beach terminus. The City of Stuart initially appeared eager to become the sole station along the Brightline's Treasure Coast length, but the City has more recently reiterated concerns about the project's effects on traffic. Until 1963 long distance passenger trains included the Illinois Central Railroad's City of Miami and the Louisville & Nashville Railroad's South Wind both heading from Chicago; and they included the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's East Coast Champion, the Havana Special, and the winter-only Florida Special originating from New York. Stuart has a yacht club and several marinas serving private crafts of various sizes. The city is home to the South Florida Yacht Club, which has a fleet of yachts, yachting vessels, and a marina for private use. The town is located on Florida's Atlantic Coast, which is part of the Florida Gulf Coast region. It is also part of Florida's Panhandle region, which includes the cities of Fort Lauderdale, St. Augustine, Jacksonville, and Bakersfield. The county provides local transit, with Florida State Road 76 heading south from the city, and Florida State roads 714 and A1A heading southeast out of Stuart.

Stuart in popular culture

In 1973, the movie Little Laura and Big John, a highly fictionalized version of the true story of John Ashley and Laura Upthegrove, was filmed in Stuart. The movie was based on a true story. The town of Stuart has been the subject of several films, including "Little Laura" and "Big John" The town has also been used as a setting for the film "The Godfather" and the TV series "The X-Files" It is also the setting of the TV show "American Horror Story: Coven," which is based on the book "Stuart" by Neil Gaiman. It was also the inspiration for "The Wizard of Oz," which was set in the town in the 1950s and 1960s. It is still used as the setting for a number of TV shows and movies, such as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" and  "The Hobbit," and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Planet of the Apes" It has been used for the filming of many other films and TV shows, including the movie "Jurassic Park," "The Simpsons" and many others. It has also appeared in "The Big Lebowski," "Jungle Book" and other films by director Robert Zemeckis. The city is also used in the TV movie "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and in the "Star Wars" series "Journey to the Center of the Earth".

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Stuart, Martin County, Florida = 80.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 45. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 97. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Stuart = 6.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 17,425 individuals with a median age of 48.1 age the population grows by 11.20% in Stuart, Martin County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,472.68 residents per square mile of area (954.69/km²). There are average 1.85 people per household in the 8,118 households with an average household income of $36,979 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.80% of the available work force and has dropped -5.55% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 17.10%. The number of physicians in Stuart per 100,000 population = 265.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Stuart = 57.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 134. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 236. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 55 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 28, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Stuart, Martin County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 49.27%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 30 years with median home cost = $123,950 and home appreciation of -16.78%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.40 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,536 per student. There are 17.3 students for each teacher in the school, 424 students for each Librarian and 468 students for each Counselor. 5.17% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.54% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.86% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).