Martin County Florida   Located in South East Florida

Martin County Cities

Land area (rank): 555 square miles (55)
Population 1993 (rank): 106,780 (29)
Population density 1993 (rank): 192 persons per square mile (23)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 57.6% (14)

Physical Characteristics

Martin County is north of the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton area and south of Ft. Pierce on the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Okeechobee, St. Lucie, and Palm Beach counties. The county has 124 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 65.1 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.8 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 49.79 inches.

History

Martin County was established in 1925 from a portion of Palm Beach County and from a much smaller portion of St. Lucie County. The county was named for John W. Martin, governor from 1925 to 1929.

Population

In 1993, 86% of Martin County's population was in unincorporated areas. Most of the county's population is east of Florida's Turnpike. Much of the southern portion of the county is in wetlands or agriculture. The largest city in the county is Stuart, which had a 1993 population of 12,479. The other incorporated places in Martin County each had relatively small populations of under 2,000. Several unincorporated areas grew rapidly in the 1970s and 80s. By 1990 the most populous unincorporated area was Hobe Sound (11,507 persons), followed by Jensen Beach (9,884 persons) and Port Salerno (7,786 persons). The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Martin County (with St. Lucie County) as the Ft. Pierce Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 93% of Martin County's population was white and 7% was nonwhite. In 1990, 4.7% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 100.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 11.4 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 11.8 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 8.2 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 72.3% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 2.2%. In 1990, 79.7% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 20.3 % had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Indian River Community College (St. Lucie County); Hobe Sound Bible College.

Economy

The per capita income in Martin County for 1993 was $30,541 (the highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $31,760. In 1989, 5.0% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 12.6% of personal income in Martin County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Martin County were employed in the retail trade, services, and government sectors. Transportation equipment producers accounted for the most employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1992 there were 305 farms in Martin County, totalling 190,788 acres (54% of land in the county). Most of the county's agricultural land is in citrus. In 1991, 1,753,322 pounds of fish and 2,584 pounds of shellfish were landed in Martin County.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $112,700
Median monthly rent 1990: $442
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 14.4
Housing starts 1992: 1,093
Housing starts 1993: 1,099

In 1992 the price level index for Martin County was 102.33 (5th highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 5.2840, and the total taxable value of property was $7,286,982,494. Taxable sales totalled $1106.00 million in 1992 and $1220.20 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $17,112 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Martin County's revenues totalled $106,684 thousand ($1,034.9 per capita) and its expenditures $1005,667 thousand ($1,025.1 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 74.5% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 29.7% were registered Democrat and 62.5% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 46.6% of the votes were cast for Bush, 27.8% for Clinton, and 25.3% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Antique Car Parade, Palm City, February; Sailfish Power Boat Championship, Stuart, May; Sea Turtle Watch, Jensen Beach, June; Dancin' in the Streets, Stuart, August; Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival, November; Elliot Museum, Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge, Stuart.