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The Treasure Coast is a
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. It is located on Florida's East Coast, bordering the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
and comprising Indian River,
Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...
, and St. Lucie counties. The region, whose name refers to the Spanish Treasure Fleet lost in a 1715
hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
, evidently emerged from residents' desire to distinguish themselves from the
Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...
to the south (the coast along Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties). The Treasure Coast area includes parts of two
metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
s designated by the
Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...
and used for statistical purposes by the
Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
and other agencies: the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area (comprising St. Lucie and Martin counties) and the Sebastian–Vero Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area (comprising Indian River County).


History

The area has long been inhabited, but like other of
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
's vernacular regions, a popular identity for the area did not emerge until the area saw its initial population boom in the 20th century. It is one of several "coast" regions in Florida, like the
Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...
and the
First Coast Florida's First Coast, or simply the First Coast, is a region of the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida. The First Coast refers to the same general area as the directional region of Northeast Florida. It roughly ...
. 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. The discovery of treasure from the
1715 Treasure Fleet The 1715 Treasure Fleet was actually a combination of two Spanish treasure fleets returning from the New World to Spain, the "Nueva España Fleet", under Capt.-General Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla, and the "Tierra Firme Fleet", under Don Antonio de ...
, lost in a hurricane near the
Sebastian Inlet 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 tour ...
, was of major local importance and brought international attention to the area. ''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 West Palm Beach to Miami) and the
Space Coast The Space Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is one of several "themed" coasts around Florida. All orbital launches from American soil carrying NASA astr ...
to the north (
Brevard County Brevard County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in ...
). They started referring to their region as the "Treasure Coast" in the newspaper, and this use spread to the community.


Media

*In Vero Beach the
classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...
formatted
WQOL WQOL (103.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits music format. Licensed to Vero Beach, Florida, United States, the station is currently owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an Ameri ...
broadcasts on 103.7 FM. *In Stuart the
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
themed
WAVW WAVW (92.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Stuart, Florida, and serving the Treasure Coast, including Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach. The station broadcasts a country music radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Each week ...
broadcasts on 92.7 FM. *In Vero Beach there is
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
themed
WPHR-FM WPHR-FM (94.7 MHz "B-94.7") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Gifford, Florida, and serving the Treasure Coast including Vero Beach and Fort Pierce. The station has a country music radio format and is owned and operated by Mitchell ...
, broadcasting at 94.7 FM.
WTTB WTTB (1490 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Vero Beach, Florida, and serving the Treasure Coast. It broadcasts a talk radio format, calling itself "Newsradio 105.7 and 1490." The station is owned by Treausure & Space Coast Ra ...
carries the news talk format, and it broadcasts at 1490 AM and 105.7 FM. *In Fort Pierce there is
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
(NPR)
network affiliate In the broadcasting industry (particularly in North America, and even more in the United States), a network affiliate or affiliated station is a local broadcaster, owned by a company other than the owner of the network, which carries some or a ...
WQCS FM, broadcasting at 88.9 FM. It is owned by
Indian River State College 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 ...
and carries news, talk and informational programming. Its positioning statement is "NPR For The Treasure Coast". It is co-owned with
WQCP WQCP (91.1 MHz) is a non-commercial FM radio station broadcasting a classical music radio format. It is licensed to Fort Pierce, Florida, and serves the Treasure Coast. It is part of IRSC Public Media, a division of Indian River State College ...
91.1 FM The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 91.1 MHz: Argentina * Aire de Santa Fe in Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, Santa Fe * Amadeus Cultura Musical in Buenos Aires * Amistad in Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz * Aries in Salta * CN Radio ...
in Fort Pierce, which airs a
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
format.


Metropolitan areas

The Treasure Coast includes two
metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
s designated by the
Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...
and used for statistical purposes by the
Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
and other agencies. These are: * The Port St. Lucie, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, consisting of Martin and St. Lucie counties. Port St. Lucie is designated as the principal city. The two-county metropolitan statistical area was first defined in 1983 as the Fort Pierce Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, the MSA was renamed the Fort Pierce-Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2006, Fort Pierce was dropped as a principal city and the name was changed to its present form. * The Sebastian – Vero Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is coextensive with Indian River County. Sebastian and Vero Beach are designated as the principal cities.


Geography

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. Numerous lakes and rivers run through the Treasure Coast, notably the well known Indian River, a part of the Indian River Lagoon system. At certain seasons of the year, bridges may impede the red drift algae flow, causing a "rotten egg"
hydrogen sulfide Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. The unde ...
odor in the area. The Treasure Coast is also bordered by the Atlantic portion of the
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...
, a stretch of closed water from
Brownsville, Texas Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...
, to Boston, Massachusetts.


Communities

A great amount of the Treasure Coast's population is made up of census-designated places (CDPs), with almost all of these in Martin County and
Indian River County Indian River County ( es, Condado de Río Indio, link=) is a county located in the Treasure Coast region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 159,788. Its seat is Vero Beach. It is Florida's 7th richest county ...
. Only one city on the Treasure Coast has a population of more than 100,000 inhabitants, which is
Port St. Lucie Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando and north of Miami. The Port St. Lu ...
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

*
Port St. Lucie Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando and north of Miami. The Port St. Lu ...
(principal city) pop. 217,523 C


Places with 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants

*
Fort Pierce 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, sister to San Francisco, California, the Suns ...
pop. 43,601 C * Sebastian pop. 23,344 C * Stuart pop. 16,197 C *
Vero Beach Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...
pop. 16,017 C


Places with 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants

* Fellsmere pop. 5,439 C * Indiantown pop. 6,083 V


Places with 1,000 to 5,000 inhabitants

* Indian River Shores pop. 4,075 T * Sewall's Point pop. 2,100 T


Places with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

* St. Lucie Village pop. 604 T


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

*
Palm City Palm City is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 25,883 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Palm City is i ...
pop. 23,120 * Vero Beach South pop. 23,092 *
Jensen Beach Jensen Beach is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 12,652 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Histo ...
pop. 11,707 *
Hobe Sound Hobe Sound is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States, located along Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 13,163 at the 2020 census, up from 11,521 in 2010. Geography Hobe Sound ...
pop. 11,521 *
Lakewood Park Lakewood Park is a Census-designated place in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,323 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Lakewood Park is located at (27.542 ...
pop. 10,458 *
Port Salerno Port Salerno is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,401 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Port S ...
pop. 10,091 * Gifford pop. 9,590 * Fort Pierce North pop. 6,474 * Indian River Estates pop. 6,220 * River Park pop. 5,222 * Fort Pierce South pop. 5,062 *
White City White City may refer to: Places Australia * White City, Perth, an amusement park on the Perth foreshore * White City railway station, a former railway station * White City Stadium (Sydney), a tennis centre in Sydney * White City FC, a football clu ...
pop. 3,719 * North River Shores pop. 3,101 * Roseland pop. 1,472


Transportation infrastructure


Airports

Despite Port St. Lucie being the 7th largest city in Florida, there are no airports in the immediate area that offer scheduled passenger flights, the closest being Melbourne's
Orlando Melbourne International Airport Melbourne Orlando International Airport is a public airport northwest of downtown Melbourne, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, and 50 miles southeast of Orlando, located on central Florida's Space Coast. The airport is reached by N ...
to the north (40 miles from Vero Beach) or West Palm Beach's
Palm Beach International Airport Palm Beach International Airport is a public airport in Palm Beach County, Florida, located just west of the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, which it serves as the primary airport for. It is also the primary airport for most o ...
to the south (35 miles from Hobe Sound). However, there are three small regional airports in the area:
Vero Beach Regional Airport Vero Beach Regional Airport is a public airport one mile northwest of Vero Beach in Indian River County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned and is the home of Piper Aircraft. History 1929–1941 In 1929, Bud Holman, whose so ...
in
Vero Beach Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...
, Treasure Coast International Airport in
Fort Pierce 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, sister to San Francisco, California, the Suns ...
, and Witham Field in Stuart.


Marine transportation

Fort Pierce Harbor, in
Fort Pierce 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, sister to San Francisco, California, the Suns ...
, located along the Indian River across from the
Fort Pierce Inlet Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, a part of the Florida State Park system, is located just north of the Fort Pierce Inlet, on North Hutchinson Island, near Fort Pierce. It consists of beaches, dunes and a coastal hammock between the Atlantic Ocea ...
, is a locally significant port for imports and exports. The
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...
follows the Indian River as it passes through the Treasure Coast. The
Okeechobee Waterway The Okeechobee Waterway or Okeechobee Canal is a relatively shallow artificial waterway in the United States, stretching across Florida from Fort Myers on the west coast to Stuart on Florida's east coast. The waterway can support tows such as ...
connects Stuart with Ft. Myers on the west coast, passing through
Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee (), also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the tenth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwat ...
approximately 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 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
. 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. Through the cities themselves, U.S. 1 is the main north–south roadway. Farther east, running along the coast, and often on the barrier island for the region ( Hutchinson Island and
Orchid Island Orchid Island, also known by other names, is a volcanic island off the southeastern coast of Taiwan Island. The island is part of Taiwan. It is separated from the Batanes of the Philippines by the Bashi Channel of the Luzon Strait. It is g ...
), is
Florida State Road A1A State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a major north–south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West, Florida, Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, Florida, Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia ( ...
. Beginning in Stuart,
Florida State Road 76 State Road 76 (SR 76), also known and signed as Kanner Highway, is a northeast-southwest (signed east–west) state highway connecting Port Mayaca on the shore of Lake Okeechobee at the intersection with US 98-441 ( SR 700-SR 15) with St ...
runs west out of Stuart, passing Indiantown approximately 2 about 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 Lake Okeechobee (), also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the tenth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwat ...
.


Railroads

The Florida East Coast Railway operates freight service along the coast throughout the region. FEC also operates a rail yard just south of downtown Fort Pierce. 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 New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
); ''
City of Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at t ...
'' ( Illinois Central,
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
); '' Dixie Flyer'' (
Louisville & Nashville The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...
, Chicago); ''
Florida Special ''Florida Special'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by David Boehm, Marguerite Roberts, Laura Perelman and S. J. Perelman. The film stars Jack Oakie, Sally Eilers, Kent Taylor, Frances Drake, Claude Gilling ...
'' (winter season only; Florida East Coast Railway, New York City); ''Havana Special'' (Florida East Coast Railway, New York City); ''
South Wind A south wind is a wind that originates in the south and blows in a northward direction. Words used in English to describe the south wind are auster, buster (a violent south gale), föhn/foehn (alps), ghibli (Libya with various spellings), friage ...
'' (Louisville & Nashville, Chicago). The Southern Railway's ''
Royal Palm ''Roystonea regia'', commonly known as the Cuban royal palm or Florida royal palm, is a species of palm that is native to Mexico, parts of Central America and the Caribbean, and southern Florida. A large and attractive palm, it has been planted ...
'' from
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
ended its service south of Jacksonville, along the Florida East Coast by 1958.
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
and the
Florida Department of Transportation The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of t ...
have been discussing returning passenger service to the coast. In 2018,
Brightline Brightline (reporting mark BLFX) is an inter-city rail route between Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida that runs on track owned by Florida East Coast Railway. Brightline is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad ...
, a higher speed train line that will ultimately run between Miami and Orlando, announced that it was looking for sites for a new station between Fort Pierce and Miami. As of November 2019, Stuart is the frontrunner to receive the Brightline station.George Andreassi, Vero News November 21, 2019 "With Fort Pierce out, nearest Virgin Trains stop looks like Stuart" http://veronews.com/2019/11/21/with-fort-pierce-out-nearest-virgin-trains-stop-looks-like-stuart/


References


Further reading

* * {{authority control Coasts of Florida East Coast of the United States Regions of Florida South Florida * Metropolitan areas of Florida Indian River Lagoon Indian River County, Florida Martin County, Florida St. Lucie County, Florida Geography of Indian River County, Florida Geography of Martin County, Florida Geography of St. Lucie County, Florida 1960s establishments in Florida