Juno Beach, Florida

Juno Beach is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Juno Beach is home to the headquarters of Florida Power & Light, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Seminole Golf Club. It was also the original county seat for the area that was then known as Dade County. Juno Beach is in the Miami metropolitan area. The political climate in Juno Beach is leaning liberal. The property crime rate is around the US national average, with the violent crime rate well below average. The Town of Juno Beach was officially incorporated in 1953. As of 2020, the town's population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 3,858.

History

As a sister settlement to the town of Jupiter to the north, the development was named, at some point in the 19th century, after Jupiter's wife, the ancient Roman goddess Juno. The designation in 1944 of a namesake D-Day landing beach in Normandy, named for Juno Dawnay, a Canadian officer's wife, was purely coincidental.

A pier was built in 1950 and the town was platted in 1948. It was officially incorporated as a town in 1953. The original pier was destroyed during a November storm in 1984 and a new 993-foot Juno Beach Pier built in 1999.

The area has evidence of human settlement dating back to around 500 B.C., with early indigenous civilizations, and saw European contact beginning in the 1500s through Spanish exploration. In the late 19th century, the nearby town of Juno served as the Dade County seat and transportation hub for the Jupiter and Lake Worth Railway, often referred to as the "Celestial Railroad." This prominence faded after Henry Flagler's development of Palm Beach in 1893, which shifted regional economic activity further south.

Modern development of Juno Beach began in the late 1940s when Bessemer Properties platted a subdivision near the Seminole Golf Club and initiated early infrastructure improvements.Following incorporation in 1953, the town expanded steadily, with street naming by the Juno Beach Garden Club in 1958 and condominium growth in the 1960s. The 1980s saw increased commercial and residential development, including the addition of The Waterford life care community and Florida Power & Light's administrative offices, contributing to a diversified tax base. By 1991, the completion of Town Center marked a new chapter in civic identity, supporting a growing population and fostering a seaside residential character.

During the Second World War

During World War II, German U-boats patrolled this coastline. Tankers were a favorite target as they transported oil via the swift, northbound gulf stream which runs close to the south Florida coast.

A submarine attacked this tanker south of Juno Beach, off Singer Island.

With these submarines offshore, people feared that our sparsely inhabited coastline would be ideal for landing parties of German spies or saboteurs.  To watch for them: "''A beach patrol was formed, and men on horseback rode along the beach to warn of enemy activity. . . Wounded American sailors, whose ships had been sunk by the submarines, occasionally were found on the beach and rushed to the hospital . . . by the townspeople.''" - Nora Fitzgerald, a local resident.

The U.S. Coast Guard leased the Surf Cottages motel during the war. Horseback beach patrols, which included civilian volunteers, used the motel car sheds across the street as stables.

Geography

Juno Beach is located at (26.873404, –80.054063).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which (25.13%) is covered by water.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,858 people, 2,334 households, and 943 families were residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 3,176 people, 1,989 households, and 909 families were residing in the town.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 3,176 people, 1,791 households, and 929 families resided in the town. The population density was . The 2,603 housing units hd an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.82% White (of which 95% were Non-Hispanic white), 0.43% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.37%.

As of 2000, there were 1,791 households, 9.1% had children under 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 3.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.1% were not families. About 42.9% of households were one person and 25.5% were one person 65 or older. The average household size was 1.80, and the average family size was 2.42.

In 2000, the age distribution was 10.1% under 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 16.2% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 42.6% 65 or older. The median age was 60 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.

In 2000, the median household income was $55,263 and the median family income was $68,382. Males had a median income of $50,545 versus $36,842 for females. The per capita income for the town was $50,344. About 3.9% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under 18 and 2.7% of those 65 or over.

As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 96.34% of all residents, while French made up 2.01%, Greek was at 1.00%, and Spanish accounted for 0.63% of the population.

Places of interest

* Juno Dunes Natural Area
* Loggerhead Park and Loggerhead Marinelife Center

References

External links

Town of Juno Beach
Official Website

Florida Place Names
Origin of the name

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Towns in Palm Beach County, Florida
Towns in Florida
Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean
Former county seats in Florida
Beaches of Palm Beach County, Florida
Beaches of Florida