Stuart is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Martin County, Florida Martin County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state, state of Florida, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 158,431. Its county seat is Stua ...

, United States. Located in southeastern Florida, Stuart is the largest of five incorporated municipalities in Martin County. The population is 17,425 according to the 2020 U.S. census. Stuart is the 126th largest city in Florida based on official 2019 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. It is part of the

Port St. Lucie, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inla ...

. 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,

Indian River Lagoon The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons: the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River, and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida; one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to more than 4, ...

, and the Atlantic Ocean.

History

In the 18th century, several Spanish galleons were shipwrecked in the Martin County area of Florida's

Treasure Coast 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 ...

. The multiple wrecks were reportedly the result of a hurricane, and the ships were carrying unknown quantities of gold and silver. Some of this treasure has since been recovered, and its presence resulted in the region's name. In 1832, pirate Pedro Gilbert, who often used a sandbar off the coast as a lure to unsuspecting prey, chased and caught the ''Mexican'', a U.S. merchant ship. Although he attempted to burn the ship and kill the crew, they survived to report the incident, ultimately resulting in the capture and execution of Gilbert and his crew. The bar from which he lured his intended booty is named "Gilbert's Bar" on nautical charts. OldMartinCountyFlaCourthouse 012

The Treasure Coast 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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. From 1893 to 1895, the area was called Potsdam. This name was chosen by Otto Stypmann, a local landowner originally from

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, Germany. Stypmann, with his brother Ernest, owned the land that would become downtown Stuart.

Henry Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...

Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a p ...

connected the area to

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropo ...

in 1892 and Miami in 1896. Potsdam was renamed Stuart in 1895, in honor of Homer Hine (Jack) Stuart Jr., a local landowner who owned 160 acres around the railway station. Rue, Luckhardt, Krueger, Crary, and Armellinis were some of the prominent settler families. When Stuart was incorporated as a town in 1914, it was located in

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 24th-most populous in the United States, wi ...

. In 1925, Stuart was chartered as a city and named the county seat of the newly created Martin County. 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 The sailfish is one or two species of marine fish in the genus ''Istiophorus'', which belong to the family Istiophoridae ( marlins). They are predominantly blue to gray in colour and have a characteristically large dorsal fin known as the ...

found in the ocean off Martin County. The slogan is still used by the city. From 1871 to 2005, 19 hurricanes passed through Stuart, including Isbell (1964),

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

(2004), Jeanne (2004), and Wilma (2005).

Geography

St Lucie River from Stuart Riverwalk in Stuart FL

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Stuart has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

(Af), with hot, humid summers and warm, drier winters. Stuart has a noticeably seasonal precipitation pattern, with summer being the wettest season and winter being the driest. Summers feature hot temperatures and frequent thunderstorms. Average highs during summer range from . On average, there are 81 days of 90+ °F highs annually, with an average annual mean maximum of . 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 Hurricane David was a devastating tropical cyclone which significantly damaged and killed many people in Dominica and the Dominican Republic in August 1979, and was the most intense hurricane to make landfall in the country in recorded history ...

in 1979 and hurricanes

and Jeanne causing moderate damage to the area in 2004. Winter brings much cooler and drier air. Average highs during winter range from , though occasional strong

cold front A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface Trough (meteorology), trough of Low-pressure area, low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropica ...

s bring brief rainfall followed by cooler temperatures, with highs in the 50s °F for a few days each winter. Most winters are frost-free, with an annual mean minimum temperature of .

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,425 people, 7,286 households, and 3,776 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 15,593 people, 7,182 households, and 3,470 families residing in the city. In 2010, the median income for a household in the city was $35,954, and the median income for a family was $47,736. Males had a median income of $29,151 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,020. As of 2010, the cost of living in Stuart is 88, on a relative scale where the U.S. average is represented by 100.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,633 people, 7,220 households, and 3,422 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 8,777 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.30%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 12.33%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.97% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. 6.29% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. In 2000, there were 7,220 households out of which 15.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% are married couples living together, 9.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 52.6% are non-families. 46.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 26.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.88 and the average family size was 2.60. In 2000, in the city the population was spread out with 14.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 32.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $30,574, and the median income for a family was $40,701. Males had a median income of $29,151 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,139. 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% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 17,434 people, 7,852 households, with 2.18 persons per household. The median household income was $61,878. The per capita household income was $41,029. 13.9% of the population was reported to have been living below the poverty line.

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, sailing, cruises, SCUBA and snorkeling, and nature tours.

Top employers

According to the city's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the Stuart area are:

Arts and culture

Points of interest

Notable historic properties in downtown in range from the early 1880s to 1940s, representing a mix of Beaux-Arts,

colonial revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

, Spanish mediterranean,

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

, frame vernacular, masonry vernacular architecture styles. Stuart Heritage 002

* Audubon of Martin County * Lyric Theatre * Stuart Heritage Museum * Elliott Museum * Krueger House, a historic house on the

* The Barn Theatre * Geoffrey C. Smith Galleries * Tropical Ranch Botanical Garden * Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center *Environmental Studies Council *Sailfish Splash Waterpark

Education

Public education in Stuart is administered by the Martin County School District.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Witham Field is a public-use airport located one mile southeast of the central business district owned by Martin County.

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort ...

passes northwest–southeast through Stuart. The coastal route A1A heads east from Stuart towards Hutchinson Island, and the road heads southeast out of Stuart. SR 76 heads south from the city, and SR 714 heads west from the city. Local bus service is provided by

Martin County Public Transit Martin County Public Transit, known popularly as MARTY, is the provider of public transportation for Martin County, Florida Martin County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state, state of Flori ...

(MARTY). Stuart also operates a free courtesy tram throughout downtown. Stuart has a yacht club and several marinas serving private crafts of various sizes. Until 1968 the

operated Jacksonville to Miami service, with a station stop in Stuart. Until 1963 long-distance passenger trains included the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

's ''

City of Miami Miami is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a population of 6.14 million, is the second-largest metropolitan ...

'' and the

Louisville & Nashville Railroad 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 t ...

's ''

South Wind The south wind is the wind that originates from the south and blows north. South Wind may also refer to: * ''South Wind'' (film), 2018 Serbian film * ''South Wind'' (TV series), 2020 Serbian TV series * , 2021 Serbian film * , 2022 Serbian TV s ...

'' both heading from Chicago; and they included the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

's '' East Coast Champion,'' the ''Havana Special,'' and the winter-only '' Florida Special'' originating from New York. In 2023,

Brightline Brightline (reporting mark BLFX) is an intercity 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. Brightline is the only privat ...

, an

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...

route that currently runs between

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

and

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, announced that it was looking for sites for a new station on the

. On March 4, 2024, Brightline officially announced that an

infill station An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train ser ...

on the Treasure Coast would be built in

Stuart Stuart may refer to: People *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) * Clan Stuart of Bute, a Scottish clan *House of Stuart, a royal house of Scotland and England Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, ...

. The current plan sees the station beginning service by 2028. Brightline trains cross the St. Lucie River on the Florida East Coast Railroad Bridge. Close coordination between rail and water traffic is necessary at this

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

Notable people

Jason Aldean Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977), known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven alb ...

, musician *

Dan Bakkedahl Dan Bakkedahl (born November 18, 1969) is an American actor and improvisational comedian. He is best known for starring as Tim Hughes on the CBS sitcom ''Life in Pieces'', as Congressman Roger Furlong on the HBO series ''Veep'', and as Steve Nuge ...

, correspondent on ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

'' *

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

, jazz pianist * Cynthia S. Burnett-Haney (1840–1932), educator, lecturer, temperance reformer, newspaper editor; Haney Circle in Stuart was named after her * Nelson Burton Jr., professional bowler and longtime TV analyst * Kelly Carrington, Playboy Playmate October 2008 *

James Gould Cozzens James Gould Cozzens (August 19, 1903 – August 9, 1978) was a Pulitzer prize-winning American writer whose work enjoyed an unusual degree of popular success and critical acclaim for more than three decades. His 1949 Pulitzer win was for the WWII ...

, Pulitzer Prize-winning author * Derrill M. Daniel, US Army major general * James Davis, professional football player *

Ralph Evinrude Ralph S. Evinrude (September 27, 1907 – May 21, 1986) was an American business magnate who was chairman of Outboard Marine Corporation, and the husband of singer and entertainer Frances Langford. Evinrude was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to B ...

, CEO of Outboard Motor Company with a test facility in Stuart, married

Frances Langford Julia Frances Newbern-Langford (April 4, 1913 – July 11, 2005) was an American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and made film and television appearances for over two decades. She was known as the "GI Nightinga ...

and retired to Jensen Beach * Derek Fathauer, professional golfer who currently plays on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

Cleveland Gary Cleveland Everette Gary (born May 4, 1966), also known as Cleveland Edward Gary, is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs ...

, professional football player * Whitney Gaskell, novelist * Ed Hearn, Major League Baseball player and motivational speaker * Davy Jones, musician with

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

Chris Marquette Christopher Marquette (born October 3, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career with a main role as Adam Brody on the ABC sitcom '' Aliens in the Family'' (1996) before his breakout with a main role as Marc Delgado on the Lifetime medic ...

, actor * John McHale, player and executive in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

* Corey McIntyre, professional football player *

Rusty Meacham Russell Loren Meacham (born January 27, 1968) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball between 1991 and 2001. Professional career Early career Meacham was drafted ...

, former Major League Baseball player *

Nicole Melichar Nicole Melichar-Martinez (née Melichar; , ; born July 29, 1993) is an American professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. On 3 July 2023, she peaked at No. 6 in the WTA doubles rankings. Melichar has won fifteen doubles titles on the ...

, professional tennis player *

Vaughn Monroe Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for recording and another f ...

, big band singer *

Zack Mosley Zack Terrell Mosley (December 12, 1906 - December 21, 1993) was an American comic strip artist best known for the aviation adventures in his long-running '' The Adventures of Smilin' Jack'' which ran in more than 300 newspapers from 1933 to 1973. ...

, cartoonist and creator of ''

The Adventures of Smilin' Jack ''The Adventures of Smilin' Jack'' is an aviation comic strip that first appeared October 1, 1933, in the ''Chicago Tribune'' and ended April 1, 1973. After a run of 40 years, it was the longest-running aviation comic strip. The strip was create ...

'' * Scott Proctor, former Major League Baseball player *

Judge Reinhold Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor who is best known for his work in Hollywood films during the 1980s. He has starred in several popular films such as '' Stripes'' (1981), '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High' ...

, actor *

Kathy Rinaldi Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel (born March 24, 1967) is an American former professional tennis player, who retired in September 1997. In her career she won three singles and two doubles titles on the WTA Tour, and reached the semifinals of the 1985 Wimb ...

, professional tennis player *

Lee Rinker Lee Cross Rinker (born November 10, 1960) is an American professional golfer. Rinker was born in Stuart, Florida. He played college golf at the University of Alabama and turned professional in 1983 Rinker joined the PGA Tour in 1983, but strugg ...

, PGA Tour golfer *

Roger Schank Roger Carl Schank (March 12, 1946 – January 29, 2023) was an American artificial intelligence theorist, cognitive psychologist, learning scientist, educational reformer, and entrepreneur. Beginning in the late 1960s, he pioneered conceptual d ...

, leading visionary in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and learning theory *

Will Sheehey William Sheehey (born January 16, 1992) is a retired American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Indiana University. High school career As a resident of Stuart, Florida, Sheehey attended South Fork High School as a ...

, professional basketball player *

Bryan Silas Bryan Silas (born June 13, 1987) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He has competed in the Hooters Pro Cup Series and ARCA Racing Series in the past, and also recently competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, dr ...

, racing driver

Stuart in popular culture

In 1973, the movie ''

Little Laura and Big John ''Little Laura and Big John'' is a 1973 American feature film about the exploits of the Ashley gang in the Florida everglades in the 1910s and 1920s. Plot Loosely based on the true story about Laura Upthegrove and John Ashley. Laura's mother, E ...

'', a highly fictionalized version of the true story of John Ashley and

Laura Upthegrove Laura Beatrice Upthegrove Swindal (October 5, 1896 – August 6, 1927) was a 20th-century American outlaw, bank robber, bootlegger, and occasional pirate active in southern Florida during the 1910s and 1920s, along with John Ashley. Biography ...

, was filmed in Stuart.

References

External links

City of Stuart Website
{{Authority control Stuart, Florida Cities in Martin County, Florida Populated places on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida County seats in Florida Port St. Lucie metropolitan area Cities in Florida