Fort Pierce, Florida
| Fort Pierce, Florida | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): Sunrise City, Port Fierce, The Fort | |
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| Coordinates: 27°26′20″N 80°20′8″W / 27.43889°N 80.33556°WCoordinates: 27°26′20″N 80°20′8″W / 27.43889°N 80.33556°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | St. Lucie |
| Area | |
| • Total | 20.7 sq mi (53.8 km2) |
| • Land | 14.7 sq mi (38.2 km2) |
| • Water | 6 sq mi (15.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 41,993 |
| • Density | 2,544.9/sq mi (982.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| FIPS code | 12-24300[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0307964[2] |
Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States.[3] It is also known as the Sunrise City, sister to San Francisco, California, the Sunset City. The population was 37,516 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 37,959.[7]
Contents |
Geography [edit]
Fort Pierce is located at 27°26′20″N 80°20′8″W / 27.43889°N 80.33556°W (27.438817, -80.335471).[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.8 mi² (53.8 km²), of which 14.7 square miles (38.2 km²) is land and 6.0 square miles (15.6 km²) of it (35.00%) is water.
Demographics [edit]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 37,516 people, 14,407 households, and 8,817 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,544.9 people per square mile (982.7/km²). There were 17,170 housing units at an average density of 1,164.7/sq mi (449.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.54% White, 40.85% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 5.36% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.00% of the population.
There were 14,407 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,121, and the median income for a family was $29,458. Males had a median income of $21,274 versus $20,012 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,345. About 25.4% of families and 30.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.1% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.
Ecology [edit]
The Experimental Oculina Research Reserve preserves the Oculina Banks, a reef of ivory bush coral (Oculina varicosa) off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida. In 1984, a 92 square-nautical-mile (316 km²) portion of these reefs was designated the "Oculina Habitat Area of Particular Concern". In 1994, the area was closed to all manner of bottom fishing and was redesignated a research reserve. In 2000, the marine protected area was expanded to 300 square nautical miles (1,030 km²) and prohibited all gears that caused mechanical disruption to the habitat. The city is also known for its large manatee population.
Climate [edit]
The climate of Ft. Pierce is generally a humid subtropical climate, although it closely borders a tropical savanna climate. Summertime temperatures range between 80 and 100 degrees F. Temperatures in the winter range between 60 and 80 degrees F, although some winter days can drop down to 50 degrees, but rarely fall below 40 degrees.
Transportation [edit]
Fort Pierce is served by the St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) http://stlucietpo.org/. The TPO is a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_planning_organization, a federally mandated and federally funded transportation policy-making organization responsible for transportation planning, programming, and financing of State and Federal Transportation Funds for the City of Fort Pierce. The TPO is governed by a TPO Board, which is composed of elected officials, representatives from the St. Lucie County School Board, and representatives from Community Transit, a division of The Council on Aging of St. Lucie, Inc http://www.coasl.com/svc_transportation.html. The original bus system started out as a demand response service bus in the 1990s, it only served St. Lucie County. Soon it expanded to a fixed route system, going to predetermined locations along a route. On June 3, 2002, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) http://www.dot.state.fl.us/ approved funding, expanding the bus service to Martin County, and became the Treasure Coast Connector http://treasurecoastconnector.com/.
Education [edit]
Public high schools in the city include Fort Pierce Central High School(Cobras), Fort Pierce Westwood High School(Panthers) and Lincoln Park Academy(Greyhounds). Private schools include John Carroll Catholic High School and Faith Baptist School. Private middle schools inside city limits include Saint Andrew's Academy(Lions) and Saint Anastasia Middle School(Rams).
Tourist attractions [edit]
- A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery
- Arcade Building
- Art Mundo at the Art Bank
- Boston House
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
- Heathcote Botanical Gardens
- Historic Main Street [5]
- Florida Power and Light Energy Encounter [6]
- Old Fort Pierce City Hall
- Old Fort Park
- Manatee Observation Center [7]
- Navy UDT-SEAL Museum (Fort Pierce was the original home of the Navy SEALs)
- Smithsonian Marine Ecosystem Exhibit [8]
- St. Lucie County Marine Center [9]
- St. Lucie County Regional History Center [10]
- Sunrise Theater
Notable people [edit]
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2012) |
- Rick Ankiel, Major League Baseball player[11]
- A.E. "Beanie" Backus, artist and painter[citation needed]
- Kimberly Bergalis, victim of first known case of clinical transmission of HIV
- Edwin Binney, co-founder of Crayola Crayons[12]
- Jeff Blackshear, NFL guard for the Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers[13]
- Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People[citation needed]
- Jamar Chaney, linebacker for Philadelphia Eagles[14]
- Yamon Figurs, NFL and CFL wide receiver[15]
- Mark Foley, former U.S. Congressman[citation needed]
- John Houghtaling (1916–2009), creator of the Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed.[16]
- Zora Neale Hurston, author best known for the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God[citation needed]
- Charles Johnson, MLB catcher for the Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Devil Rays [17]
- Ladislav Karabin, retired Czechoslovakian hockey player, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins[citation needed]
- Daniel T. McCarty, 31st Governor of Florida [18]
- Terry McGriff, MLB catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals [19]
- Ryan McNeil, NFL defensive back[20]
- Larry Sanders, NBA forward/center for the Milwaukee Bucks[21]
- Jeff Schwarz, MLB pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and California Angels [22]
- Gary Stewart, country singer[citation needed]
- Matthew Underwood, actor best known for his role as Logan Reese on the Nickelodeon TV show Zoey 101[citation needed]
- Dr. Herbert P. Ricardo, Famous professor [23]
History [edit]
- Cenntennial Celebration with install of time capsule. Located in the lobby of the city hall this time capsule has an attractive sculpture atop of it.
References [edit]
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ "Rick Ankiel Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "Edwin Binney" Retrieved on 2009-03-12
- ^ "Jeffrey Leon Blackshear". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "Jeffrey Leon Blackshear". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "Yamon Figurs". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ Fox, Margalit. "John Houghtaling, Inventor of Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed, Dies at 92", The New York Times, June 19, 2009. Accessed June 20, 2009.
- ^ "Charles Johnson Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "Florida Governor Daniel Thomas McCarty". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "Terry McGriff Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "Ryan Darrell McNeil". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "Larry Sandersl". Basketball-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "Jeff Schwarz Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ http://faculty.irsc.edu/faculty/hricardo
External links [edit]
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