Hobe Sound, Florida

Hobe Sound, Florida
CDP
Location in Martin County and the state of Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Martin
Area
• Total	5.7 sq mi (14.8 km2)
• Land	5.5 sq mi (14.1 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation	20 ft (6 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	11,376
• Density	2,082.8/sq mi (804.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	33455, 33475
Area code	772
FIPS code	12-30975Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0284064Template:GR

Sunset from the Intracoastal Waterway in Hobe Sound, Florida.

Hobe Sound is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,376 at the 2000 census.

Geography and Climate

Hobe Sound is located at 27°4′36″N 80°8′31″W (27.076737, -80.142076)Template:GR.

Hobe Sound is an exurban area in southern Martin County near the Atlantic Ocean. HSL!!!! It stretches along the coast between Port Salerno and Jonathan Dickinson State Park but does not include Jupiter Island. Its western border is not clearly defined though most development drops off only a few miles inland at Powerline Road.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Hobe Sound has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.8 km²)— 5.5 square miles (14.1 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (4.71%) is water.

Hobe Sound enjoys a subtropical climate. The average high in January is 74 °F; in July and August it is 90 °F.

History

The name of Hobe Sound comes from the name of the Jove or Jobe Indians, one of the Native American groups that lived in the area before European settlement. The Spanish pronounced the name "Ho-bay," which has evolved into the current name "Hobe" (which sounds like "robe").

The earliest recorded European contact occurred in 1696 when a British ship, the barkentine (three-masted ship) Reformation, sailing from Jamaica to Philadelphia sank close to the shore north of Jupiter Inlet, carrying 25 passengers and crew and a cargo of sugar, rum, beef, molasses, and Spanish currency. The small Quaker party, including its most notable passenger, Jonathan Dickinson, encountered and received aid from the Jove Indians. Hobe Sound received its name by 1699, according to the Florida WPA Guide.

Parts of Hobe Sound were included in the 12,000 acres (49 km²) of the Gomez grant given by Spain to Don Eusebio in 1815. In 1821, Gomez sold 8,000 acres (32 km²), including Jupiter Island, to Joseph Delespine for $1 per acre.

Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, Henry Flagler built his railroad along the east coast of Florida passing through Hobe Sound. This gradually created many opportunities including jobs, the birth of tourism, and other related industries.

During the land boom of the 1920s elaborate plans were announced for Hobe Sound by the Olympia Improvement Corporation. Their goal was to create a town, in Greek style, where motion pictures could be produced. Street names bore the Greek theme with names such as Zeus, Saturn, Mercury, Mars, Olympus, Plutus and Athena. For a brief time Hobe Sound was renamed ‘Picture City’ and plans were presented for a movie picture production center. The boom collapsed after a devastating hurricane in 1928 and the original name was restored. Street names remained, however, as did the cement streetlights along Dixie Highway.

In 1924, the building which soon would become the new schoolhouse in Hobe Sound was constructed. The Martin County Board of Public Instruction secured the use of the new school building from the Picture City Corporation in 1925, and in October of that year, the Olympia School opened. The school was designated the “Picture City School” of Martin County. It remained in use as a school until 1962. There is a local interest in restoring the school, now known as the Apollo School.

Other mementos of the past are gone, including the ice plant, which was south of Bridge Road, and the old train station, which now, refurbished and relocated west of Hobe Sound, serves as an office building for Becker Groves.

Hobe Sound is positioned at the southern end of environmentally-sensitive Martin (named after Governor Martin) County. It has been stated that at Hobe Sound’s front door lies the Gold Coast and that at her back door lies the Treasure Coast. Thus, Hobe Sound can lend to both while retaining its proud heritage and unique personality. Hobe Sound’s proximity to the coast affords immediate access to the Atlantic Ocean and the deep-channeled Intracoastal Waterway, a 1,200-mile (1,900 km) water route that provides a sheltered passage for boats along the eastern seaboard.

Hobe Sound has been part of the following counties:

St. John’s County 1821-1824

Mosquito County 1824-1844

St. Lucie County 1844-1855

Brevard County 1855-1866

Dade County 1866-1909

Palm Beach County 1909-1924

Martin County 1924-Present

Government

Hobe Sound is an unincorporated town located in Martin County. Governed by County Commissioners, Martin County is divided into 5 districts. Hobe Sound is located in district 3 and the county commissioner is Lee Weberman. The Tax Collector, Supervisor of Elections, Clerk of Circuit Court and Property Appraiser each have satellite offices in Hobe Sound at the Publix Plaza. ~HSL~

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,376 people, 5,176 households, and 3,266 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,082.8 persons per square mile (804.5/km²). There were 6,042 housing units at an average density of 1,106.2 houses per square mile (427.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.98% White, 5.79% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.22% of the population.

There were 5,176 households out of which 18.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.66.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 16.8% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 33.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,541, and the median income for a family was $45,412. Males had a median income of $36,943 versus $27,773 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,603. About 3.7% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Travel in Hobe Sound is predominantly done by private automobile. There are no interstate highways in Hobe Sound. The nearest, Interstate 95, is 7 miles (11 km) west. Hobe Sound is dominated by US-1, a four- and six-lane arterial road that runs from north to south. Other important throughways include A1A (locally known as Dixie Highway), Bridge Road, Gomez Avenue, and Osprey Street. US-1 arguably represents the central business district though some commercial activity occurs on Dixe Highway (A1A) near Bridge Road.

Mass transit

As in most of Florida, only a very limited public transport system exists in Hobe Sound. No fixed-route services exist in Hobe Sound. The Community Coach, a service of the Council on Aging of Martin County, is the public transportation service for Martin County. It operates a curb-to-curb, advance reservation, shared ride service and also operates fixed-route services in other parts of the county. All residents can use Community Coach at a cost of $1 per trip.

Railroads

The Florida East Coast Railway runs through Hobe Sound parallel to A1A. At-grade crossings can be found at (from north to south) A1A, Osprey Street, Crossrip Street, Pettway Street, Bridge Road, and Gleason Street.

Education

The Hobe Sound Bible College is the only place of higher education in Hobe Sound. Publicly run schools include Hobe Sound Elementary and Seawind Elementary Schools. Residents of Hobe Sound attend Murray Middle School and South Fork High School.

The Pine School (formerly St. Michael’s Independent) is now located on its brand new campus in Hobe Sound. This private school will provide a college preparatory program and outstanding educational opportunities for 7th through 12th grade students. The campus offers state-of-the-art studios for art, music, and media and has been designed and integrated to compliment the natural beautiful settings and habitat.

Sources

• History, by Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce

External links

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hobe Sound, Florida

• Sound Chamber of Commerce