City of Fort Pierce The
city of Fort Pierce is a historic waterfront city, incorporated in
1901. As one of the oldest communities on the east coast of Florida,
Fort Pierce has borne witness to the changing tides of history for
over 100 years. Known for its fishing, canning of fish and pineapple,
the early days of Fort Pierce began to boom and became the economic
hub of the Treasure Coast community with the introduction of Flagler's
railway in the 1920's. Today, the waterfront communities include a
transportation network of Florida's Turnpike, Interstate 95, Highway
70, the St. Lucie County international airport and the Port of Fort
Pierce.Fort Pierce has approximately 39,000 residents and encompasses over 20 square miles in a diverse yet neighborly community, which embraces both the richness or heritage and the promise of future growth in St. Lucie County. With both Mediterranean and Florida "Cracker-style" architecture, Fort Pierce has a varied and colorful history, including military activity during the Seminole War and World War II. Downtown has numerous historic buildings that have been renovated, such as the P.P. Cobb building which was constructed in 1882, the United States Post Office and City Hall are also interesting to visit. Many redevelopment and restoration efforts continue to take place, namely the 1923 Sunrise Theater that has reopened as a 1200 seat regional performing arts center in downtown. Streetscapes with brick-pavers, landscaping and decorative lighting and signage all add to the unique waterfront community. Downtown affords visitors and resident alike with unique shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities. Fort Pierce is home to numerous modern educational and research facilities, like top-ranked Indian River Community College, the $6 million Smithsonian Institute Marine Station, the Manatee Observation and Education Center and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and the St. Lucie County Historical Museum. The St. Lucie County International Airport has seen significant changes over the years including Customs Services and opportunities for international travel. Several flight training schools are located here as well as other flight related businesses. The Fort Pierce City Marina is located on the beautiful Indian River in downtown and offers boaters all the amenities of small town life in a peaceful setting. With the close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean via the Fort Pierce inlet, it affords numerous fishing opportunities for both recreational and commercial fishermen and is a short distance to the Bahamas. Fishing and boating are a major part of the local economy with several boat companies located in the area. Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County continue to lead the State of Florida in grapefruit production. Several large juice companies are based here, including Tropicana, which recently expanded its juice production storage facility. As it has historically, Fort Pierce continues to be an important part of the Treasure Coast of Florida. For more information on Fort Pierce,click here !
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