Jensen Beach, Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jensen Beach is a census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,100 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Pineapple Farming in Jensen Beach
4 Other information
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Jensen Beach is located at 27°14′6″N, 80°13′52″W (27.234926, -80.231112)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 21.1 km² (8.1 mi²). 18.8 km² (7.2 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (10.82%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 11,100 people, 5,059 households, and 3,025 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 591.1/km² (1,531.8/mi²). There were 5,805 housing units at an average density of 309.1/km² (801.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.80% White, 2.25% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.77% of the population.

There were 5,059 households out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,674, and the median income for a family was $49,787. Males had a median income of $34,368 versus $25,118 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,921. 8.3% of the population and 5.0% of families were below the poverty line. 8.4% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

[edit] Pineapple Farming in Jensen Beach

In 1879, Capt. Thomas E. Richards established his homestead at Eden, planting pineapple slips on his plantation. The slips flourished, and the pineapple industry was born. John Laurence Jensen, an immigrant from Denmark, arrived in 1881, and set up his pineapple plantation, which became the town of Jensen.

Capt. Richards had the largest pineapple plantation on the Indian River. The fruit was packed in barrels and boxes at the packing house, loaded on riverboats, and transported to Titusville, the southern terminus of the Flagler’s Florida East Coast (FEC) Railroad. By 1894, Flagler’s FEC Railroad reached Jensen Beach, and freight shipments were loaded directly on the freight cars.

By 1895, Jensen was called the “Pineapple Capital of the World,” shipping over one million boxes of pineapples each year during the June and July season. To help deal with the increased Pineapple production, a Pineapple Factory was built.

Unfortunately, a hard freeze in 1895 devastated most of the small pineapple plantations. Also, two fires, 1908 and 1910, destroyed most of Jensen Beach and its remaining Pineapple farms. The industry finally collapsed in 1920 due to a wide variety of financial and agriculture problems. Growers decided to turn their efforts in another direction: raising citrus.

Today, the legacy of this tropical fruit lives on; the pineapple has become a symbol of Jensen Beach. The fruit legacy is celebrated annually during the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival.