Hobe Sound, Florida

Hobe Sound, Florida
CDP

Location in Martin County and the state of Florida
Hobe Sound
Hobe Sound

Location in the contiguous United States and Florida

Coordinates: 27°04′N 80°08′W / 27.067°N 80.133°W / 27.067; -80.133Coordinates: 27°04′N 80°08′W / 27.067°N 80.133°W / 27.067; -80.133
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 (2010)
 • Total 11,521
 • Density 2,082.8/sq mi (804.5/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 33455, 33475
Area code(s) 772
FIPS code 12-30975[1]
GNIS feature ID 0284064[2]
Sunset from the Intracoastal Waterway in Hobe Sound, Florida.

Hobe Sound is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,521 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Hobe Sound is located at 27°04′36″N 80°08′31″W / 27.076737°N 80.142076°W / 27.076737; -80.142076.[3]

Hobe Sound is an exurban area in southern Martin County near the Atlantic Ocean. It stretches along the coast between Port Salerno and Jonathan Dickinson State Park but does include Jupiter Island.

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 Jove/Jobe as [ˈxoβe], which later evolved into the current spelling "Hobe".

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.

A 'Bubble House' in Hobe Sound

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, Venus, Pluto 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 the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane 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.

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 and the Texaco station east of the Winn-Dixie plaza, which no longer supplies gasoline but continues to serve the community with car rentals and a livery service, operated by its founding family.

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.

Another significant historical association possessed by Hobe Sound is the brief stay there of former Defense Secretary James Forrestal in 1949 between his resignation from that post and his death.

March 15, 1997: During a stay at golfer Greg Norman's Jupiter Island Estate, after conversing late into the night, Norman was escorting then President Clinton to a cottage on his estate when the president fell while descending four dark-wood steps to a stone landing. In the darkness, he apparently misjudged the final step, untilsaid White House Press Secretary Michael D. McCurry. "He remembers his right knee buckling out. He heard a very loud pop," said Navy Capt. Connie Mariano, the president's personal physician. Alcohol was not a factor, Mariano told reporters while still in Florida. Paramedics at Norman's estate rushed to the president's side. They found Clinton lying on the ground being comforted by Norman and a Secret Service agent. The paramedics checked Clinton's vital signs, put ice and a splint on his leg and put him into an ambulance.

Hobe Sound is a predominantly wealthy community whose residents have included such celebrities as "Tiger" Woods, Alan Jackson, Celine Dion, and Burt Reynolds among others. Over the decades, it was home or a winter home for wealthy businessman and industrialists, politicians, and sports and entertainment celebrities.

Police protection for Hobe Sound is provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Department. The Martin County Fire Rescue Department provides modern fire, rescue, as well as EMS Services. State-of-the-art inter-facility EMS services are also provided by the Martin Health System.

Counties

Hobe Sound has been part of the following counties:

Government

Hobe Sound is an unincorporated town located in Martin County. Governed by County Commissioners, Martin County is divided into five districts. Hobe Sound is located in district 3 and the county commissioner is Anne Scott. District 3 also includes a portion of Tequesta in southern Martin County. The Tax Collector, Supervisor of Elections, Clerk of Circuit Court and Property Appraiser each have satellite offices in Hobe Sound at The Island Crossing Plaza.

Police protection is provided by the Eastern County Operations Division of the Martin County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office has approximately 232 sworn officers and provides coverage for most of the county. Hobe Sound comprises Patrol Zones 11 and 14.[4]

Fire and EMS services are provided by Station 32 of the Martin County Fire Rescue (Engine 32, Rescue 32, Brush 32, Tanker 32, EMS Supervisor 3)[5]

Demographics

As of the census[1] 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 performed 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 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 Dixie Highway (A1A) near Bridge Road.

Mass transit

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.

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. Private schools include the Hobe Sound Christian Academy. 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 new campus in Hobe Sound. This private school has a college preparatory program and educational opportunities for Kindergarten through 12th grade students. The campus offers education covering the basic arts (graphics, music, and media).

Notable people

Sources

References

  1. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  4. ↑ http://www.sheriff.martin.fl.us/east-county-operations.html
  5. ↑ http://www.martin.fl.us/portal/page?_pageid=350,4232539&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
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