Port St. Lucie, Florida is located on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. The city of nearly 155,000 people is in St. Lucie County and is also part of the Port St. Lucie, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The entire MSA has a population of roughly 406,300. Port St. Lucie has grown quickly in the last 10 years, from approximately 88,800 during 2000 to the present 155,251. The recent growth has been characteristic of Port St. Lucie's rise. Port St. Lucie's population more than tripled between the years 1980 and 1990.
The Port in St. Lucie was developed by a subsidiary of the Mackle Co., the General Development Corporation. The company invested more than $50 million in 1958 to help develop a few residential properties along the river. The plan was successful and the city was incorporated in 1961. From its first phase as a residential bedroom community, the city of Port St. Lucie is presently becoming a thriving city in its own right.
Port St. Lucie's location offers a terrific location for outdoor enthusiasts, offering up many public parks and recreational facilities. There is also an abundant amount of surf and sun. The various outdoor activities which are common in Port St. Lucie, include: fishing, swimming, canoeing, surfing, sailing, kayaking as well as various water sports. Golf is a local industry, because the city of Port St. Lucie is home to the PGA or Professional Golf Association Learning Center and Historical Center. Tourists and locals can go to the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame. A world-class collection of golf memorabilia and periodicals is housed at the Probst Library.
St. Lucie County has a strong and vibrant arts and culture sector, with the A.E. "Bean" Backus Gallery & Museum, that houses collections and paintings by the well-known Florida artist. To learn regarding the rich history of the county, go to the St. Lucie County Historical Museum. Both of these museums are situated in Fort Pierce.
The worlds only Navy SEALS museum, the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, features education and history regarding the SEALS. The Hallstrom Planetarium is popular with both the old and the young. It is situated within Fort Pierce on the Indian River Community College campus.
For employment, numerous Port St. Lucie residents commute to other cities. The city has been fully behind the redevelopment of the downtown core. The city of Port St. Lucie has a lot of employment sources of its own. Private medical companies top the list when it comes to number of employees. Additionally, the head office of QVC inbound call center is located in the city of Port St. Lucie and is a significant employer. A lot of local residents work for the Professional Golf Association, which has a facility in Port St. Lucie. Other than medical care, the major sectors for work are accommodation and food services, construction, government as well as finance and insurance. Walmart and Publix Supermarkets are two of the major retail employers.
Within St. Lucie County, there are the head offices of Harbor Federal Savings Bank and Riverside National Bank. The county has numerous industrial parks and an emerging Life Science Cluster.