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Port St. Lucie
M A G A Z I N E
Port St. Lucie Magazine and
St. Lucie Magazine, published
each January, March, June and
September, are publications of
Indian River Magazine Inc., a
locally owned company based at
308 Ave. A, Fort Pierce, FL 34950.
All material contained herein
is copyrighted by Indian River
Magazine Inc. Member of the
St. Lucie County Chamber
4
A trip down memory lane
After General Development Corporation purchased the River Park property in 1958
and later other properties, full-page magazine ads began running, most notably in
the northern parts of the U.S., offering lots for $10 down and $10 a month. Homes
were selling from about $9,000 to $15,000, and there were 250 homes built by February
1961, according to the Port St. Lucie Historical Society.
The City Charter for the newly incorporated area was signed by Gov. Farris Bryant, and
Port St. Lucie became a city on April 27, 1961. The first city council meeting was held the
following May under the leadership of Mayor William C. Farmer, general manager for
GDC, which continued building the city. The city was described at the time as a countryclub
type development, according to the Palm Beach Post. It included a championship
18-hole golf course with another one on the way. Initially attracting retirees, the city is now
a haven for families young and old and has become the most populous city in St. Lucie
County with some 190,000 residents.
A recent addition to the city is the six-lane divided Crosstown Parkway over the North
Fork of the St. Lucie River with a celebration of the opening held on Sept. 28. The 4,000-foot
bridge over the North Fork connects the east and the west sections of Port St. Lucie. See the
details on Page 12 in a story by Susan Burgess.
Port St. Lucie celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2021. Members of the Port St. Lucie
Historical Society and the City of Port St. Lucie hope much of their envisioned ‘historical
village’ will be on display by that time, although the project has about a five-year timeline.
The village has already started with two buildings from the Peacock Ranch representing
old Florida living that have been moved from the city’s McCarty Ranch Preserve to Westmoreland
Boulevard near Botanical Gardens. Plans are to renovate one of the buildings into
a historical museum. The planning is the result of the city’s Riverwalk Boardwalk Extension
Project. However, plans to create some sort of preservation of the city’s history began
in 1995 with a group of people who would soon form the Port St. Lucie Historical Society.
Read about the ongoing project on Page 18 in a fascinating article by Ellen Gillette.
The city has progressed so rapidly that honors and awards have been bestowed on it
over the years. In fact, Port St. Lucie garnered some 35 honors just in the past year, according
to Susan Burgess Page 8. The city is one of the top safest areas in the country and
among the best for retirement. It has also received accolades for its beautification, entertainment,
affordability, environmental management and health.
That’s some really astounding progress in just under 60 years. Congratulations, Port St.
Lucie officials and residents, and, as you probably know, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Reach Associate Publisher Allen Osteen at
772.466.3346 or osteen@portstluciemagazine.com
Reach Publisher Gregory Enns at
772.940.9005 or enns@portstluciemagazine.com
PUBLISHERS’ NOTE
Publisher & Editor
Gregory Enns
772.940.9005
Associate Publisher
Allen Osteen
772.466.3346
Sales Coordinator
Lisa Crawford
772.466.3346
Associate Editor
Jerry Shaw
Copy Editors
Writers
Ellen Gillette
Photographers
Photo/Print Consultant
Herb Paynter
Design Editor
Michelle Burney
Cover Photo
Greg Gardner
To Advertise
772.940.9005
Sunny Gates
772.204.5043
Marsha Lange
772.237.1717
Lena Michelle
561.222.7010
Lauren Shott
772.501.0285
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4 PortStLucieMagazine
CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE
Festivals at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center show the city has become a happy and fun place to live.
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