St. Lucie West
| Port St. Lucie | |
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| City | |
| City of Port St. Lucie | |
PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie
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| Motto: A City for All Ages | |
 Location in St. Lucie County and the state of Florida |
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 U.S. Census Map |
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| Coordinates: 27°16′33″N 80°21′18″W / 27.27583°N 80.35500°WCoordinates: 27°16′33″N 80°21′18″W / 27.27583°N 80.35500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | St. Lucie |
| Incorporated | April 27, 1903 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Greg Oravec |
| Area | |
| • City | 120.51 sq mi (312.11 km2) |
| • Land | 118.89 sq mi (307.92 km2) |
| • Water | 1.62 sq mi (4.19 km2) |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 164,603 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 185,132 |
| • Rank | US: 142nd |
| • Density | 1,557.18/sq mi (601.23/km2) |
| • Urban | 376,047 (US: 101st) |
| • Metro | 438,095 (US: 116th) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| FIPS code | 12-58715 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0308089 |
| Website | City of Port St. Lucie |
Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 164,603 at the 2010 census due to its rapid growth during the 2000s. In 2013, the state of Florida estimated the city's population at 171,016. Port St. Lucie forms part of a metropolitan area called the Port St. Lucie, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area that in 2013 was estimated to have 438,095 residents. As of 2015, the city had 179,413 residents, surpassing Fort Lauderdale in population.
Port St. Lucie was a largely uninhabited tract of land south of White City in the 1950s, composed of a fishing camp, a few farms and businesses near U.S. 1. In 1958, with a budget of $5, the General Development Corporation (GDC) purchased the River Park development and 40,000 acres (160 km2) along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. In 1959, the GDC opened its first bridge over the St. Lucie River, allowing for direct automobile access to Port St. Lucie.
By February 25, 1961 there were 250 homes in the new city. GDC requested the state legislature to incorporate 70 miles (110 km), along with the River Park settlement, into the City of Port St. Lucie. River Park did not incorporate into the city at the request of its residents. Port St. Lucie became a city on April 27, 1961 with the passage of House Bill No. 953, proposed by State Representative Rupert Smith and approved by Florida Governor C. Farris Bryant.
In the early 1990s, Core Communities (CC), acquired and began planning what would become St. Lucie West. Originally, St. Lucie West was to have contained about 14,000 homes over a 20-year period on 7 square miles (18 km2). But after realizing the community's strategic position, they began developing it into more than just a residential area. CC began building business sectors and places of entertainment and leisure. That resulted in 7,000 jobs being brought to the small town, helping it into its boom during most of the early 2000s.
In 2006, CC started development of its newest community, Tradition. The community, which sits west of the Interstate 95 intersection of Gatlin Blvd., was a large cattle ranch before CC began to develop it. There they built around 13,000,000 square feet (1,200,000 m2) of commercial area, and room for over 18,000 residences. According to CC's website, Tradition is the largest fully entitled residential development area from the tip of Interstate 95 to the Canada–U.S. border. It is modeled after a 1950s-era town. According to its website, Tradition Square, the town center of the community, holds festivities year-round. It was also chosen as the site of HGTV's Green Home 2009, and one of America's best 100 communities.
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