GEOGRAPHY

Palm City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 23,120 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area.

            Location in Martin County and the State of Florida 
                       Coordinates:  27^o10’16”N 80^o16’43”W

     Country          United States
     State              Florida
     County           Martin

     Area  Total 
             16.5 sq mi (42.9 km²)
     Land 
             14.6 sq mi (37.9 km²)
     Water            
             1.9 sq mi (5 km²)

     Elevation        7 ft (2m

     Time Zone                Eastern (EST)  Summer (DST)
     Zip codes                  34990 – 34991
     Area code                 772

Distance to Major Cities         Highway Miles**                Air Travel Time *

Jacksonville                                    250 north                             80 minutes

Miami                                             100 south                             35 minutes

W. Palm Beach                                35 south

Orlando                                         120 north                              45 minutes

Atlanta                                           550 north                              96 minutes

* West Palm Beach International services the Martin County Area with daily flights to most destinations.

* Witham Field, located n Stuart, services many corporate and private flights as well.

*** Exits from Turnpike (#133) and I-95 (#102)

Climate:
Average Year-Round Temperature ….74 degrees   
Average Summer Temperature … 82 degrees
Average Rainfall …. 56 inches         
Average Ocean Temperature …. 74.3 degrees

According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place (CDP) has a total area of 16.6 squares miles from the St. Lucie County Line south on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River following the St. Lucie River and the Okeechobee Waterway to the Florida Turnpike then north on the Turnpike to the St. Lucie County Line.

Its county seat is Stuart, Florida. The population estimate for the Palm City planning area was 23,120 at the 2010 census., and it’s projected at 23,606 for 2012. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area.  

GOVERNMENT

Palm City is an unincorporated town located in Martin County, governed by Martin County Commissioners. Martin County is divided into five (5) districts. Palm City is represented by John Haddox as part of District 5. Martin County is a non-chartered county and its form of government is prescribed by the Florida Constitution and Florida Statutes, as follows:

Board of County Commissioners

The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative body of the county and has charge of all county executive and administrative functions, except those assigned by the Constitution to independent county officers or to the independent school district. The board also has some quasi-judicial functions. Some of functions exercised by the board are county-wide, while others are applicable only in the unincorporated areas of the county, where the board has many of the functions of a municipality. The county commissioners are elected by county-wide vote, but each one represents a specific district. The board appoints the county administrator who is responsible to it for the day-to-day operations of the county government. The current county commissioners by district number are:

1. Doug Smith 2. Ed Fielding 3. Anne Scott 4. Sarah Heard 5. John Haddox

DEMOGRAPHICS   

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,097 people, 8,458 households, and 6,301 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,373.4 people per square mile (530.4/km²). There were 9,228 housing units at an average density of 630.6/sq mi (243.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.56% White, 1.08% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.77% of the population.

There were 8,458 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $62,362, and the median income for a family was $69,688 (these figures had risen to $67,546 and $84,000 respectively as of a 2007 estimate^[4]). Males had a median income of $48,852 versus $33,699 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $35,213. About 2.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.

QUICK FACTS – MARTIN COUNTY

Population - 2010 Census ……146,318                    
Median Income - 2010 Households ……$53,210

Poverty Rate - …… 10.4%       Median Age -…… 49.7 years
Largest Racial / Ethnic Group -…… White

With 146,318 people, Martin County is the 31^st most populated county in the state of Florida out of 67 counties.

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 752.79 square miles (1,949.7 km²), of which 555.62 square miles (1,439.0 km²) (or 73.81%) is land and 197.18 square miles (510.7 km²) (or 26.19%) is water, much of it in the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Okeechobee.

Martin County was created in 1925 with the northern portion coming from St. Lucie County and southern portion coming from Palm Beach County. It was named for John W. Martin, Governor of Florida from 1925 to 1929.

Martin County is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area.