Port St Lucie History
Before Port St Lucie, Florida
To see bits of historic Port Saint Lucie, consider visiting the Spruce Bluff Mound Preserve. It is around 18 feet tall and 190 feet in diameter. It dates back to 300 B.C. and is preserved as a major historical landmark in the city. It was developed by the natives of the area and perhaps the Ais Indians. It was also the home of the first non-Native American settlement in the late 1890s. St. Lucie County was first formed in 1905. To check out the Spruce Bluff Mound Preserve, follow these directions:
General Development Corp
Port St Lucie, Florida started by General Development Corp, the largest land development company in Florida at the time. They also started Port St John, Port LaBelle, and Port Charlotte. The GDC came to an end in 1991 when they filed bankruptcy.
Incorporating the City of PSL
It was incorporated on April 27, 1961, without any residents and since then has become the third most populous city in South Florida and the eighth largest city in Florida overall with a population of over 180,000. It’s incorporation did not include presidents of River Park as they rejected inclusion.
River Park remains an unincorporated area of St. Lucie County to this day but is considered an integral part of the community. In 1970 the population was 330, in 1980 the population was 17,000, and by 2007 it had ballooned to over 160,000.
You might also consider visiting the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. It is part of modern history and in particular movie history. The location looks so natural and wild that it was used to double for the Amazon River in the 1979 James Bond movie, Moonraker.
Another exciting venue that always has activities and event is the Port St. Lucie Civic Center.