Jensen Beach, Florida

Jensen Beach is located in Martin County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 11,100. Jensen Beach is located at 27°14'6" North, 80°13'52" West (27.234926, -80.231112)GR1 and according to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 21.1 km² (8.1 mi²). 18.8 km² (7.2 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10.82% water.

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there are 11,100 people, 5,059 households, and 3,025 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 591.1/km² (1,531.8/mi²). There are 5,805 housing units at an average density of 309.1/km² (801.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 95.80% White, 2.25% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 2.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 5,059 households out of which 23.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% are married couples living together, 8.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% are non-families. 33.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 17.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.19 and the average family size is 2.78.

In the CDP the population is spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $36,674, and the median income for a family is $48,787. Males have a median income of $34,368 versus $25,118 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $22,921. 8.3% of the population and 5.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.4% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Jensen Beach's history started about 1565 when Spaniards sailed down the Indian River, seeking shipwreck survivors and trying to convert the Indians. They built a fort, naming it St. Lucie. In 1811, the Spanish governor of Florida issued a land grant to James Hutchinson. The island was named Hutchinson Island. The growing tribe of Seminole Indians were ruining his crops and stealing his livestock on the mainland, so he moved to the island. It was no safer, as pirates raided Hutchinson’s plantation, damaged his crops and stole his slaves. Hutchinson drowned later in a storm at sea.

Following three Seminole Indian Wars, settlers began homesteading land from Sewall’s Point north to the Sebastian River in the 1840s. Crops spoiled, due to irregular transport by coastal schooner to northern markets. Fresh water from the St. Lucie River killed the saltwater fish grasses flourished and oyster beds died. In 1844, the homesteaders dug an inlet at Gilbert’s Bar, a narrow neck of land at the St. Lucie River. The Indian River’s salinity returned, and the fishing industry flourished.

Blockade runners and federal gunboats were active off the coast during the Civil War. A strong support for the Confederacy in St. Lucie Village led to the removal of the lights from the Jupiter and Cape Florida lighthouses, making navigation difficult for the Union gunboats.

In 1879, Capt. Thomas E. Richards established his homestead at Eden, planting pineapple slips on his plantation. The slips flourished, and the pineapple industry was born. John Laurence Jensen, an immigrant from Denmark, arrived in 1881, and set up his pineapple plantation, which became the town of Jensen. Capt. Richards had the largest pineapple plantation on the Indian River. The fruit was packed in barrels and boxes at the packing house, loaded on riverboats, and transported to Titusville, the southern terminus of the FEC Railroad. By 1894, Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railroad reached Jensen Beach, and freight shipments were loaded directly on the freight cars.

By 1895, Jensen was called the “Pineapple Capital of the World,” shipping over one million boxes of pineapples each year during the June and July season. A pineapple factory was established.

Pioneer R.R. Ricou and Sons operated fish houses all along the Indian Riverfront, shipping as many as 200 barrels of fish daily, plus carloads of bottom fish and mackerel. There was also an ice manufacturing plant in Jensen.

John Jensen built the large, three story hotel named the Al Fresco. In 1908, a disastrous fire destroyed most of the downtown area. In 1910, a second fire destroyed the Al Fresco.

In 1925, the Florida Legislature to created Martin County, named for the governor of Florida. Jensen Beach incorporated as a city, and a mile-long wooden bridge was built to give access to Hutchinson Island. The Great Depression destroyed the tax base, and town leaders did away with incorporation.

The famed Arch on Dixie Highway (SR 707) at Frances Langford Park welcomed visitors to Jensen Beach.

In the 1950s, the Town on Wheels, Ocean Breeze Park, was founded.

Now, Jensen Beach is a charming community located along the scenic Indian River on Florida’s Central Atlantic “Treasure Coast.” Visitors have been flocking to this century old town to escape cold northern winters for over 95 years. The reason is undoubtedly Jensen Beach’s relaxed, uncrowded way of life, with affordable accommodations and a wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities. Sea Turtle/Jensen Beach Park is a large full service beach park with a concession area, including dining overlooking the ocean, lifeguards, showers, paved parking and beach volleyball courts. Main Street in Jensen Beach is full of shops and restaurants in charming historic homes, family restaurants and even a riverfront tavern that serves Caribbean fare and live music.