Stuart : Florida

What Stuart is like for active adults

Stuart, Florida is an extremely charming and complex retirement community for many active adults 55+. It has a lovely downtown that is fun to walk around in, with interesting shops and restaurants in a small town feel. There is a very ample coastline thanks to the bays and ocean that surround the town. There is much to do in this community of 16,000, which is very attractive to active adults (median age is 49).

Some say that Stuart is the most northerly place on the Florida Coast that is positively affected by the Gulf Stream. As a result it is considerably warmer in winter than other communities to the north. According to the wikipedia entry on Stuart, in the 1700s, several Spanish galleons shipwrecked in the Martin County area of Florida's Treasure Coast. The multiple wrecks were reportedly the result of a hurricane, and the ships were carrying unknown quantities of gold and silver. Some of this treasure has since been recovered.

Living by the water is possible for those who have the resources to do so. Some of it nicest neighborhoods are difficult to find without a guide or good real estate agent. There are a lot of active adult and gated communities, some of them extremely luxurious (see link at top right).

Real estate prices on homes in the area vary tremendously depending on neighborhood and proximity to the water. Prices have been drastically affected by the housing crisis - driven by foreclosures and short sales, median home prices in late 2009 were $100,000 or lower.

Photo of downtown Stuart courtesy of Wikipedia and Gregory Maxwell. Find out about more about retiring in Florida

Edit | History

What is special about this retirement community

• Stuart is the Sailfish capital of the world • Walkable, charming downtown • Great shopping and restaurants • Many great neighborhoods and developments • Long shoreline and barrier island beaches • Warm winters

Edit | History

What is not special about this retirement community

• There is lot traffic in season • Overdevelopment • History of hurricanes

Edit | History

What kinds of people like retiring here

Stuart is a growing, vital community with all types and ages of people living there.

Edit | History

Local economy is driven by

Education, banking and finance, tourism, real estate

Edit | History

Climate and Physical Environment

Stuart is in the middle of the Atlantic coast of Florida, about where the Gulf Stream starts to move east. There are many rivers, bays, and barrier islands that make this a complex network of land and water. Winters are warm and summers have almost daily rains.

Edit | History

Cultural environment

The Martin County Library is well funded and features a collection of over 250,000 books. The Lyric Theatre is an historic theatre on the National Register of Historic Places. The Stuart Heritage Museum. There are a lot of interesting shops and galleries in this affluent community.

Edit | History

Medical facilities

• Saint Lucie Medical Center (Port Saint Lucie, FL, 8 miles) • Savannas Hospital (Port Saint Lucie, FL, 8 miles) • Lawnwood Regional Medical Center (Fort Pierce, FL, 19 Miles;)

Edit | History

Transportation

Vero Beach Muni Airport (34 Miles) • Palm Beach International (38 Miles)

Edit | History

Was this review helpful?

Yes

Please share your opinions on this community in the Forum
Register to become a Site Guide to Edit these sections or Add a Community If you have suggestions on how Topretirements.com could improve these reviews, contact us.
Suggest a community we want to know about your top retirement spots

Please note that all contributions to Topretirements may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then don't submit it here. By submitting content and/or photographs here you agree to give Topretirements.com the rights to use them in any manner without cost or attribution.You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Project:Copyrights for details). DO NOT SUBMIT COPYRIGHTED WORK WITHOUT PERMISSION!

Forward to a Friend | print

Facts about STUART

State: FL
Environment: Suburban,Coastal,
City Population: 10,000-25,000
Median age of Population: 45-64
Avg Jan Temperature: 41-60
Median HH Income: 20,001-40,000
Average Home Price (MLS): $100,000-$200,000
Annual Property Tax on a $200,000 house: Less than 2000
Total Crime Index: 101-110 (slightly above average)
Cost of Living Index: 101-110 (slightly above average)
Culture Index: 101-110 (slightly above average)
State Sales Tax: Yes
State Income Tax: No
Name of the Guide: youngatheart

Can you add to or correct these Facts? Or do you have a photo of this community we could use? If so, please click on Edit these facts

Add Your City Photo here

Vote on the Ratings for Stuart

Total Ratings

1. Overall Retirement Ratings Discuss

Currently 0.00>/5
1
2
3
4
5