Stuart : Florida

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. The road out to Sewall Point Road and Hutchinson Island are beautiful with many lovely and expensive homes. There is much to do in this growing community of 16,000, which is very attractive to active adults (median age is 49). Local attractions include Hobe Sound, several large state parks on the coast like Seabranch Preserve, and the Port Salerno Waterfront District.

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. Boaters enjoy the Intracoastal which runs between the barrier island and Sewall Point. 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.

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Living by the water is possible for those who have the resources to do so.  Some of it nicest neighborhoods, like those on Sewall Point or Sailfish Point, 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 were drastically affected by the housing crisis but are recovering.  Foreclosures and short sales drove the median home price in 2010 to about $80,000. By late 2014, City-Data.com had the median price rebounding to about $100,000.  In the nicest developments homes sell for millions of dollars. We think the reported median prices do not reflect the kind of home that the average retiree is looking for. 

• 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 • Great golf courses • Intracoastal •  Many state parks and Hobe Sound • Nearby and funky Jensens Beach is interesting