If you’re looking for a city with plenty of job opportunities, dedication to sustainable development and near-perfect weather year-round, Port St. Lucie ticks all those boxes.
Located on Florida’s Treasure Coast, Port St. Lucie has seen explosive growth over the past few years. It’s currently the sixth-largest city in the state, with a population of about 240,000, and its economic strength continues to attract newcomers. Data from Moody’s Analytics shows that job growth in Port. St. Lucie is primed to increase by more than 10% over the next four years. (U.S. job growth as a whole is expected to hover around 3.25% over the same time period, according to Moody’s.)
Port St. Lucie’s booming economic growth has led to the development of what the city calls the Jobs Corridor, a 3.5-mile stretch of land that runs parallel to I-95. In January, Costco announced plans to build a new facility in the Corridor — joining existing tenants like Amazon and FedEx — which the company says will generate more than 500 construction jobs this year, and more than 250 permanent jobs once the facility opens.
But it’s not all work and no play in Port St. Lucie. The city has over 60 parks and recreation areas, including the Saints Golf Course, owned and operated by the local government. Special events are held throughout the year in these public spaces, like the Eggstravaganza at Whispering Pines Park and Paddle Center, where kids can go on the hunt for 60,000 decorated eggs every Easter.
For adults, the city hosts monthly River Nights from October through April at Veterans Park — a free event with live music, food and drinks by the riverside. If communing with nature is more your speed, the McCarty Ranch Reserve has walking, biking and riding trails, and more than 300 acres of lakes ripe for fishing, kayaking and canoeing.
