Jupiter, Florida

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Jupiter is a town located in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 39,328. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 46,752.<ref>"Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Florida, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004" (Excel Spreadsheet), Census Bureau.</ref>

The area where the town now sits was originally named for the Hobe indian tribe which lived at the mouth of the Loxahatchee River. A mapmaker misunderstood the Indian name 'Hobe' and recorded it as 'Jove'. Subsequent mapmakers further misunderstood this to be the Latin translation of the god Jupiter, and they anglicized the name from Jove to 'Jupiter.' The Roman god Jupiter (or Zeus in the Greek mythology) is the chief Roman god, husband of Juno, and god of light, of the sky and weather, and of the state and its welfare and its laws. It is the only town in America to have such a name. It inspired a neighboring village to name itself "Juno Beach".

The most notable landmark is the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, completed in 1860. Made of brick, it was painted red in 1910 due to discoloration caused by humidity. The lighthouse is often used as the symbol for Jupiter. (See [1])

Jupiter is the home to the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals spring training facilities as well as one of their respective Class A Minor League Baseball affiliates, the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals. They share the use of the Roger Dean Stadium complex. Both minor league squads compete in the Florida State League.

William P. Gwinn Airport is located in Jupiter.<ref>Profile of William P. Gwinn Airport at AirNav.com; URL accessed February 18, 2006.</ref>

Local residents refer to Jupiter as "J-Town" or "the 561".

Jupiter is home to Florida Atlantic University's MacArthur Campus. This northern campus of FAU is also the location of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Notable residents
4 References
5 External links

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Geography

Image:FLMap-doton-Jupiter.PNG Jupiter is located at 26°55'34" North, 80°6'18" West (26.925985, -80.104963)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 54.7 km² (21.1 mi²). 51.8 km² (20.0 mi²) of it is land and 2.9 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.35% water.

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Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there are 39,328 people, 16,945 households, and 11,403 families residing in the town. The population density is 759.2/km² (1,966.5/mi²). There are 20,943 housing units at an average density of 404.3/km² (1,047.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 94.86% White, 1.22% African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.37% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 7.33% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 16,945 households out of which 26.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% are married couples living together, 8.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% are non-families. 25.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.32 and the average family size is 2.75.

In the town the population is spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $54,945, and the median income for a family is $64,873. Males have a median income of $44,883 versus $33,514 for females. The per capita income for the town is $35,088. 4.8% of the population and 3.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.7% of those under the age of 18 and 4.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Jupiter is now home to many transplanted Northerners who can afford expensive, luxurious vacation homes. Most "snowbirds" are from the New York City metropolitan area (including Connecticut and New Jersey) and the Boston area in Massachusetts.

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