The History of Jupiter Island

Jupiter Island’s first recorded history was as part of the Gomez Grant. This was a land grant from the King of Spain to Eusebio Gomez in 1815, as a reward for faithful service and includes not only Jupiter Island but almost all of what is now mainland Hobe Sound.

The land was divided and re-divided among the Gomez heirs and others and much of it was sold in the early 1900s to a British land development company that went bankrupt in the late 1920s. The extensive land holdings of the corporation were acquired by a group of friends who enjoyed staying at a small Island hotel with the idea of conserving the natural beauty of the Island and this has been the aim of the original owners, their heirs, and others who have purchased land and built homes here. In fact, much of the Island has been given to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy for wildlife refuges and preservation of the natural ecology.

Jupiter Island was incorporated as a town in 1953 and enacted strict low density zoning which has preserved its natural beauty probably better than any other populated barrier island in existence. One and two-acre zoning is the norm for single family residential homes and no high rises or multiple family dwellings are allowed. The town has its own government, including mayor, commissioners, a fire department, and a police force with probably the highest ratio of police to residents in the United States. There are currently 468 homes on Jupiter Island.

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