Florida city named most beautiful in nation by America in Bloom

STUART, FL (October 8, 2008)
'Enjoy our Good Nature' has new meaning
for this Florida city! Just named 'The Most Beautiful in the Nation' for its size by American in Bloom, Stuart and the greater Martin County area has always boasted its natural beauty, pristine beaches, miles of diverse inland waterways and low density, but now tourism officials have actual proof.
America in Bloom is a national nonprofit dedicated to promoting nationwide beautification programs and community involvement through the
use of plants, flowers and trees. Cities vying for most beautiful designation are rated in eight distinct categories, including floral
displays, environmental awareness, landscaped areas, tidiness, urban forestry, heritage preservation, turf and groundcovers and community
involvement.
A community effort sparked one year ago by the city's garden club, City of Stuart Commissioner Mary Hutchinson said, "This program, locally
promoted as Stuart-in-Bloom, started with a few citizens that knew about the national competition, and it just took off from there. In addition to planting 100 trees in city parks and encouraging and recognizing exemplary private and business landscape designs, we worked with the
Downtown Business Association to spruce up the city's historic downtown area. We're extremely proud of our city."
Stuart is a coastal community where longstanding commitment to ecology and conservation is evident-over 24% (85,420 acres) of Martin County is
comprised of local, state, federal and private conservation lands. In addition to America in Bloom judges giving special recognition to Stuart
for environmental awareness, judges mentioned the "absence of graffiti" in Stuart and said they were impressed with the "overall cleanliness" of
the entire city.
Thirty communities from across the United States competed in the annual competition. A total of seven cities, each in a different population class, were named as the most beautiful cities in the nation.
Being named by America in Bloom as the most beautiful city in the nation isn't the only national designation the area enjoys. Earlier this year, Forbes magazine ranked Martin County 11th on its list of "America's Best Places to Raise a Family." In 2007, TripAdvisor, the world's largest online travel community chose Bathtub Beach in Martin County, Florida,
as one of the 10 Best Beaches in the U.S. for families.
Stuart and the greater Martin County area is located approximately midway between Miami and Orlando on Florida's southeastern Atlantic
coast, and is the southernmost of three counties that comprise what is commonly referred ...