the street is the Sand Dollar Café , where you ’ ll find the finest breakfast and lunch Southern fare .
A history that is alive today
Founded in 1835 , Port St . Joe ( originally known as St . Joseph ) quickly emerged as the largest city in Florida , with a flourishing population of 11,000 . In time , it would play host to 56 delegates at a convention to draft Florida ’ s first constitution .
But old St . Joseph ’ s brief period of prosperity would be followed by a series of devastating natural disasters . And they ran the gamut : from the yellow fever pandemic to a great fire to a catastrophic hurricane . The yellow fever outbreak alone reduced the city ’ s population to fewer than 500 . It was effectively abandoned after a fire , followed by a hurricane , destroyed much of the infrastructure . At one point , only 19 people called Port St . Joe home .
But with every challenge — especially the recent landfall of Hurricane Michael — the town has come back ever stronger . Perhaps the best example of this is the shipyard operated by the Eastern Shipbuilding Group .
The facility is situated on the Gulf County Canal and is one of only three along the Gulf Coast . Here they build military and commercial vessels , including ferries , tugboats , fireboats , and Coast Guard cutters . The shipyard is outfitted with a marine railway and a 57,000-foot fabrication building , and is one of the largest employers in the area .
Over time , this boundless resilience has become central to Port St . Joe ’ s identity . And the locals are as warm as they are proud of it — which makes Port St . Joe such an inspirational destination to visit .
Welcome to Port St . Joe Travel Beach L i fe 27