Port Salerno is defined by the Manatee Pocket, a body of water which extends from Port Salerno to the St. Lucie Inlet and is fed by several creeks including Salerno and Manatee. It is strategically situated where the Atlantic Ocean meets with the Indian River and the St. Lucie River. it is a relatively small community bordered by Cove Rd at its southern end and St. Lucie Blvd at its northern end, along A1A.
The St. Lucie Inlet and manatee Pocket provided an ideal harbor for fishermen working the Atlantic Ocean and is the principal reason port Salerno was settled. By the 1920's port Salerno was an active fishing port supporting wholesale saltwater fish houses. At its height, the fishing industry supported up to eight working fish houses in Port Salerno. Today, only one active fish house still operates in the port.
Port Salerno's commercial core grew at the center of the port activity along A1A, which included a block of one-story commercial buildings that survive today. During the growth of the fishing economy in Port Salerno, residential neighborhoods were built surrounding the port. The earliest residential development occurred in the 1920s and is reflected in the few remaining residential homes of that period as well as the platted grid system of streets and square blocks that defines the New Monrovia neighborhood and the neighborhoods west of A1A. Rocky Point, Manatee Creek and other surrounding residential developments reflect a more recent residential growth pattern resulting from population growth in Martin County and Florida in general.
In 2000, the Martin County Board of County Commissioners adopted the Port Salerno Community Redevelopment Plan. This plan is helping the community maintain its heritage as a past fishing village while helping to develop its future.
