Jupiter Map
Jupiter is a town located in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 39,328. The estimate population for 2009 is 50,606. As of 2006, the population had grown to 50,028, according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research. Jupiter is well-known for its beauty and beaches. It is often referred to as a "beach town" and has become a popular vacation spot.
The area where the town now sits was originally named for the Hobe Indian tribe which lived at the mouth of the Loxahatchee River, and whose name is also preserved in the name of nearby Hobe Sound. A mapmaker misunderstood the Spanish spelling 'Jobe' of 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 inspired a neighboring town 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. Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 sandblasted the paint from the upper portion of the tower, and the tower was repainted using a potassium silicate mineral coating. The lighthouse is often used as the symbol for Jupiter.
Nearby cities include Tequesta, Riviera Beach, Port Salerno, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach.