Here’re tidbits about Vero Beach’s fascinating past
Located along the Atlantic Coast, Vero Beach has earned a reputation as one of the elegant cities in the state of Florida. It is also considered as a crucial part of Florida’s Treasure Coast region due to its peaceful beaches, parks, art galleries, and other tourist attractions. Perhaps, the Vero Beach real estate is in demand due to the same reasons.
Incorporated in 1919, the Vero Beach City recently celebrated its 100th birthday. Initially, the city was referred to as Vero, and the word Beach was added in 1925. The city is nothing less than a hidden gem, located between Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach. Thus, investors keep their eyes on details about homes for sale in Vero Beach. The beach-side town attracts a lot of limelight due to frequent festivals, turtle conservation efforts, and beaches. Besides these, there’s a lot to know about the city’s fascinating past.
Vero Beach Naval Air Station
After the Pearl Harbor attack, the US Navy established multiple naval air stations that remained active until 1947. Vero Beach Airport was selected due to its paved runway in 1942. More than 1,500 acres of land pieces surrounding the airport were purchased. By February 1943, the Naval Air Station, as well as a training unit for Naval Aviators, was fully operational. At one point, the Vero Beach Naval Air Station was home to 1,400 Navy and Marine Corps personnel with 250 aircraft.
Coast Guard and the Army also had the responsibility to monitor the US shoreline for enemy planes and U-boats. The number of people at the Air Station was considerably higher than the people living in Vero Beach City. The Base Personnel stayed at various hotels and used community facilities. In 1947, the Air Station was closed and returned to the city to be used as a civil airport.
Bank constructed a tunnel to connect its two facilities
After World War II, drive-thru banks gained a lot of popularity in the US. Vero Beach got its first motor banking facility in 1958, from the Indian River Citrus Bank. The facility was located in front of the bank’s main building at the corner of Fourteenth Avenue on Twentieth Street. For complying with the banking laws in Florida, a connecting tunnel had to be dug under the street. Only the bank’s employees had access to the subway, and they used it for moving money between the two facilities. Later, it had to be filled in.
As per historian Ruth Stanbridge, the tunnel was made from aluminum and glass, designed in mid-century modern style. Currently, the US Fish and Wildlife Service office stands at the area that was once occupied by the side entrance for the bank’s tunnel. The book titled Vero Beach (Images of America) by author Teresa Lee Rushworth offers an exciting insight into the same.
There’s a lot to discover in this beautiful city. It can prove to be a perfect destination for real estate investment. If you need accurate details for condos for sales in Vero Beach, you should surely get in touch with Debbie Bell.
