How Jupiter Island Got Its Name

Just across the northern bridge which links Jupiter Island to the mainland is the town of Hobe Sound.  The name Hobe Sound comes from the name of the Jove or Jobe Indians, one of the Native American groups that lived in the area before European settlement. The Spanish pronounced the name “Ho-bay,” which has evolved into the current name “Hobe” (which sounds like “robe”).  Hobay is the name the Spaniards’ gave to the supreme god in Roman mythology.  During their exploration of Florida, they named the body of water that is now called Jupiter Inlet after their mythological god, calling it Rio Jobe.  An English map printed in 1671 indicates an area with the name Hobay in the vicinity of Hobe Sound.  Over time Hobay became anglicized to Hobe and the “bay” was dropped.  The transition from the god, Jobe, in Spanish to the god, Jupiter, in English explains the mythological derivation in the naming of not only Jupiter Island but many of the streets in the area —Zeus, Saturn, Mercury, etc.

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Jupiter Island Homes For Sale
Jupiter Island Real Estate

For more information about Jupiter Island, please contact:

JT  Tom Turner
Joan Thomson & Tom Turner
Jupiter Island Specialists
Waterfront Properties & Club Communities
825 Parkway Plaza, Ste. 8, Jupiter, Florida 33477
Office Phone:   (561) 746-7272
Joan Mobile Phone: (561) 346-2934
Tom Mobile Phone:  (561) 972-0123
Fax Number:    (561) 575-0174
joanthomson@wfpcc.com
tturner@wfpcc.com

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