History of the City of Vero, Florida

The city of Vero, Florida dates back as an official settlement to 1870, when Captain Allen W. Estes established the first homestead on the Indian River near Bethel Creek.  By 1891, a permit to build a post office in the area was issued and the settlement was officially given a name:  Vero, which in Latin means “in truth.”  A couple of years later, Henry Flagler’s Florida’s East Coast Railroad was completed and began operation through Vero and Indian River County, which enabled the local allowing fishermen and small fruit and vegetable growers to ship their products to the north.  This development was key in Vero’s status as a supplier for citrus fruits.  In the early 20th Century, Vero was still a small community, but large enough to need a railway station by 1903, mainly due to the Flagler line opening access to all of Florida.

The citrus crop as a primary export of the region finds its origins in 1911, when Herrman Zeuch purchased 55,000 acres of land for growing citrus.  Zeuch also began draining the land for development, and with the assistance of a civil engineer, laid out a town site and built the town of Vero over the next few years.  By 1919, Vero became chartered as an official town with its own newspaper, the Vero Press.  The following year, a bridge over the Indian River was constructed, connecting the barrier island with the main land for the first time.  Until 1925, Vero was still part of  St. Lucie County; this changed when a group of Vero Beach citizens desired to form a new county and Indian River County was formed, with Vero as the county seat.

More recent years have seen increases in the cultural opportunities offered in the Vero area.  First, The Vero Beach Theatre Guild was established in 1958, and The Vero Beach Concert Association began presenting concerts in 1966.  Riverside Theatre then opened in 1974, and the Center for the Arts in 1986.