When Did Stuart Become Hip?

I first set eyes on Stuart, Florida a little over 40 years ago, on a trip with my parents to visit my Uncle Bill and Aunt Elsie and check out the place.  The following year (the spring of 1976) my parents bought a condo and moved down there.  At that time, the population was about 60% senior citizens and 40% rednecks. Over the years, the place began to change.  While my mother was still living in Stuart, I noticed the place was starting to attract commuters from West Palm Beach and points south - lots more families were showing up downtown and on the beach.  Now, it is truly hip.  I went on a mini bar crawl last night which was a true eye opener.  I first stopped at the Crafted Keg, a local brew pub that had a pretty good crowd, and even musical entertainment (see photograph above).  On a Thursday night!  In August!  In Stuart, Florida! Of course, everybody in the place - even the guitar player - was far younger than me.  And no smart-ass comments, please.  I then went across the street with a group of guys to The Terra Fermata Bar Garden, which was absolutely packed.  They had an outdoor stage, and a pretty good band playing, too.  I asked

one of the guys I had walked over with where he was from, and he told me Boca Raton, which is well over an hour south of here.  The most amazing thing is that Miami Beach - which is a world class hot spot - is just an hour south of Boca, but yet they chose to drive to Stuart, instead.  Wow!  The world has truly turned upside down.