Melbourne, Florida
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| Melbourne, Florida | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Brevard County |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Harry Goode |
| Area | |
| - City | 35.5 sq mi (91.9 km²) |
| - Land | 30.2 sq mi (78.2 km²) |
| - Water | 5.3 sq mi (13.7 km²) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - City | 76,646 |
| - Density | 2,159/sq mi (834.015/km²) |
| - Metro | 531,250 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| Website: City of Melbourne | |
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,382. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 76,646 [1].
It is the home of the Brevard County Manatees baseball club of the Florida State League and Washington Nationals spring training.
Contents |
[edit] Government
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This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Melbourne city officials created the Babcock Street Redevelopment District in 1998 to stimulate new development along Babcock Street from U.S. 1 south to U.S. 192. A 218-unit apartment complex being built is just the latest (2005) piece in this effort to revitalize this area.
Melbourne is also attempting to revitalize the downtown Eau Gallie Riverfront district.
[edit] Events
The annual Melbourne Independent Filmmakers' Festival, held in early November, provides a venue for new filmmaker talent.
The Melbourne Area Pilots Association hosts a General Aviation Day at Melbourne International Airport in September.
[edit] Geography
It is located approximately 60 miles southeast of Orlando on the Space Coast along Interstate 95. It is approximately midway between Jacksonville and Miami.
- To the North:Viera, Florida/Suntree, Florida
- To the East:Satellite Beach/Indian Harbor Beach/Indialantic
- To the West:Lake Washington, FL
- To The South:Palm Bay, Florida/Melbourne Village
- To the Southwest:West Melbourne
[edit] Climate
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec high °F | 89 | 91 | 91 | 94 | 97 | 100 | 99 | 100 | 97 | 96 | 89 | 90 | 100 |
| Avg high °F | 72 | 73 | 77 | 81 | 85 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 83 | 77 | 73 | 81 |
| Avg low °F | 52 | 54 | 57 | 63 | 67 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 68 | 59 | 54 | 64 |
| Rec low °F | 22 | 28 | 31 | 38 | 50 | 62 | 66 | 65 | 57 | 41 | 30 | 26 | 22 |
| Rainfall in. | 2.1 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 5.8 | 6.3 | 5.1 | 8.7 | 6.3 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 51.2 |
| Source: [2] | |||||||||||||
[edit] History
Melbourne, in South Brevard County, originally was a training area for soldiers during the Civil War. Some soldiers, who were attracted to the river and the ocean, returned and bought land at 5 cents per acre. After the Civil War, pioneer families arrived and Melbourne was founded in the late 1860s by former slaves. The city was named after the first postmaster's home city of Melbourne, Australia. The first school in Melbourne was built in 1883 and is now part of the Florida Tech campus. In late 1942 the Melbourne Naval Air Station was established as a site to train newly commissioned Navy and Marine pilots for WWII. The program ran until 1946, and the land that was used for that program makes up most of what is currently the Melbourne International Airport. [3] In 1969, the cities of Eau Gallie and Melbourne voted to merge, forming modern day Melbourne.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Major Roads
U.S. Route 1
- Harbor City Boulevard is the local street name, and it runs parallel to the Indian River on the eastern side of the city. This road allows access to the beaches over 3 causeways: Pineda, Eau Gallie, and Melbourne.
U.S. Route 192
- Locally named New Haven Avenue and Strawbridge Avenue (downtown), pass through commercial, entertainment, and retail areas of Melbourne. It serves as a route to Kissimmee and the tourist corridor of Orlando to the west, and the town of Indialantic to the east via the Melbourne Causeway.
Interstate 95
- This 4 laned interstate passes through the city limits, with 3 exit ramps (192, Eau Gallie Blvd. (formerly Sarno Rd.), and Wickham Rd). It serves as a north-south route in the metropolitan area.
SR A1A
- This road runs along the beaches and provides access to other areas of Brevard County.
[edit] Rail Lines
The Union Cypress Company Railroad ran east to west through south Melbourne in the early 1900s. The mill town of Hopkins was near the present day streets of Mill Street and Main Street.
The Florida East Coast Railway runs through Melbourne, staying west of U.S. 1 through its entire run.
[edit] Economy
The Melbourne International Airport is located in the center of the city. Melbourne is one of the cities which makes up the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville metro area. Its proximity to the Orlando area and access to the beach have helped to establish a tourism industry. It has the second largest population on the Space Coast.
The following corporations have a plant in Melbourne:
In May 2005, the Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay area was among the top 10 in home price appreciation from 2004 to 2005.[citation needed] Melbourne is also home to the Florida Institute of Technology and houses a campus for the Brevard Community College (BCC).
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 71,382 people, 30,788 households, and 18,257 families residing in the city. A recent study shows the population to be around 74,600, with a metro population of about 510,000 people.[citation needed] The population density was 912.6/km² (2,363.9/mi²). There were 33,678 housing units at an average density of 430.6/km² (1,115.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.53% White, 9.33% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.32% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race constitute 5.54% of the population.
There were 30,788 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,571, and the median income for a family was $42,760. Males had a median income of $32,242 versus $22,419 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,175. In Melbourne, About 8.6% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Media
Florida Today is a daily newspaper serving Melbourne, Brevard County and the Space Coast region of Florida. It is a venture of the media conglomerate Gannett.
Radio stations:[1]
- WFIT 89.5 FM (Jazz, National Public Radio)
- WGRZ 93.1,100.7,* WGRV 107.9 FM The Groove (smooth Jazz)
- WFHA 94.1 FM (Variety, smooth jazz, oldies)
- WBVD 95.1 FM KISS 95.1 (Rap & R&B)
- WSJZ 95.9 FM Pirate 95.9 (Rock)
- WLRQ 99.3 FM (Adult Contemporary, Radio)
- WGNX 99.7 FM Playing What We Want (Adult hits)(echo WJKD Vero)
- WHKR 102.7 The Hitkicker (Country)
- WAOA 107.1 FM A1A - The Coast's #1 Hit Music Station (Top-40, Radio)
- WMEL 920 AM- Your Talk To Me Station (News Talk)
- WMMB 1240 AM News Talk (Talk, Radio)
- WINT 1560 AM- Music of Your Life (Nostalgia)
[edit] Famous residents
- Birthplace of singer, songwriter, writer, and poet Jim Morrison
- Birthplace of comedian and actor Darrell Hammond
- Birthplace of baseball player Tim Wakefield (Boston Red Sox)
- Singer/songwriter Tom Rapp, leader of 60s/70s band Pearls Before Swine, lived here from childhood
- Professional wrestler Devon Hughes, better known as Brother Devon from Total Nonstop Action wrestling.
[edit] Notable residents currently in the news
- Birthplace of University of Florida football star safety Reggie Nelson
[edit] External links
- City of Melbourne's Geographic Information Systems official site
- City of Melbourne, Police Department official
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
| Cities and communities of Brevard County, Florida | |||||||||
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