Melbourne Beach, Florida

History Ponce De Leon may have landed near Melbourne Beach when he was the first European to set foot in Florida in 1513 (rather than at St. Augustine, as he is usually said to have).

Melbourne Beach is "Brevard's Oldest Beach Community," established in 1883 by a retired Union general. Pineapples were grown there until 1895, when freezing weather wiped out crops and ended commercial farming there.

In 1921, the Melbourne Causeway was built, connecting Melbourne beach to the mainland via the town of Indialantic. Only in 1923 was it officially incorporated as a town.

The town's population oscillated until World War II, when it began growing steadily. Currently, it is largely residential, with an elementary school, some businesses, and many condominums.

Reference

• The Town of Melbourne Beach website (http://www.melbournebeachfl.org/)

Geography Melbourne Beach is located at 28°4'4" North, 80°33'42" West (28.067745, -80.561724)¹. It is situated on an (apparently unnamed) barrier island that seperates the Indian River Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. It shares the island with the town of Indialantic to the north and unincorporated area to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²). 2.7 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 19.53% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 3,335 people, 1,422 households, and 992 families residing in the town. The population density is 1,250.1/km² (3,243.5/mi²). There are 1,556 housing units at an average density of 583.3/km² (1,513.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 97.51% White, 0.09% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 2.28% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,422 households out of which 25.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% are married couples living together, 5.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% are non-families. 23.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size is 2.77.

In the town the population is spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 46 years. For every 100 females there are 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $57,035, and the median income for a family is $62,139. Males have a median income of $46,424 versus $34,028 for females. The per capita income for the town is $31,489. 3.8% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 0.0% are under the age of 18 and 2.2% are 65 or older.