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__NOTOC__ 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 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 75,366 *.

It was the birthplace of Jim Morrison, the lead singer and lyricist of the popular American rock band The Doors, and Saturday Night Live cast-member Darrell Hammond.

It is the home of the Brevard County Manatees baseball club of the Florida State League and Washington Nationals spring training.

Geography

Melbourne is located at (28.115023, -80.631925).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 91.9 km² (35.5 mi²). 78.2 km² (30.2 mi²) of it is land and 13.7 km² (5.3 mi²) of it (14.91%) is water. It is located approximately 60 miles southeast of Orlando on the well-known Space Coast along Interstate 95. It is approximately midway between Jacksonville and Miami. Nation-reknown places, such as Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios and Cape Canaveral are just an hour's drive from Melbourne. In the Melbourne/Palm Bay area, 33 miles of uncrowded, clean and sandy Atlantic beaches are available. One of these public beaches is Spessard Holland in Melbourne Beach. Minutes away from the Atlantic, Melbourne offers many water sports as well as on-land activities. You can engage in boating, fishing, sailboarding, scuba diving, surfing, water & jet skiing or camping, golf, hunting and tennis in several places in Melbourne.

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 1860's 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

Transportation

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 easy access to the beaches over 3 causeways: Pineda, Eau Gallie, and Melbourne.
  • US 192
    • Locally named New Haven Avenue or Strawbridge Avenue (downtown), is one of the major commercial, entertainment, and retail areas of Melbourne. Many businesses, large and small, are located on this busy avenue. 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.
  • I-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 the main north-south route in the metropolitan area.
  • SR A1A
    • This road runs along the beaches and provides easy access to other areas of Brevard County.

Rail Lines

The Union Cypress Company Railroad ran east to west through south Melbourne in the early 1900's. 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.

Economy

The Melbourne International Airport is located in the center of the city. Prior to the merger of Eau Gallie and Melbourne in 1969, it was located between the two cities. Melbourne is one of the cities which makes up the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne metro area. Its proximity to the Orlando area and miles of beaches have established a solid tourism industry. It is one of the largest population centers on the Space Coast and many high-tech companies such as Intersil, Harris Corporation, General Electric, Rockwell Collins, and Northrop Grumman have established offices in the area. In May 2005, the Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay area was among the top 10 in home prices appreciation from 2004 to 2005. Melbourne is also home to the Florida Institute of Technology and houses a major campus for Brevard Community College (BCC).

Demographics

As of the census 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. 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.

Media

Florida Today is the major daily newspaper serving Melbourne, Brevard County and the Space Coast region of Florida. It is a venture of the media conglomerate Gannett, and is similarly structured to the company's nationally distributed USA Today.

Radio stations:

  • WCEE 93.1 FM (Top-40, Radio)
  • WBVD 95.1 FM 95.1 The Beat (Top-40, Radio)
  • WLRQ 99.3 FM (Adult Contemporary, Radio)
  • WAOA 107.1 FM A1A - The Coast's #1 Hit Music Station (Top-40, Radio)
  • WMMB 1240 AM News Talk (Talk, Radio)

External links

Cities in Florida | Brevard County, Florida

Melbourne (Florida) | Melbourne (Floride) | Melbourne, Florida | Melbourne (Floryda) | Melbourne (Flórida)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Melbourne, Florida".

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