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Since the 1880s, the villages of Grant and Valkaria have existed in harmony within the borders of Brevard County, Florida. We are pleased to announce that effective July 25, 2006 these two communities were joined by referendum and act of law into the single Incorporated Town of Grant-Valkaria. This Town was founded in order to secure the local benefits of self-government, preserve our history, protect our future, maintain a rural quality of life, and foster responsible, community-controlled growth. Living in this area has many benefits including the Melbourne International Airport being only 5 miles south of the Eau Gallie Causeway.
Located on a barrier island, nestled between the great Atlantic Ocean and the Banana River Lagoon on Florida's Central East Coast, Cocoa Beach continues to link the birth of the Space Age with the wonders of the future.
Just six miles long, and mostly less than one mile wide, Cocoa Beach is truly a unique place! Where else can you choose between watching a space launch from the beach or precious animal species in their natural habitat? You can choose between a swim in the ocean, or a quiet kayak exploration off the Banana River islands, from our river shore? Play a round of golf at our 27-holes golf course, surf cast from the beach for dinner, or just enjoy a day at the beach where you will likely see dolphins at play or be lucky enough to see an occasional whale in migration. Widely known as the surfing capitol of the East Coast, Cocoa Beach is the hometown of surfing champions.
The primary attraction to Cocoa Beach is the weather. With its coastal location and positioned where two climatic zones (sub-tropic and temperate) meet, our weather usually avoids extremes. This unique location attracts wildlife indigenous to both climatic zones, as well as coastal and migratory species. And, of course, our weather, beaches and local amenities attract human visitors as well! Many of our residents first experienced Cocoa Beach as visitors and eventually relocated here!
Cocoa Beach is a residential community and a tourist destination. Our base population is 12,800, our population though swells to as high as 30,000 during the peak tourist season when the hotels, motels, timeshares and condominium rentals are filled. In addition, Cocoa Beach is the destination for another 2.4 million day visitors per year; it is the primary tourist destination on the Florida Space Coast. It is also home to an active retiree population, many of whom devoted their careers to our nation's space program. The casual beach lifestyle is enjoyed by visitors and residents alike!
PALM BAY is County's largest and continually growing city. Spanning from the Indian River to far west of I-95, Palm Bay covers approximately 75 square miles and is within driving distance of most city conveniences. The City of Palm Bay is located in South Brevard County on the east Central Florida coast, midway between Jacksonville and Miami, and adjacent to the Indian River Lagoon, which is part of the Intracoastal Waterway. Close to I-95, "A" Schools, Bayside Subdivision, 365 acre Nature Presesrve, Turkey Creek, with public boat ramps,Port Malabar Country Club and Lynbrook Park. Outdoor enthusiasts also have many opportunities for fun, whether it's fishing, boating, or swimming in the Indian River, teeing off at nearby golf courses, or visiting the Turkey Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. Another benefit of living in the area of Palm Bay includes the Melbourne International Airport being only 5 miles south of the Eau Gallie Causeway.
CITY OF CAPE CANAVERAL, FL
Local Area - Street Map
Public Services
Kennedy Space Center History
Canaveral Lighthouse
Local Cape Canaveral Beach Camp Grounds
The City of Cape Canaveral is located on the Atlantic Ocean
approximately midpoint between Miami and Jacksonville and is
slightly over 50 miles east of Orlando. This 1.9 square-mile
beach and coastal community is bounded on the west by the
Banana River, on the north by Port Canaveral, on the east by
the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south by Cocoa Beach.
Adjacent to the north side of the Port is the John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA. Seven miles to the south of the City is Patrick Air Force Base. This strategic Florida location places the City in the center of America's space facilities and immediately adjacent to Port Canaveral, the only deep water port between Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville.
This location also means that the community is an integral part of the retirement-resort-vacation-recreation complex of the north beaches area of Brevard County.
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The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is located on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and is generally not open for public access. It can be seen up close from the NASA tour bus in passing or from the beach in Cape Canaveral but you will need binoculars.
The lighthouse construction was completed in 1847. It was made of brick and 60-feet tall. After many complaints that the light was not sufficient and could not be seen, a "new" lighthouse was built in 1868. Constructed of iron plates and lined with brick, with a new height of 160-feet. This is the same lighthouse in use today.
Shoreline erosion threatened the site of the lighthouse in the late 1880's. The lighthouse was moved to it's present location in 1894. It took 18 months to complete the move.
The lighthouse is functional today, however, the original fresnel lens was replaced with a modern optic in 1993. Cape Canaveral's fresnel lens is on display at Ponce DeLeon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum.
FOR MORE INFO PLEASE VISIT: www.canaverallight.org
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History of the City of Cape Canaveral
As early as the 1920s, a group of vacationing retired Orlando journalist was appraising the area that is now the city of Cape Canaveral. They invested more than $150,000 in the beach acreage that now encompasses the area of presidential named streets. The group of investors decided to call their development Journalista in honor of their trade. Journalista is now officially titled Avon-by-the-Sea. A seasonal retreat for inland residents was anticipated to become a resort area much as Cocoa Beach had developed to the south, because of the wooden bridge that connected Merritt Island to the beaches.
At the same time, fishermen, their families, a few retirees, and descendants of Captain Mills Burnham, the original official lighthouse keeper of the Cape Canaveral light, resided in the northern part of the present City. They owned acreage named Artesia, which occupied the general area that is now the Port. More details of the lighthouse history and the early families follow in the Cape Canaveral area history.
As the nation was ravaged by the Depression of the late 1920s and 1930s, the initial investors, among them the Brossier brothers, and others, defaulted on the vacant land platted as Avon-by-the-Sea, and their portions of the property were lost. However, R.B. Brossier's son, Dickson, returned from World War II and, with his father, regained possessions of much of what is now the Avon area.
In order to return to the beach, the Brossier's Orlando home was sold, debts were satisfied and, with a remaining $4,500, young Dickson and his father succeeded in recovering some of the lost Avon real estate. Dickson Brossier, speaking to a Sentinel Star reporter, said in 1958, ". . . . . with $4,500 in those day you could buy a great deal of property in Avon, which then was but a jungle, inhabited by wild animals and mosquitoes."
Dickson based his faith in the future of the beach in the belief that a port would be developed and that a direct route would be constructed between Orlando and the beaches. Brossier believed that central Florida beach visitors could thereby reach ". . . . . one R.B., declared that his original ambition as a young man was to build a city at Avon-by-the-Sea, but fate had intervened so that, as an older man of 67 years, his last ambition was to help create a beautiful city to be known as Cape Canaveral.
The son, realizing the wisdom of his father's vision and following his own forethought for a community, set aside several areas to be used for the public good; i.e., land for the Canaveral City Park and the Cape Canaveral Volunteer Fire Department. Ultimately, the Brossier vision was fulfilled when public interest resulted in formation of a Volunteer Fire Department just prior to the incorporation of the City. It followed that a fire department building was constructed, using volunteer labor and donated building material, propelled by the same civic enthusiasm that was producing the plan to incorporate a new city of town.
By 1958 the beach area had grown in population as the Space Program flourished. At that time, the Cocoa Beach city limits were somewhat farther south and an adjacent city could annex an unincorporated area without a vote of the residents. Therefore, property owners were discussion the feasibility of forming a new city or a possible annexation by the City of Cocoa Beach, northward to the Port. Letters were sent to landowners, as far south as the SR 520 Causeway, asking their opinion on this matter. It was felt that there were advantages in becoming a city or town but, because of substantial city debts and land taxes being collected in Cocoa Beach, most Cape Canaveral residents preferred not to become part of the City of Cocoa Beach. Homeowners and business people in the Cape Canaveral area were becoming concerned about their investment in the community and decided the time was right to pursue incorporation to create a city or town of their own.
Viera, Florida
Viera is a fast-growing, newly developed master planned community in Brevard County, Florida, including the new Viera High School (boundary lines to the North begin @ the Indian River and include Melver Lane and all of the Viera DRI, West to I-95, then North to the Fiske exit and West to Brevard County line. To the East, the Indian River. To the South go from the Indian River and Post Rd.; and the West boundary is to the Brevard County line.), located in the Space Coast region, and is sitting on former scrub forest land, and parts of the Duda ranch.
Another benefit of living in this area is the location of the Melbourne International Airport being only 5 miles south of the Eau Gallie Causeway.
Viera is home to many of the county's government buildings and the Space Coast Stadium, which is the home field for the Brevard County Manatees, former spring training home to the Florida Marlins, and now training home to the Washington Nationals. The population is over 20,000 in Viera.
List of communities in Viera
East
- Hammock Lakes
- Hammock Trace
- Fawn Ridge
- Crane Creek
- Six Mile Creek
- Bayhill
- The Lakes at Viera
- Indian River Colony Club
- Herons Landing
- Mission Bay Apts.
- The Greens at Viera
- The Hetirage
- Viera East Golf Club
- Grand Isle
Villages at Viera East
- Somerville
- Wingate Estates
- Tempelton
- Ashbury Lakes
- Bennington
West
- Sonoma
- Villages of North Solerno
- Summer Lakes
- Hetirage Isle
- Wickham Lakes Estates
Indian Harbour Beach
Indian Harbour Beach is a city in Brevard County, in the Palm Bay-Melbourne metro area.
The community was named for an Indian village that once stood here
The latitude of Indian Harbour Beach is 28.148N. The longitude is -80.588W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 10 feet.
The estimated population, in 2003, was 8,462.
Income snapshot
Median household income Local
$42,889 National
$41,994 Source: 2000 census, U.S. Census Bureau
For more census details and comparisons, see our Indian Harbour Beach demographic reports
Indian Harbour Beach is on the Banana River and conveniently located close to the Melbourne International Airport, 5 miles south of the Eau Gallie Causeway.
Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 10. The number of murders and homicides was 0. The violent crime rate was 1.2 per 1,000 people.
Coffee: National and regional coffee companies with outlets here include Panera Bread
More info about local coffee quotientsMelbourne Beach
Melbourne Beach is a town in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,335 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U. S. Census Bureau is 3,314.HISTORYPonce 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 condominiums in the unincorporated areas to the north and south. Living in the town of Melbourne Beach has many benefits including Melbourne International Airport being only 5 miles south of the Eau Gallie Causeway.
Indialantic, Florida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indialantic is a town in Brevard County Florida, United States. The population was 2,944 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 3,076.
Geography
Indialantic is located at (28.087861, -80.568857)GR1. It is situated on the barrier island that separates the Indian River Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. This island, approximately 35 miles in length, stretches south from Cape Canaveral to the Sebastian Inlet (see the Sebastian Inlet State Park). A causeway across the Indian River Lagoon connects the beach community of Indialantic to the more metropolitan city of Melbourne, Florida. Indialantic is neighbored by the town of Melbourne Beach to the south with Indian Harbour Beach and Satellite Beach to the north. Living on the barrier island has many benefits including the Melbourne International Airport being south of the Eau Gallie Causeway.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²). 2.7 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (16.13%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 2,944 people, 1,330 households, and 848 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,093.0/km² (2,840.6/mi²). There were 1,467 housing units at an average density of 544.6/km² (1,415.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.32% White, 0.27% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.58% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.34% of the population.
There are 1,330 households, out of which 21.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the town, the population was spread out with 17.6% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $62,181, and the median income for a family was $76,109. Males had a median income of $51,830 versus $30,047 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,126. About 1.1% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.
