Fellsmere is a city in Indian River County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Sebastian–Vero Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,834 at the 2020 census.
It is home of the Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival and was home to the now closed National Elephant Center. Fellsmere is the first place in Florida where women were allowed to vote. In a municipal election on June 19, 1915, resident Zena M. Dreier became the first woman to legally cast a ballot in the American South, five years before the 19th Amendment established women's suffrage nationally.
On November 16, 2023, historic rainfall hit Fellsmere and surrounding areas causing significant flooding in the city. which granted these rights, and the city charter was ratified by the state legislature without any notice being paid to this provision. This, despite the fact that several statewide suffrage measures had failed in the legislature that year. Women's suffrage was not granted nationally in the United States until five years later, in August 1920, with the passage of the 19th Amendment.
2023 Fellsmere Floods
On November 16, 2023, Fellsmere experienced major flooding after nearly 14 inches of rain fell in the area. These floods came only four months after flooding on July 31, 2023.
Geography
The City of Fellsmere is located in central Indian River county.
- To the north: Palm Bay
- To the west: Blue Cypress Lake
- To the east: Sebastian
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.45%, are water.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Fellsmere city, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|739
|691
|style='background: #ffffe6; |545
|19.38%
|13.30%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.27%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|253
|246
|style='background: #ffffe6; |299
|6.64%
|4.73%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.19%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|6
|15
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3
|0.16%
|0.29%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|4
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3
|0.10%
|0.10%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|2
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4
|0.05%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.08%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|0
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15
|0.00%
|0.06%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.31%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|19
|21
|style='background: #ffffe6; |55
|0.50%
|0.40%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.14%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|2,790
|4,215
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,910
|73.17%
|81.10%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |80.89%
|-
|Total
|3,813
|5,197
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,834
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Fellsmere had a population of 4,834. The median age was 28.7 years. 32.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 6.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.5 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,311 households in Fellsmere, of which 57.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.0% were married-couple households, 16.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 9.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2000 census
As of the census
The first railroad to reach Fellsmere was the narrow-gauge Sebastian-Cincinnatus Railroad, built by the sons of printing magnate Anthony Octavius Russell. It was replaced by the standard-gauge Fellsmere Railroad in 1910. The line was later extended west to the now-gone town of Broadmoor before being bought by the Trans-Florida Central Railroad in 1924. The line was abandoned in 1952.