Melbourne Beach is a town in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population had 3,231 residents at the 2020 United States Census, up from 3,101 at the 2010 census.
History
The Ais Indians resided in the area in pre-Columbian times. In 2010, a midden near Aquarina included a burial ground for a chief and two handmaidens.
It has been suggested that Juan Ponce de León landed near Melbourne Beach in 1513, where he then became the first European to set foot in Florida. A determination of this was made by a historian in the 1990s, who believed that the spot was "within five to eight nautical miles" on the barrier island with a proposed name of Ponce de León Island. However, this suggestion has not been met with wide acceptance from historians who state that de Leon's landing place cannot be known within a leeway of less than a hundred miles or so. A statue of Ponce de León was erected at "Juan Ponce de León Landing" in Melbourne Beach to commemorate his discovery.
Melbourne Beach is Brevard County's oldest beach community.
In 1879, a hotel, the Oak Lodge, was built for researchers and naturalists on a location near Aquarina.
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.
In 2007, it was voted one of ten best bargain retirement spots in America.
In 2016, a Publix located four miles south of Melbourne Beach sold one of the winning tickets in the $1.3 billion Powerball.
Geography
Melbourne Beach is situated on the barrier island that separates the Indian River Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. This island, approximately in length, stretches from Cape Canaveral to the north to the Sebastian Inlet to the south. Melbourne Beach is bordered by the town of Indialantic to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km). 1.0 square miles (2.7 km) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km) of it (19.53%) is water.
Climate
The Town of Melbourne Beach is part of the humid subtropical climate zone with a Köppen Climate Classification of "Cfa" (C = mild temperate, f = fully humid, and a = hot summer).
Fauna
Shorebirds include black-bellied plovers, red knots (winter), gannets, seabirds (offshore), and red-throated loons (winter).
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+Melbourne Beach racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|2,919
|2,892
|94.13%
|89.51%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|14
|13
|0.45%
|0.40%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|6
|0
|0.19%
|0.00%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|33
|24
|1.06%
|0.74%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|0
|0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|2
|10
|0.06%
|0.31%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|27
|105
|0.87%
|3.25%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|100
|187
|3.22%
|5.79%
|-
|Total
|3,101
|3,231
|
|
|-
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Melbourne Beach had a population of 3,231. The median age was 52.0 years. 17.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.2 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,384 households in Melbourne Beach, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 57.6% were married-couple households, 18.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
In the 2016-2020 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, there were 874 families residing in the town.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 3,101 people, 1,271 households, and 867 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the census
Economy
Personal income
In 2010, the median income for a household in the town was $87,035, and the median income for a family was $62,139. Males had a median income of $46,424 versus $34,028 for females. The per capita income for the town was $31,489. About 1.6% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.
Median home value was $321,498.00 in 2010.
Melbourne Beach is second in Brevard County for per capita income and 124 out of 887 places.
Industry
Tourism
Coconut Point Park is a community beachside park and sea turtle nesting site. The park is listed in the state of Florida Great Florida Birding Trail.
- Randy Fine (born 1974), U.S. Representative and gambling industry executive
- Jorja Fox, American actress and producer
- Doug Flutie, football player
- James Henry Gillis, Rear Admiral
- Caroline Marks, Olympic surfer
- Norma Metrolis, baseball player
- Pat Neshek, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals
- Homer Rodeheaver, music arranger for Billy Sunday
- Kate Chastain, reality tv star of “Below Deck” fame
References
External links
- Melbourne Beach 32951, community website
- History of Melbourne Beach
- Melbourne Beach Wave - Community News