Melbourne () is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando along Florida's Space Coast, so named because of the region's proximity to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. The city had an estimated population of 87,561 as of July 1, 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville metropolitan statistical area. Downtown Melbourne and most of the city lie inland of the Indian River Lagoon, with a small part extending over to the barrier island.
History
Early human occupation
Evidence for the presence of Paleo-Indians in the Melbourne area during the late Pleistocene epoch was uncovered during the 1920s. C. P. Singleton, a Harvard University zoologist, discovered the bones of a mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) on his property along Crane Creek, from Melbourne, and brought in Amherst College paleontologist Frederick B. Loomis to excavate the skeleton. Loomis found a second elephant, with a "large, rough, flint instrument"Purdy:23 among fragments of the elephant's ribs. Loomis found in the same stratum mammoth, mastodon, horse, ground sloth, tapir, peccary, camel, and sabertooth cat bones, all extinct in Florida since the end of the Pleistocene 10,000–8,000 BCE. At a nearby site, a human rib and charcoal were found in association with Mylodon, Megalonyx, and Chlamytherium (ground sloth) teeth. A finely worked spear point found with these items may have been displaced from a later stratum.
In 1925, attention shifted to the Melbourne golf course. A crushed human skull and finger, arm, and leg bones were found in association with a horse tooth. A piece of ivory that appeared to have been modified by humans was found at the bottom of the stratum containing bones. Other finds included a spear point near a mastodon bone and a turtle-back scraper and blade found with bear, camel, mastodon, horse, and tapir bones.Purdy:23-29 Similar human remains, Pleistocene animals, and Paleo-Indian artifacts were found in Vero Beach, south of Melbourne, and similar Paleo-Indian artifacts were found at the Helen Blazes archaeological site, southwest of Melbourne.
Settlement
The first settlers, who arrived after 1877, included Richard W. Goode, his father John Goode, Cornthwaite John Hector, Captain Peter Wright, Balaam Allen, Wright Brothers, and Thomas Mason.Shofner, Jerrell H., History of Brevard County Volume 1 Three of these men, Wright, Allen, and Brothers were black freedmen.
The city, formerly called "Crane Creek", was named Melbourne in honor of its first postmaster, Cornthwaite John Hector, an Englishman who had spent much of his life in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (which, in turn, was named after British Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne). He is buried in the Melbourne Cemetery, along with many early residents in the area. The first school in Melbourne, built in 1883, is on permanent exhibit on the campus of the Florida Institute of Technology. By 1885, the town had 70 people.Kellersberger, Julia Lake. Rooted in Florida Soil, Florida Institute of Technology Press, 1971, p. 12. The Greater Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1885 and is still active.
In the late 1890s, the Brownlie-Maxwell Funeral Home opened, and it is still in business. The oldest Black-owned business in the county is Tucker's Cut-Rate Plumbing. It opened in 1934.
In the early 1900s, houses were often built in the frame vernacular style. In 1919, a fire destroyed most of the original downtown along Front Street. At the time, it was rebuilt west of U.S. Route 1.
During the Jim Crow years, Black people were required to enter movie theaters by a different entrance from Whites and sit in the balcony. Gas stations had signs for restrooms labeled "Men", "Women", and "Colored". This persisted until integration in the late 1960s.
In late 1942, the Naval Air Station Melbourne was established as a site to train newly commissioned Navy and Marine pilots for World War II. The program ran until 1946, and the land that was used for that program makes up most of what is currently the Melbourne Orlando International Airport.
In 1969, the cities of Eau Gallie and Melbourne voted to merge, forming modern-day Melbourne.
Postwar
In the 1950s, Babcock Street was extended north to intersect with US 1. The Melbourne Shopping Center was constructed on Babcock, the area's first strip mall. Consumers were sufficiently attracted to this new mall that the traditional downtown, off New Haven, suffered. Urban blight was successfully mitigated in the 1980s.
A board was created by the legislature to spend a 10% tax on electric bills. This was used by the Melbourne Civic Improvement Board to build the Melbourne Auditorium, the first library and fire station, and various parks. The board was dissolved when Melbourne was merged with Eau Gallie in 1969. That merger doubled the size of Melbourne.
Streetlights were gradually added until by the early 1960s, streets east of Babcock Street had lights. Lights were added to streets west of Babcock after the early 1960s.
In 1969, the city elected Julius Montgomery, its first Black councilman. Montgomery was also the first African American student of Brevard Engineering College, later Florida Institute of Technology, which named their Pioneer Award after him.Florida Today Newspaper April 29, 1970
On August 2, 1995, the city received a record of rainfall from Hurricane Erin. During the week of August 22, 2008, a record of rain fell, caused by Tropical Storm Fay.
A 2009 Halloween street party sponsored by a downtown restaurant attracted an estimated 8,000–10,000 people. This overwhelmed the downtown area. Street parties were curtailed until public-safety issues were addressed.
On February 18, 2017, president Donald Trump held his first postinauguration rally at the Orlando-Melbourne International Airport, drawing a crowd around 9,000 people according to the Melbourne police department.
Geography Melbourne is located about southeast of Orlando on the Space Coast, along Interstate 95. It is roughly midway between Jacksonville and Miami. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which (14.42%) are covered by water.
The east–west street named Brevard Drive was historically the "center" of town, with addresses called "north" and "south" of this street. The north–south Babcock Street provided the same centerline for "east" and "west" directions.
Melbourne Beachside has a small presence on the South Beaches barrier island. It is often confused with Melbourne Beach, a separate political entity.
Climate
Melbourne, Florida has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), bordering closely to a tropical savanna climate (Aw). Melbourne has a distinctly seasonal precipitation pattern, with a hot and wet season (late May through October) and a warm and dry season (November through April). The climate is strongly influenced by the nearby Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Stream, as well as incursions of cold fronts from the north in winter.
Melbourne averages of rainfall annually, much of it coming in convective thunderstorms from late May to early October. The record rainfall occurred on August 20, 2008, when Tropical Storm Fay dropped . Melbourne can sometimes have moderate to severe drought conditions from late fall through spring, with brush fires occurring and water restrictions put in place. Melbourne averages two days per year with frost, although several years might pass without a frost in the city of Melbourne or at the ocean beaches. On Christmas Eve 2003, the city, as did others on the east-central coast of Florida, received snow from the ocean effect, when cold air passes over the considerably hotter ocean and causes the rise of air with higher temperature to bring moisture into the higher portions of the atmosphere.
Flora
Tropical flora typical of more southerly locations is grown in the Melbourne area (coconut palms, royal palms, Christmas palms, and bananas), but can be damaged or killed when subjected to infrequent light freezes or cooler temperatures, although several years might pass without a freeze in the Melbourne area. The area has many lush gardens and public landscapes, and is noted for the botanical northern limit of cultivated coconut palms on the Florida East Coast.
Environment
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has ordered the city to reduce pollution of the Indian River Lagoon, which it borders; about 80% of the city's landmass drains in the direction of the lagoon. The city must reduce run-off by of nitrogen and of phosphorus. The city responded by banning the use of fertilizer before flood and storm warnings.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Melbourne, Florida – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White (NH)57,60057,14957,74380.69%75.13%68.19%Black or African American (NH)6,4937,5538,0709.10%9.93%9.53%Native American or Alaska Native (NH)2181842130.31%0.24%0.25%Asian (NH)1,6392,3313,0632.30%3.06%3.62%Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)3453420.05%0.07%0.05%Some other race (NH)1371625280.19%0.21%0.62%Multiracial (NH)1,3031,8424,3651.83%2.42%5.15%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3,9586,79410,6545.54%8.93%12.58%Total71,38276,06884,678100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Melbourne had a population of 84,678. The median age was 44.4 years. 17.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.3 males age 18 and over.
99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 37,290 households in Melbourne, of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.5% were married-couple households, 23.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 41,397 housing units, of which 9.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.1%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 60,349 71.3% Black or African American 8,424 9.9% American Indian and Alaska Native 379 0.4% Asian 3,105 3.7% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 49 0.1% Some other race 3,516 4.2% Two or more races 8,856 10.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 10,654 12.6%
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, 76,068 people, 33,377 households, and 18,394 families were living in the city.
2000 census
As of 2000, 24.0% of the households had children under 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 not families. About 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.
In 2000, the city's age distribution was 20.7% under 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 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
As of 2000, per capita income for the city was $19,175. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $34,571 and for a family was $42,760. Males had a median income of $32,242 versus $22,419 for females. In Melbourne, about 8.6% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under 18 and 8.5% of those 65 or over.
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