ZIP Code 32940

Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located 72 mi (116 km) southeast of Orlando. As of the 2020 Decennial Census, there was a population of 84,678. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay Melbourne Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1969, the city was expanded by merging with nearby Eau Gallie. 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. The first school in Melbourne was built in 1883 and is on permanent exhibit on the campus of Florida Institute of Technology. During the Jim Crow years, black people were required to enter movie theaters via a different entrance from whites and sit in the balcony. Gas stations had signs for rest rooms labeled "Men", "Women", and "Colored." This persisted until integration in the late 1960s. In late 1942 the Naval Air Station Melbourne was established to train newly commissioned Navy and Marine pilots for World War II. The land that was used for that program makes up most of what is currently the Melbourne Orlando International Airport. In the 1950s, Melbourne's first strip mall, the Babcock Shopping Center, was constructed on Babcock Street. The oldest black-owned business in the county is Tucker's Cut-Rate plumbing. It opened in 1934 and is still in business.

History

Melbourne is the primary city name, but also Eau Gallie are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Melbourne, Florida. The first settlers arrived after 1877. The first school in Melbourne was built in 1883 and is on permanent exhibit on the campus of Florida Institute of Technology. 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. The Naval Air Station Melbourne was established as a site to train newly commissioned Navy and Marine pilots for World War II. In the 1950s, Babcock Street was extended north to intersect with US 1. In 1969, the cities of Eau Gallie and Melbourne voted to merge, forming modern-day Melbourne. The oldest black-owned business in the county is Tucker's Cut-Rate plumbing, which opened in 1934. The Melbourne Shopping Center was constructed in the early 1980s off Babcock, the area's first strip mall. During the Jim Crow years, black people were required to enter movie theaters via a different entrance from whites and sit in the balcony. Gas stations had signs for rest rooms labeled "Men", "Women", and "Colored" This persisted until integration in the late 1960s. In 1990, the first African-American councilman was elected, Julius Montgomery, also the first black American student councilman. Melbourne is home to the Florida Museum of Natural History, which is on display in the Melbourne Civic Improvement Board, which was created by the city in the 1960s to build various parks.

Geography

Melbourne, Florida has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), bordering closely to a tropical savanna climate. 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 months. The city averages 2 days per year with frost, although several years might pass without a frost in the city of Melbourne or at the ocean beaches. Melbourne averages 51 inches (1,300 mm) of rainfall annually, much of it coming in convective thunderstorms in the late May to early October time period. The record rainfall occurred on August 20, 2008, when Tropical Storm Fay dropped 18.21 inches (463 mm). Melbourne can sometimes have moderate to severe drought conditions from late fall through spring, with brush fires occurring and water restrictions put in place. The Melbourne 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. 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, and the city must reduce run-off by 44,000 pounds (20,000 kg) of nitrogen and 13,000pound (5,900kg) of phosphorus. Melbourne is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Orlando on the Space Coast, along Interstate 95. It is approximately midway between Jacksonville and Miami. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.6 square miles (102.5 km²).

Demographics

As of 2010, there were 38,955 households, out of which 12.6% were vacant. In 2000, 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 income for a household in the city was $34,571, and the median incomes for a family was $42,760. In Melbourne, about 8.6%. of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line. As of 2000, 90.39% of residents spoke English as their first language, while 4.69% spoke Spanish, 0.84% spoke French and 0.73% spoke German. In total,9.60%. of the total population spoke languages other than English. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was2.82. The per capita income for the city in 2000 was $19,175. For every 100 females age 18 and over, There were 91.1 males. The. median age was 40 years, and there were 94.3 males. for every 100 Females age 18. and over. For. every 100 males age 18 or over, there are 94.4 males and 94.2 females. The city has a population density of 1.2 million people per square mile.

Government

The Melbourne City Council consists of the mayor and six district council members. The city has a taxable real estate base of $4.96 billion. The Eau Gallie Arts District received its designation as a Florida Main Street in 2010. In 2009, the city had 870 full-time employees and 176 part-time workers. A 2011 study rated the general pension fund for city employees highly at 190%. Less favorably rated were the pension plans for fire and police employees. The council has appointed the city attorney, city manager, and city council member to serve on its Council-Manager form of government.

Economy

Melbourne has two downtown business districts, a result of the merger of Eau Gallie into Melbourne. The city has three hospitals, day care for senior citizens, hospice, walk-in, and urgent care facilities. In 2009, Forbes ranked the area 18th out of 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and first out of 8 metros in Florida for affordable housing, and short commute times. The median home price in 2007 was $215,000. There were 96,477 rounds played in 200910, and revenue have been dropping since 2006. In 2011, the city raised rates for residents to the same as for non-residents, $27 per round or $522 annual fee. For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org for details. In the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. In Australia, the National suicide Prevention Line is on 0800 1-900 or visit http://www.suicidesprevention.org/. In the UK, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline is on 01457 909090 or http:// www.sophistication.org/suicide-prevention-lifeline/ Melbourne has a high concentration of high-tech workers. The average size of Melbourne's labor force was 39,391. Of that group, 37,708 were employed and 1,683 were unemployed.

Arts and culture

The Melbourne Arts Festival, held in April in Wickham Park, draws from 50,000 to 60,000 visitors. Christian churches have been producing a "Bible on Parade" since 1990. The Melbourne Oktoberfest has been held each October since 1977. Eau Gallie Arts District has an established historical walking tour that includes over 20 historical buildings or locations in the arts district. There are four places on the National Register of Historic Places: Florida Power and Light Company Ice Plant (1927), James Wadsworth Rossetter House (c. 1860s) at 1320 Highland Avenue, Green Gables at Historic Riverview Village 1501 South Harbor City Blvd. and Liberty Bell Memorial Museum at 1601 Hickory Street. The FLORIDA STORIES app is available for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It offers a walking tour of the district with over 20 historic buildings and locations. It is also available for Android and iPhone users. The app is free to download and is available on the Google Play store and the Apple App Store. It also has a free version for the iPad and the iPhone. It can be downloaded for free on the Apple Play Store and the App Store for the Android Play Store for $3.99. It will also be available for $4.99 on the iPhone and the iPad for $5.99 for a limited time only.

Sports

Melbourne was an official host city for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay. There are co-ed adult and youth sports programs in flag football and ultimate frisbee. The city of Melbourne hosts an annual indoor pickleball tournament called the Melbourne Meltdown Pickleball Championship. The third annual tournament was played on March 46, 2021 at the Melbourne Auditorium. It will be the first time the city has hosted the event since it was first held in 1973. The tournament will be held at the Auditorium from March 46 to March 47, 2021. The final will be played at the same venue on March 6, 2022. It is the first tournament to be held in Melbourne since the first one in 1977. The event will be hosted by the Melbourne Civic Centre from March 6 to March 7, 2021, for the third year in a row. The first tournament was held on March 8, 1981. It was the first event in the city's history to be staged in a public venue. The second annual tournament took place on March 9, 1982, at the Melbourne Civic Centre. The fourth and final tournament was on March 10, 1983, at the Melbourne Civic Center. The fifth annual tournament is scheduled for March 11, 1984, and March 12, 1985. The sixth annual tournament will take place in March 16, 1986. The seventh and eighth annual tournaments are held in March 17, 1987 and March 18, 1987. The last tournament is held in April 9, 1988, at  the Melbourne Civic Stadium.

Parks, recreation, and attractions

The city of Melbourne contains over 554.72 acres (2.2 km²) of city park land. There are 17 community parks, 13 neighborhood parks, and five smaller city parks. One of the many forms of recreation is local fishing in places such as Lake Washington. The city is home to the Melbourne Zoo, which has a large number of animals for visitors to see. It is also home to a number of other tourist attractions, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Melbourne Museum of Nature and Science.

Public Libraries

Melbourne houses three branches of Brevard County Public Libraries. The first home of the Melbourne Public Library was established in 1924 with funds raised by the Library Association of Melbourne. The Eau Gallie Public Library first opened in the 1920s, starting as a library for the EauGallie Woman's Club. In October, 1990, the library had a collection of 67,023 volumes and over 25,000 borrowers. The library is located in Riverfront Park overlooking the Indian River in Melbourne, Florida. It was first opened to the public in July 1989. The current building opened in 1962, gradually expanding over the years. It is located on the edge of the city, in the heart of Melbourne's downtown area, on the banks of the Indian River. It has been home to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library since the 1950s. The Dr. King Public Library has been open since the 1970s, and is now located in a new building on the other side of the Indian River in Melbourne. It opened on the  outskirts of Melbourne in the 1990s, after the original library was closed. It now has a collection of 67,023 volumes and over 25,000 borrowers. The Eau Gallie Public Library was opened in 1939, starting with only 22 books. It has a collection of more than 50,000 volumes, and currently has over 50,000 users.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Melbourne, Brevard County, Florida = 72.9. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 59. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Melbourne = 6.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 84,678 individuals with a median age of 41.3 age the population grows by 9.73% in Melbourne, Brevard County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,917.83 residents per square mile of area (740.47/km²). There are average 2.21 people per household in the 33,955 households with an average household income of $42,401 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.60% of the available work force and has dropped -5.05% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 19.30%. The number of physicians in Melbourne per 100,000 population = 210.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Melbourne = 48.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 106. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 234. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 51 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 30, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Melbourne, Brevard County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 55.40%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 26 years with median home cost = $94,250 and home appreciation of -17.12%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.04 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,585 per student. There are 16.2 students for each teacher in the school, 796 students for each Librarian and 418 students for each Counselor. 9.37% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 14.30% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.58% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).