Indian River County, Florida


Indian River County is a county located in the Treasure Coast region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 138,028. Its seat is Vero Beach. It is Florida's 7th richest county and in 2000 was the 87th richest county in the U.S. by per capita income.
Indian River County comprises the Sebastian-Vero Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, Florida Combined Statistical Area.

History

Prior to 1821 the area of Indian River County was part of the Spanish colony of East Florida. In 1822 this area became part of St. Johns County, in 1824 it became part of Mosquito County.
The Second Seminole War was fought in 1835 and from 1838 to 1839. Fort Vinton was built for this purpose near where the intersection of Florida State Road 60 near 122nd avenue lies today.
In 1844 the county's portion of Mosquito County became part of newly created St. Lucia County. In 1855 St. Lucia County was renamed Brevard County. In 1905 St. Lucie County was formed from the southern portion of Brevard County; in 1925 Indian River County was formed from the northern portion of St. Lucie County. It was named for the Indian River, which runs through the eastern portion of the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

Six bird species in Indian River County are listed as "highly vulnerable" to climate change:
A June 2018 report by the Union of Concerned Scientists states that 1,240 homes in Martin County, valued at $358.5M, are at risk of chronic flooding by 2045. The homes house 1,745 people, and generate $4.9 million in annual tax revenue.
Sea level rise was identified as a 2017 legislative priority for the county. The county has implemented "comparatively tough" standards for wetland protection, and invested in beach renourishment. Resiliency planning has also been under discussion.
A Martin County Youth Climate Strike took place in December 2019, and the City of Stuart has declared 2020 the Year of Climate Action.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 112,947 people, 49,137 households, and 32,725 families residing in the county. The population density was 224 people per square mile. There were 57,902 housing units at an average density of 115 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 87.43% White, 8.19% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.15% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 6.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 49,137 households out of which 21.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.50% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the county, the population was spread out with 19.20% under the age of 18, 6.00% from 18 to 24, 22.30% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 29.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,635, and the median income for a family was $46,385. Males had a median income of $30,870 versus $23,379 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,227. About 6.30% of families and 9.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Airports

GoLine is Indian River County's main method of public transportation. The program was introduced in 1994 to provide an alternative option to driving. Due to County population increases in the early and mid 2000s, Indian River County devised a series of bus routes from Barefoot Bay in southern Brevard County to the south end of Vero Beach. In 2006, GoLine was introduced with more stops along and through the Treasure Coast. By 2010, the GoLine system had a total of 14 stops with an additional four stops planned for 2011/2012. Riders pay no fare or fee to board the bus. In 2010 the buses operated between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. weekdays and from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Saturdays. Some routes have extended operating hours depending on location.

Train

There is planning underway for an Amtrak station in Vero Beach.

Economy

It is home to general aviation manufacturer Piper Aircraft and Velocity Aircraft , CVS distribution Center. The county is headquarters for the Indian River Citrus, locally harvested.

Libraries

operates public schools. Public high schools include:
Indian River County lies at the northern end of a belt stretching to Collier County in the southwest that was the first part of Florida to politically distance itself from the "Solid South": the last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. In 1992, indeed, Ross Perot came second, fifteen votes ahead of President-elect Bill Clinton, this being one of only three Florida counties where he did so.
YearRepublicanDemocraticOther
201660.20% 48,62035.96% 29,0433.85% 3,106
201260.70% 43,45038.41% 27,4920.89% 638
200856.74% 40,17641.96% 29,7101.29% 916
200460.15% 36,93839.01% 23,9560.85% 520
200057.71% 28,63939.84% 19,7692.45% 1,219
199651.66% 22,71437.24% 16,37511.11% 4,883
199243.54% 19,14028.12% 12,36028.35% 12,462
198869.71% 24,63029.58% 10,4510.71% 252
198473.08% 23,71626.92% 8,736
198062.98% 15,56831.39% 7,7595.62% 1,390
197652.63% 9,81845.63% 8,5121.74% 324
197277.85% 11,74121.99% 3,3160.17% 25
196851.25% 6,51824.99% 3,17923.76% 3,022
196454.72% 6,19145.28% 5,122
196061.05% 4,65638.95% 2,970
195670.49% 4,05929.51% 1,699
195265.94% 3,05534.06% 1,578
194846.32% 1,13443.10% 1,05510.58% 259
194437.01% 75962.99% 1,292
194037.81% 90462.19% 1,487
193629.52% 53270.48% 1,270
193225.43% 44674.57% 1,308
192855.61% 84743.14% 6571.25% 19

Communities

Cities