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 was established in 1883 by a retired Union general. Pineapples were grown until 1895, when freezing weather wiped out crops and ended commercial farming. In 1921, the Melbourne Causeway was built, connecting Melbourne Beach to the mainland via the town of Indialantic. In 1923 it was incorporated as a town. In 1928, Harry J. Brooks, attempting to set a long distance record, crashed a Ford Flivver off the coast of Melbourne Beach, resulting in his death. 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 located at. It is situated on a 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. 1.0 square miles of it is land and 0.2 square miles of it is water.
Fauna
Shorebirds include black-bellied plovers, red knots, gannets, seabirds, and red-throated loons.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,335 people, 1,422 households, and 992 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,243.5 inhabitants per square mile. There were 1,556 housing units at an average density of 1,513.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 97.51% White, 0.09% Black, 0.12% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.28% of the population. There were 1,422 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couplesliving together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.77. In the town, the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
2015
the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Melbourne Beach, Florida are:
Largest ancestries
Percent
English
18.5%
German
15.2%
Italian
11.4%
Irish
10.4%
"American"
8.1%
Greek
5.7%
Scots-Irish
4.3%
French
4.1%
Scottish
2.9%
Swedish
2.4%
Government
In 2007, the town had a taxable real estate base of $371.45 million.
Economy
Personal income
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.
