Palm Bay, Florida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 79,413 at the 2000 census. As of June 28, 2006, the population is 101,119 making it the largest city in the county.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Palm Bay is located at (27.982980, -80.658798).GR1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 172.9 km² (66.8 mi²). 164.9 km² (63.7 mi²) of it is land and 8.0 km² (3.1 mi²) of it (4.64%) is water.
The city is located in southern Brevard County just south of Melbourne and north of the town of Malabar. It's bordered by the Indian River Lagoon on its east side.
[edit] Demographics
The city hit 100,000 in population in 2006. As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 79,413 people, 30,336 households, and 21,781 families residing in the city. The population density was 481.7/km² (1,247.7/mi²). There were 32,902 housing units at an average density of 199.6/km² (517.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.54% White, 11.31% African American, 0.35% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.38% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.63% of the population.
There were 30,336 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,508, and the median income for a family was $41,636. Males had a median income of $31,060 versus $22,203 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,992. About 7.1% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
The Timucuan Indians, attracted to the mouth of Turkey Creek at the Indian River by fresh water springs and plentiful fish, oysters, and wildlife, are thought to have been the first civilization in the Palm Bay area. Palm Bay's recent history began in the 1850's when the first white settlers, also drawn by the bounty and beauty of the area, built homes along Turkey Creek. Originally referred to as Tillman, the settlement was described as a "small strip of hammock...on each side of Turkey Creek...mostly pine and palmetto, miserable sandy barren oak scrub, some ponds and interspersed with sawgrass and gallberry."
By the mid-nineteenth century, there was a lumbering operation, packing house, and orange groves, but growth was slow until the arrival of the railroad in 1894. Now goods could be brought in and produce could be shipped to market faster, encouraging more families to immigrate to the area.
Between 1910 and 1914, Tillman became the center for a land company known as the Indian River Catholic Colony. Promised two crops a season, farmers quickly depleted the soil, and the colony failed. The hearty few who survived built St. Joseph's Church on Miller Street, the oldest building still standing. The 1920's brought the city's present name of Palm Bay with it. The town was so named after the bay, bordered with palm trees, situated at the mouth of Turkey Creek. This decade also brought a wave of short-lived prosperity to the area. A group of Tillman businessmen set up an agency, called the Melbourne-Tillman Drainage District, to issue $1.5 million worth of bonds.
Starting in 1922, a 180 mile grid of 80 canals was dug to drain 40,000 acres (160 km²) of swampy land west of Palm Bay. The canals made it possible to control flooding and turn marsh lands to agricultural use. The land became dotted with citrus groves and truck farms shipping winter produce by the Florida East Coast Railroad to northern markets. Farmers sold timber and land to paper companies. In 1926, a fire among the dredges and a severe hurricane began Palm Bay's economic depression. The Melbourne-Tillman Drainage District went bankrupt.
In 1959, the Mackle brothers (GDC or General Development Corporation) from Miami purchased land for a residential project now known as the Port Malabar subdivision. GDC ultimately could not finish the job and the city of Palm Bay was left with the problem of continuing progress. Drainage continues to be a problem in some parts of the city, caused primarily by the sudden unplanned transition from GDC to the city of the responsibility of planning for future growth and implementing adequate drainage, but this problem has been greatly mitigated since 2000 with the continued design and construction work by City employees. During the early 1990s, Palm Bay Regional Park, a large soccer and athletic complex in the Western part of the city, was constructed and then improved, and numerous other parks and recreational facilities were built throughout the city. The city continues its record growth due to its proximity to the ocean and the ready availability of year-round sporting facilities.
The city is broken up into four sections: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast. Since the area of land is so massive, people usually refer to the different areas of Palm Bay in this way. Even in addresses people usually write either N.E, N.W, S.E, or S.W Palm Bay. The most urban area, or the "downtown" area, is by most seen as Northeast Palm Bay due to the amount of traffic, people, and businesses in the area. Many parts of the Northeast area of Palm Bay are referred to by names of neighborhoods such as Lockmar, Port Malabar, Riviera, and Cardinal Woods.
[edit] Schools
- [Covenant Christian School]http://www.ccslions.org
- Cornerstone Christan School
- Oakwood Academy Charter School
- Palm Bay Academy Charter School
- Palm Bay Community Charter School
- River's Edge Charter Academy
- Royal Palm Charter School
- Odyssey Charter School
- Christa McAuliffe Elementary School
- Columbia Elementary School
- Discovery Elementary School
- John F. Turner Sr. Elementary School
- Jupiter Elementary School
- Lockmar Elementary School
- Palm Bay Elementary School
- Port Malabar Elementary School
- Rivera Elementary School
- Sunrise Elementary School
- Westside Elementary School
- Southwest Middle School
- Bayside High School
- Palm Bay Senior High School (Located in Melbourne, Florida)
[edit] Famous Residents
- Birthplace of track and field athelete Xavier Carter
[edit] External links
- City of Palm Bay
- Palm Bay Local Weather
- Discover Palm Bay, Florida Demographics,
- Information source for Palm Bay Florida real estatePalm Bay Florida Real Estate
Overview and Local
Directory
- Palm Bay Living Regional and Local Info
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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