Cocoa Beach, Florida

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Cocoa Beach, Florida
Location in Brevard County and the state of Florida
Location in Brevard County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°19′52″N 80°36′47″W / 28.33111, -80.61306
Country Flag of the United States United States
State Flag of Florida Florida
County  Brevard
Area
 - Total 15 sq mi (39 km²)
 - Land 4.9 sq mi (12.7 km²)
 - Water 10.1 sq mi (26.3 km²)
Elevation 0 ft (0 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 12,482
 - Density 832.1/sq mi (320.1/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 32931-32932
Area code(s) 321
FIPS code 12-13175[1]
GNIS feature ID 0280609[2]

Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 12,482 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 12,435. [1]

Contents

[edit] Government

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The city owns and runs a golf course on the Banana River.[3]

In 2007, the city had a taxable real estate base of $2.09 billion.[4]

[edit] History

Cocoa Beach started its current growth during the 1960s due to America's space program. NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center is located approximately 15 miles north of the town.

After manned space flights, the town held parades in honor of the astronauts.

Many of the homes in Cocoa Beach are built on dredged mud and sand from the Banana River. After NASA's Apollo program came to an end, and before the Shuttle program was in full swing, the town suffered from layoffs. Many families lost their jobs or simply moved away. People could not sell their homes and some walked away from them.[citation needed]

Cocoa Beach was the setting for the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, although only one episode was actually filmed there (Jeannie's wedding).[citation needed]

The city is just south of Cape Canaveral on Florida's eastern "Space Coast".

Childrens author Jack Gantos, writes about moving to Cocoa Beach, then going to a rental house after his father gets a no go on a big job.

[edit] Geography

Cocoa Beach is located at 28°19′52″N, 80°36′47″W (28.331035, -80.613035).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.0 km² (15.0 mi²). 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²) of it is land and 26.3 km² (10.1 mi²) of it (67.49%) is water. Bordered on the north is Cape Canaveral; on the south is Cresent Beach; on the east is the Atlantic Ocean; on the west is the Banana River.

Propelled by a powerful hurricane, the ocean pushed its way through the barrier islands centuries ago and formed the Thousand Islands in the Indian River.[6][7]

[edit] Surrounding Areas

[edit] Climate

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rec High °F 89 92 93 97 97 101 102 101 98 96 91 89
Norm High °F 72 73 77 81 85 89 91 90 88 83 78 73
Norm Low °F 50 51 55 60 66 71 72 73 72 67 60 53
Rec Low °F 17 27 25 35 47 55 60 60 58 41 30 21
Precip (in) 2.48 2.49 2.92 2.08 3.94 5.83 5.38 5.78 7.20 4.76 3.12 2.31
Source: The Weather Channel [2]

Cocoa Beach's climate can be classified as subtropical.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 12,482 people, 6,529 households, and 3,532 families residing in the city. The population density was 985.5/km² (2,552.1/mi²). There were 8,709 housing units at an average density of 687.6/km² (1,780.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.64% White, 0.62% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.52% of the population.

There were 6,529 households out of which 12.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.47.

In the city the population was spread out with 12.2% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 34.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

[edit] Economics

[edit] Personal Income

The median income for a household in the city was $42,372, and the median income for a family was $51,795. Males had a median income of $39,418 versus $27,113 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,968. About 3.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Cocoa Beach is a retirement area, with the average age being 54. [3]

[edit] Industry

Ron Jon's, a surf shop, receives 2 million visitors a year.[8]

The Cocoa Beach Pier formerly known as the Cape Canaveral Pier was built in 1962. An annual Easter Surfing Festival began in 1964. An estimated 100,000 spectators watch.[9] An annual Beach Fest is held in May.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] Urban Myth

A porn star with the stage name of Chasey Lain has publicized that she grew up in Cocoa Beach. Her biography indicates that she was born and raised in Newport, North Carolina. This persistent urban myth has been picked up by other sites including non-English versions of Wikipedia.[13]

[edit] Sister Cities

An empty Cocoa Beach on a cloudy day.
An empty Cocoa Beach on a cloudy day.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ Cocoa Beach golf course accessed March 18, 2008
  4. ^ Dean, James (April 26, 2008). More taxes or fewer services. Florida Today. 
  5. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  6. ^ Kridler, Chris (April 20, 2007). Paddle a watery wilderness. Florida Today. 
  7. ^ The Thousand Islands are really but "a few hundred,ibid"
  8. ^ Travel Writer'S Magazine - Space Coast Is Great Place For Families To Commune With Nature
  9. ^ Moody, R. Norman and Best, Keilani (March 22, 2008). Surf's i[ fpr economy. Florida Today. 
  10. ^ Freedom Forum retrieved April 8, 2008
  11. ^ Online World of Wrestling.com retrieved April 8, 2008
  12. ^ John Wooden: UCLA Coaching Legend
  13. ^ Chasey Lain Galleries

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Brevard County, Florida
County seat: Titusville
Cities
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