Vero Beach, Florida

Vero Beach, Florida
City
Nickname(s): Hibiscus City
Motto: Where the Tropics Begin

Location in Indian River County and the state of Florida
Vero Beach, Florida

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 27°39′N 80°23′W / 27.650°N 80.383°W / 27.650; -80.383Coordinates: 27°39′N 80°23′W / 27.650°N 80.383°W / 27.650; -80.383
Country United States
State  Florida
County Indian River
Settled 1870
Incorporated (Vero) 1919
Incorporated (Vero Beach) 1925
Government
  Type Commission-Manager
Area[1]
  City 12.93 sq mi (33.5 km2)
  Land 11.07 sq mi (28.7 km2)
  Water 1.85 sq mi (4.8 km2)  14.31%
Elevation 13 ft (4 m)
Population (2010 census)
  City 15,220
  Metro 130,100
  Census Bureau
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 32960-32969
Area code(s) 772
FIPS code 12-74150[2]
GNIS feature ID 0292760[3]
Website http://www.covb.org
Vero Beach had been the Spring training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1948. The Dodgers left Vero Beach in 2008 for Glendale, AZ.

Vero Beach is a city and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 data, the city had a population of 15,220.[4]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1920793
19302,268186.0%
19403,05034.5%
19504,74655.6%
19608,84986.5%
197011,90834.6%
198016,17635.8%
199017,3507.3%
200017,7052.0%
201015,220−14.0%
Est. 201416,017[5]5.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

As of the 2010 census,[2][7] there were 15,220 people, 7,505 households, and 3,946 families residing in the city. There were 10,258 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 87.5% White, 4.8% African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.7% of the population.

There were 7,505 households out of which 16.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.4% were non-families. 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older with 4.8% being 85 years and older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.65.

In the city the population was spread out with 14.1% under the age of 16, 84.1% over 18, 4.3% from 15 to 19, 4.9% from 20 to 24, 5.5% from 20 to 25 and 29.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.9 years.

For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. The population consists of 51.3% female and 48.7% male.

Geography

Climate

Vero Beach has a mild climate, with an average temperature of 72.7 °F, with an annual high temperature of 81.4 °F and an annual low temperature of 64 °F.[8]

History

Pre-columbian

See also: Vero man

A neolithic skull was discovered in 1915. It has since been misplaced but appears to represent a culture from 11 to 14,000 years ago, with 13,000 years ago as the most likely timeframe.[9]

Post Columbian

In 1872 Captain Allen W. Estes officially established the first land patent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon.

In 1893 Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway began operation through the area.

Vero Beach became chartered as an official town in 1919.

When Indian River County is formed in 1925, Vero Beach became the county seat.

During the war year of 1942 the U.S. Navy selected 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) surrounding the Vero Beach Municipal Airport as the site of a Naval Air Station. It was commissioned November.

In 1951 Barber Bridge was built from mainland to barrier islands. It was later demolished and replaced in 1995 with the Merrill P. Barber Bridge.

In 1957 Piper Aircraft began research and development in Vero Beach. In 1961 Piper Aircraft moved administrative and manufacturing operations to Vero after completing building additions.

In 1965 the A1A bridge over the Sebastian Inlet connected the two barrier islands.

Economy

Industry

Vero Beach is home to general aviation manufacturer Piper Aircraft, which is the largest private employer in Indian River County. As of July 2015, Piper employed approximately 750 people. Aside from Piper, the bulk of commercial activity in Vero Beach centers around tourism, the citrus industry and service activities.

Top employers

According to Vero Beach's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[10] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Indian River County School District 2,013
2 Indian River Medical Center 1,608
3 Indian River County 1,354
4 Publix 1,006
5 Piper Aircraft 700
6 Sebastian River Medical Center 569
7 John's Island 550
8 City of Vero Beach 451
9 VNA of the Treasure Coast 399
10 Indian River Estates 350

Retail

There are two large shopping malls the Indian River Mall and the Fashion Outlet Mall just west of I-95 on State Road 60. There are small specialty shops along Ocean Drive on the barrier island and in what is called the "Miracle Mile." The Historic Downtown is a newly revitalized area of shopping, dining, antique stores and art galleries.

Tourism

Points of interest

Beaches

The beaches in Vero Beach are part of Florida's Treasure Coast. Vero's three main public beaches are South Beach, accessible at the eastern end of State Road 656 at the eastern end of 17th Street; Humiston Park, in Vero's Central Beach Business District on Ocean Drive and Jaycee Park which is adjacent to Conn Beach. These beaches are lifeguard protected from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. There are 26 miles of oceanfront shore in Indian River County. Vero Beach also has other free public access trails and walkways with beach access, such as Riomar Beach, Sea Cove, Sea Grape Trail, Sexton Plaza, and Turtle Trail.

Water recreation in the Indian River Lagoon

The Indian River Lagoon, passing through Vero Beach, forms a significant portion of the Intracoastal Waterway, and is a hub for boating, fishing, water skiing, diving, kayaking and other small-craft waterborne activities.

Resorts

Disney's Vero Beach Resort is located in Vero Beach.

Costa dè Este is located in Vero Beach.

Vero Beach Hotel & Spa is located in Vero Beach

The Driftwood Resort is located in Vero Beach.

National Register of Historic Places
Vero Railroad Station
McKee Jungle Gardens

Infrastructure

Transportation

Bus

Vero Beach is served by GoLine Bus routes.[11]

Rail

The Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) mainline bisects Vero Beach, with an active team track in town serving a lumber/building products customer.

Notable people

Education

Public schools

The Indian River County School District operates the following public schools:[31]

Private schools

Colleges

References

  1. "Florida by Place. Population, Housing, Area, and Density: 2000". US Census Bureau. Retrieved October 14, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. US Census bureau. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010". Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  8. "Climate Vero Beach - Florida and Weather averages Vero Beach". www.usclimatedata.com. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  9. Brotemarkle, Ben (March 8, 2016). "New discoveries found at Vero Beach cite". Florida Today (Melbourne, Florida). pp. 7A. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  10. City of Vero Beach CAFR
  11. http://www.golineirt.com/
  12. "Home Alone". The Weekly Standard. June 11, 2001. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  13. Lake Bell - Biography - IMDb
  14. Q&A: Gloria Estefan on her Florida hotels - USATODAY.com
  15. Santucci, Jon (March 17, 2012). "Fielder's career path takes him from St. Edward's to the Tigers » TCPalm.com". Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. Retrieved July 25, 2012. Fielder, who lived briefly in Vero Beach growing up, spoke with Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers about his memories of St. Edward's high school, his offseason and his new team.
  16. "SOLAR CELL INVENTOR DIES". Palm Beach Post. 2 November 1994.
  17. Goodnow, Cecelia (September 29, 2005). "Carl Hiaasen relishes reachinga new generation of greenies". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved July 27, 2012. Hiaasen said by phone from his home in Vero Beach, Fla.
  18. Potter, Jerry (December 7, 2006). "Fatherhood, golf keep Lendl busy". USA Today. Retrieved July 25, 2012. He lives with his family in Florida, splitting time between Vero Beach and Bradenton
  19. "Florida House of Representatives – Debbie Mayfield". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved July 25, 2012. City of Residence: Vero Beach
  20. via Associated Press. "F. James McDonald, Former G.M. President, Is Dead at 87", The New York Times, June 15, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  21. RIEMENSCHNEIDER, Chris (July 28, 2009). "Weather front: An interview with Alison Mosshart". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 27, 2012. having spent her childhood in Vero Beach, Fla., where she fronted an emo-ish punk band
  22. Isenberg, Barbara (December 14, 2007). "Country music star comes home to Vero Beach". My Hometown News. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  23. "Jake Owen biography". Great American Country. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  24. American legacy: the story of John & Caroline Kennedy – Clemens David Heymann. Google Books. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  25. Vero Beach Press Journal (August 13, 2005) Good for you. Section: Today on the Treasure Coast; Page E8.
  26. Kaufman, Gil. "Jukebox". Priscilla Renea's Jukebox on the Link. MTV. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  27. Yardley, William (July 12, 2012). "Norman Sas, Inventor of Electric Football, Dies at 87". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
  28. Harris, Bill. "CANOE – JAM! Television – TV Shows – Survivor: 'Survivor' gal sexy & Shallow". Canoe.ca. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  29. Roscoe Tanner, Ex-Tennis Star, Says He's Trying to Change New York Times, February 13, 2012.
  30. "Contact Us." Indian River County School District. Retrieved March 3, 2012. "1990 25th St., Vero Beach FL 32960"
  31. Welcome to St. Helen Catholic School

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vero Beach, Florida.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Vero Beach.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 16, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.