Melbourne

About Melbourne

Melbourne is a vibrant city located on the section of the Atlantic coastline known as Florida's Space Coast. Most of this Brevard County city is located on Florida's mainland, but a portion is on a small barrier island off the coast. Melbourne lies 70 miles southeast of Orlando and 90 miles south of Daytona Beach, and is conveniently close to Palm Bay, Satellite Beach, Viera and Indian Harbour Beach.

The History of Melbourne

Melbourne was founded in the mid-19th century, with the first groups of settlers arriving after 1877. The city was named as a tribute to its first postmaster, Cornthwaite John Hector, who spent much of his life in Melbourne, Australia. In 1883, the city's first school was built, a building that you can still visit today at the Florida Institute of Technology.

Melbourne was incorporated in 1888, though a fire destroyed much of it in 1919. However, the community rebuilt, and the city continued to grow and develop after its reconstruction. The Naval Air Station Melbourne was established in 1942, designated as a training site for Marine and Navy pilots who were serving in World War II. Much of the land was reused as the site of the Orlando Melbourne International Airport.

During the 1960s, the city experienced a wave of modernization, adding streetlights, the area's first strip mall, several parks, a library and a fire station. Melbourne's borders expanded in 1969 when voters elected to make the nearby community of Eau Gallie an official part of the city.

Living and Working in Melbourne

Melbourne provides a variety of recreational options for residents, ranging from sports and the outdoors to culture and family-friendly destinations. You can go swimming and fishing in the area's lakes and the waters of the Atlantic, or play at one of the several golf courses or tennis courts in Melbourne. The Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Henegar Center of the Performing Arts and the Maxwell King Center are the area's top cultural institutions, while attractions like the Brevard Zoo, Museum of Art and Science, and Forever Florida are popular with families.

If you're going to be looking for a job in the area, you'll find a variety of industries to choose from. Melbourne is home to many innovative technology firms, including General Electric, Intersil, Harris Corp., Northrop Grumman, Rockwell Collins and Liberty Aerospace. It also has a robust health care sector, which employs a significant percentage of the local population.

Melbourne Schools

Brevard Public Schools operates the public schools of Melbourne and much of the Space Coast. There are also a large number of private and charter schools in the city, with both secular and faith-based campuses available.

If your moving plan also involves enrolling in an institute of higher education, you'll have several options within Melbourne's city limits, including Eastern Florida State College, the Florida Institute of Technology and a satellite campus of Florida State University.

Resources for Moving to Melbourne

Here's some basic information to help you as you coordinate your move to Melbourne:

• Utilities: Florida Power & Light (FPL) is Melbourne's primary energy provider. The city's public works and utilities department oversees the distribution and billing of water and sewer services.
• Garbage and Recycling: You will receive two waste disposal cans, one for trash and one for recyclables. If your new home does not already have the cans, you can contact the city to receive them. Trash, recyclables and yard waste are collected regularly.
• Transportation: Space Coast Area Transit operates a network of public transit routes, several of which travel through Melbourne.

Melbourne Housing

Melbourne has a good mix of old and new properties, with a large percentage of late-20th-century homes and a limited number of pre-war homes and dwellings built after 2010. Strong home appreciation in recent years makes now an excellent time to buy in Melbourne, while home prices are still fairly affordable.