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Melbourne, Florida

Population: 71,382
Located in Brevard County

The City of Melbourne is located on east central Florida's Space Coast. Melbourne is about an hour's drive south of the Kennedy Space Center, and 1-1/2 hours due east of Disney World.

The City is in the southern portion of Brevard County. Interstate-95 runs through the county from north-to-south.  Access roads from the west include the Beeline Expressway and State Road 192, which runs through Melbourne to the beaches.

Nearby incorporated communities include Palm Bay, West Melbourne, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Indian Harbor Beach, and Satellite Beach. Also nearby is Viera, an unincorporated community.

While most of Melbourne is located on the Florida mainland, a small portion is located on a barrier island. The Indian River Lagoon separates the mainland from the island. The island is a narrow strip of land that separates the Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. (In prehistoric times the Lagoon was connected to the Ocean. Today, the only connection is by way of a handful of inlets, including the manmade Sebastian Inlet at the southern end of Brevard County.)

Spanning the Indian River Lagoon to connect the mainland to the barrier island are a pair of four-lane, high-rise bridges -- the Melbourne Causeway and the Eau Gallie Causeway.

The Space Coast is known as a high-tech center of the Southeast. Major employers in Melbourne vicinity include Harris Corporation, Rockwell Collins, Florida Institute of Technology, Holmes Regional Hospital, Northrop Grumman Corporation - Surveillance and Battle Management Systems, Dictaphone, GE Transportation Systems and Rossi Electronics, Florida TODAY (Gannett) Newspaper, Brevard Community College, and the Brevard County School Board.

Melbourne promotes economic development and is actively engaged in revitalization efforts in three areas of the city.  Information and assistance is available from the Planning and Economic Development Department. The Melbourne metropolitan area has been ranked as one of the most affordable in the nation for homebuyers in a survey by the National Association of Home Builders. The 1998 "Money" Magazine 'Best Places' survey rated Melbourne and Brevard County 7th among medium-sized Southern communities.

The City of Melbourne's Leisure Services Department consists of numerous Parks and Recreational Facilities including two golf courses, an auditorium, a new state-of-the-art civic center, tennis courts, swimming pools, and more.

Leisure Services provides community residents a variety of recreational programs, activities, and events for all ages.

Over 554.72 acres of city parkland including large regional and community parks, neighborhood parks, scenic corridors, major athletic sites, and special use facilities, are available for the citizens' use and enjoyment. All parks are open from sunrise to 9 p.m. 

Many of the parks feature picnic areas, pavilions, gazebos, playgrounds, athletic fields, hike and bike trails, and other amenities. The parks systems will continue to conserve open space and natural resources, and provide for the present and future needs of outdoor recreation opportunities.

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