Melbourne Village, Florida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Melbourne Village, Florida | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Motto: The Town That Really Cares | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 28°5′18″N 80°40′1″W / 28.08833°N 80.66694°WCoordinates: 28°5′18″N 80°40′1″W / 28.08833°N 80.66694°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Brevard |
| Settled | 1946 |
| Incorporated | 1957 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Commission |
| - Mayor | L. Scott McCoy |
| Area | |
| - Total | 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2) |
| - Land | 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 706 |
| - Density | 1,176.7/sq mi (470.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 32904 |
| Area code(s) | 321 |
| FIPS code | 12-44075[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0286687[2] |
Melbourne Village is a town in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 706 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 702 [1]. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the smallest incorporated municipality (by population) in Brevard County.[3]
Contents |
[edit] History
Three women – Virginia Wood, Elizabeth Nutting, and Margaret Hutchinson, came from Dayton, Ohio following the end of World War II to the area of Melbourne, Florida. Their goal was to build a community from scratch for people wanting to establish a lifestyle that was simple and close to nature[4]. This social experiment[5] was an “intentional community”, a response to the hardships of the Great Depression. Many early residents[6] cleared their land, built their own houses, and ran small home businesses, from organic gardening to raising chinchillas, to help support themselves and their families[7]. There was a community store[8], run on the honor system.[9] Early families overcame the lack of construction materials for civilian use immediately following World War II by purchasing and relocating surplus military barracks from nearby bases. Two of these barracks still remain, one being the Original Melbourne Village Hall and the other a private residence.
The Town of Melbourne Village was incorporated in 1957 out of concern of being annexed by Melbourne.
[edit] Geography
Melbourne Village is located at 28°05′18″N 80°40′01″W / 28.088361°N 80.666927°W.[10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²), all land.
The village is surrounded by West Melbourne, except the northeastern portion of the town, where it is bordered by Melbourne.
[edit] Environment
The environment of the Village is one of relatively large lot sizes[11] (over 90% of lots are between 0.33 acres (0.13 ha) and 1.0 acre (0.40 ha)), with houses nestled in among the large native oaks and pines. This is in contrast to nearby modern housing developments with lots of 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) to 0.2 acres (0.081 ha)[12], where native forests and hammocks have been clear cut, houses built that nearly fill the small lots, and then small or mid-story trees and shrubs re-introduced. It is common in Melbourne Village for a lot to have at least 30% canopy coverage, from mature live oaks and southern pines stretching to heights of 50 feet or more.
[edit] Erna Nixon
The eastern border of the Village is penetrated by a portion of Erna Nixon Park. The park’s namesake and Melbourne Village resident, Erna Nixon, was a force behind the preservation of the 54 acres (22 ha) hammock. This small oasis of pine flat woods and oak hammocks is surrounded by a commercial district and was zoned for warehouses. Her work, with assistance from the Junior League of South Brevard, convinced the county and state to purchase the land and establish the park. The park opened in 1976, and is a key habitat for many native plants, birds, and animals, including gopher tortoises, Indigo snakes, and bobcats.
[edit] Government
The Town of Melbourne Village is governed by a Town Commission of seven members, one of whom is the Mayor/Commissioner. By Town Charter, these are volunteer (unpaid) positions. The Mayor and Commissioners serve two year terms, are non-partisan positions, and are elected in November during the general elections. Terms are staggered, with three Commission seats up for election each year. The Commission meets at least once a month to deal with town business, in a modified “town hall” style meeting.
Three departments serve the Town with paid employees: Administration, Public Works, and Police. Even though the municipality is small, having its own police force[13] enables the Town to provide 24 x 7 coverage with fast response times, as well as community policing activities.
[edit] Mayors
- 2008 – date: L. Scott McCoy
- 2004 – 2008: Stephen J. Gaul
- 2002 – 2004: Robert E. Downey
- 2000 – 2002: Richard F. St. John
- 1996 – 2000: Julia E. (Tibby) Parker
- 1992 – 1996: James A. Miller
- 1982 – 1992: George T. Woodmansee
- 1980 – 1982: A. Harold Peters
- 1978 – 1980: Herbert C. Doughty
- 1978 – 1978: Albert F. Zimmerman
- 1975 – 1978: Grace D. Walker
- 1972 – 1975: Raymond E. Henderson
- 1970 – 1972: Albert G. Falco
- 1969 – 1970: Clemens J. Neuhas
- 1968 – 1969: A. Harold Peters
- 1961 – 1968: Arthur A. Codding
- 1957 – 1961: Clark J. Strohmer
- 1957 – 1957: W. Harries Fisher
[edit] American Homesteading Foundation (AHF)
All homeowners in the Village must be members of the AHF.[14] The AHF was founded in 1946 by Virginia Wood, Elizabeth Nutting, and Margaret Hutchinson, and is a not-for-profit corporation and independent of the official municipality. The AHF serves the community by owning, maintaining, and operating all the community property within the Village, and sponsors many recreational and educational activities throughout the year. The community property includes approximately 45 acres (18 ha) of parks and paths, the Village Hall, and the AHF Swimming Pool. The main function of the AHF is sometimes described as a self-funded, independent, Parks and Recreation department for the Village.
[edit] Community involvement
More than 25 percent of the residents of Melbourne Village are routinely involved in committees and volunteer events. The sense of civic responsibility is also high – in the 2008 elections, voter turnout for Melbourne Village (Precinct 31) was 95 percent,[15] and even in non-presidential election years, turnout is typically 60 percent[16] to 80 percent[17].
[edit] Planned development
The Vision 2012 Committee was chartered by the Town Commission in March, 2006 as a response to trends and concerns about recent construction that has significantly changed the existing neighborhood character, the larger size of structures and greater lot coverage, and the loss of green-space.[18]
The result of this work was the Responsible Growth Plan,[19] a set of ordinances that developed building coverage ranges for all lot sizes, devised incentive strategies to encourage homeowners and builders to minimize the visual and environmental impact of larger lot coverage, improved the Town’s Code emphasis on tree canopy, green conservation, and native vegetation.[20], and provided a way to manage all these objectives via the Town Review Board.[19]
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 706 people, 307 households, and 210 families residing in the town. The population density was 478.2/km² (1,239.4/mi²). There were 325 housing units at an average density of 220.1/km² (570.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.01% White, 0.71% Asian, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.
There were 307 households out of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town the population was spread out with 17.8% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,750, and the median income for a family was $60,000. Males had a median income of $51,058 versus $27,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,782. About 2.6% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Florida Population Estimates for Counties and Municipalities April 1, 2000-2008, Office of Economic and Demographic Research, The Florida Legislature
- ^ Reprint of Orlando Evening Star article, circa 1947
- ^ Melbourne Village: The First Twenty-five Years (1946-1971), by Richard C. Crepeau, University of Central Florida Press, 1988
- ^ Reprint of Miami Herald article, March 28, 1948
- ^ Reprint of Melbourne Times article, May 2, 1947
- ^ Melbourne Village Community Store Interior
- ^ Melbourne Village Community Store
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Brevard County Property Appraiser Platbook 37-31
- ^ Brevard County Property Appraiser Platbook 36-36
- ^ Melbourne Village Police
- ^ American Homesteading Foundation
- ^ Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Voter Turnout Report 2008 General Election
- ^ Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Voter Turnout Report 2007 General Election
- ^ Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Voter Turnout Report 2006 General Election
- ^ Reprint of Florida Today article, August 5, 2006
- ^ a b Town of Melbourne Village, Ordinance 2007-01
- ^ Town of Melbourne Village, Ordinance 2008-01
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Melbourne Village, Florida |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
