Space Coast

The Space Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida around Kennedy Space Center (KSC), where NASA launched space shuttles until the last one on July 8th, 2011 at 11:29am; and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, site of unmanned civilian and military space launches. Cities in the area include Titusville, Cocoa, Rockledge, Cape Canaveral, Merritt Island (unincorporated), Cocoa Beach, Melbourne and Palm Bay. Most of the area lies within Brevard County. It is bounded on the south by the Treasure Coast. It is bounded on the west and north by Central Florida and is economically tied to that region. It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean.

The Space Coast area code

Once the area became too large to be served by one area code, a local resident discovered that area code 321 was not assigned to any other territory (though it was being considered for the suburban Chicago area).

If each number is pronounced individually – "3, 2, 1"; the pronunciation resembles the countdown before liftoff; thus, the resident petitioned for the code to be assigned to the Space Coast region. His efforts were popular among local residents and resulted in success; the new code became effective on November 1, 1999.

Infrastructure

GETTING HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE Brevard County is the world’s only Quadramodal Transportation Hub. With its unique aerospace history, Brevard County has a special appreciation for transporting people and goods in the most efficient and cost-effective ways. Its central location on the Atlantic seaboard of Florida situates Brevard County in the middle of major space, air, sea, highway and rail corridors. In addition, many of its transportation hubs – including Port Canaveral and Melbourne International Airport – are part of Foreign Trade Zone 136, which enables qualified businesses to defer or eliminate U.S. Customs’ duties on imported goods. Source: Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast

Whether it’s residents going to and from work, the general public moving about the county, or transporting goods to and from Brevard County, here’s how to get precious cargo where it needs to be.

BY MOTOR VEHICLE… Interstate 95 provides easy north-south access to motorists, as does the route once called the “Federal Highway,” U.S. Highway 1. State Road A1A provides a drive with a beachside view and five causeways – the Max Brewer in Titusville; State Road 520/the Cocoa Beach Causeway in Central Brevard; and the Pineda, Eau Gallie and Melbourne causeways in Melbourne -- each provide access to the beaches.

Many residents of Brevard County use the area’s public bus system, Space Coast Area Transit, to go to and from work, as well as navigate the county. A single ride is $1.25 and a reduced rate of $.60 is available to seniors (age 60 and above), the disabled and veterans. Brevard Community College students with a valid student I.D. and children under the age of 5 ride free.

BY AIR… Motor vehicles are not the beginning or end for transportation in Brevard County, however. Delta Air Lines, U.S. Airways and Direct Air fly from Melbourne International Airport, which is favored by businesspeople and tourists alike as a great alternative to larger, busier airports. And for private flights, Baer Air flies four aircraft, available on demand, for corporate, leisure or cargo transportation.

The airport also has a Greyhound bus terminal and bus access via the county’s Space Coast Area Transit and is a major business hub, with technological giants like Harris Corp., Northrop-Grumman, Rockwell Collins and General Electric represented there.

In late 2009, Melbourne International Airport and Florida Tech announced a 20-year partnership with the launch of the Florida Tech Research Park located within the Airport Industrial Park. The research park is strategically designed to work directly with businesses to bring innovation to the marketplace quickly and profitably. Its mission is to expand Brevard County’s technology-research infrastructure, fostering economic development and increasing the region’s high-tech competitiveness.

BY BOAT… Port Canaveral, the second busiest cruise port, is one of the country’s foremost deep-water seaports, with cargo services as well as cruise lines and the facilities to handle them all. It’s also home to Foreign Trade Zone 136, recreational facilities, restaurants and other businesses. The 2009 Economic Impact Study of Port Canaveral indicates that job growth at the Port is expected to reach 16,124 by this year.

BY RAIL… Florida’s East Cast Railway (FEC) is a Class II railroad that runs directly through Brevard County, along the west side of U.S. Highway 1. In 2010, the railway transported approximately 95,200 carloads of commodities that included crushed stone (aggregate), automobiles, food products and construction materials. FEC also moved 277,250 intermodal units in 2010.

Transportation is coordinated by the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization.

• Space Coast Regional Airport

Space-named landmarks (outside KSC and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station)

• Alan Shepard Park, Cocoa Beach
• Apollo Boulevard, Melbourne
• Apollo Elementary School, Titusville
• Armstrong Drive, Titusville
• Astronaut Boulevard, Cape Canaveral
• Astronaut High School, Titusville
• Atlantis Elementary School, Port St. John
• Challenger Memorial Parkway, (State Road 407), Titusville
• Challenger 7 Elementary School, Port St. John
• Chaffee Drive, Titusville
• Christa McAuliffe drawbridge, Merritt Island
• Christa McAuliffe Elementary School, Palm Bay
• Columbia Boulevard (State Road 405), Titusville
• Columbia Elementary School, Palm Bay
• Columbia Village, Melbourne (Florida Institute of Technology)
• Discovery Elementary School, Palm Bay
• Endeavour Elementary Magnet school, Cocoa
• Enterprise Elementary School, Cocoa
• Freedom 7 Elementary School, Cocoa Beach
• Gemini Elementary School, Melbourne Beach
• Grissom Parkway, Cocoa
• I Dream Of Jeannie Drive, Cocoa Beach
• John F. Kennedy Middle School, Rockledge
• Jupiter Boulevard, Palm Bay
• Jupiter Elementary School, Palm Bay
• Kennedy Point Park, Titusville
• Ronald McNair Middle Magnet School, Rockledge
• MILA Elementary School, Merritt Island
• Minutemen Causeway, Cocoa Beach
• NASA Boulevard (State Road 508), Melbourne
• Satellite Beach, Florida
• Satellite Boulevard, Cocoa
• Satellite High School, Satellite Beach
• Saturn Elementary School, Cocoa
• Shepard Drive, Titusville
• Space Coast Academy, Melbourne
• Space Coast Jr./Sr. High School
• Space Coast Stadium, Viera, Florida
• Space Coast Surge, a member of the Florida Winter Baseball League played out of Cocoa in 2009
• Space View Park, Titusville
• White Drive, Titusville

See also

• Space Coast Office of Tourism

External links

• Space Coast Wiki - a community wiki for the Space Coast.