Sebastian, Florida | |
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| City of Sebastian | |
 City hall | |
 Logo | |
| Mottoes: | |
 Location inIndian River County and the state ofFlorida | |
  Sebastian, Florida Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:27°46′58″N80°28′56″W / 27.78278°N 80.48222°W /27.78278; -80.48222 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Indian River |
| Settled | 1870s |
| First settlers | Andrew Canova, Ed Marr, Thomas New, and David Peter Gibson |
| Incorporated (municipality) | Dec. 6, 1924 |
| Incorporated (city) | May 18, 1925 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-manager government |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.84 sq mi (38.44 km2) |
| • Land | 14.00 sq mi (36.26 km2) |
| • Water | 0.84 sq mi (2.18 km2) |
| Elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 25,054 |
| • Density | 1,789.7/sq mi (691.02/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 32958, 32978 |
| Area code | 772 |
| FIPS code | 12-64825[5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0295607[6] |
| Website | City of Sebastian Florida |
Sebastian is the most populous city inIndian River County, Florida. It is located at the confluence of theSt. Sebastian River and theIndian River.[7] It is the largest city in Indian River County and the biggest population center betweenPalm Bay andFort Pierce.[8] The city's economy is heavily reliant on tourism.[9] It is located near many natural and scenic areas such asPelican Island National Wildlife Refuge,Sebastian Inlet State Park, andSt. Sebastian River Preserve State Park.[10]
In 2020, the population recorded by theU.S. Census Bureau was 25,054.[11]
Sebastian is a principal city of theSebastian−Vero Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Indian River County.
In 1715, several Spanish ships loaded with treasure (known as the1715 Treasure Fleet) encountered a storm off the shores of the Treasure Coast and were lost.[12] It is estimated that only a portion of the sunken treasure has been found. The value placed on the treasure lost from the 1715 fleet has been estimated at more than US$500 million. A significant portion of the treasure was discovered byMel Fisher, who established apermanent museum in Sebastian in 1992.[13][14]
The town of Sebastian was a fishing village as early as the 1870s. In the early 1880s David Peter Gibson and Thomas New settled in the area. New filed to start a post office under the nameNew Haven. However, New got into legal trouble for misuse of his position as postmaster and was removed. Officially, Sebastian was founded in 1882[12] and named St. Sebastian, afterSaint Sebastian.[15] Later, “St.” was removed from the name of the town, but not from the river. Sebastian was incorporated as a city in 1923.
NearbyPelican Island was declared the firstNational Wildlife Refuge in the United States in 1903.[16]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total land area of 13.66 square miles (35.4 km2).[17]
| Climate data for Sebastian | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 88 (31) | 90 (32) | 92 (33) | 95 (35) | 99 (37) | 98 (37) | 102 (39) | 97 (36) | 99 (37) | 93 (34) | 90 (32) | 90 (32) | 102 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 73 (23) | 74 (23) | 77 (25) | 80 (27) | 85 (29) | 88 (31) | 89 (32) | 89 (32) | 87 (31) | 83 (28) | 77 (25) | 73 (23) | 81 (27) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 54 (12) | 56 (13) | 59 (15) | 64 (18) | 68 (20) | 72 (22) | 74 (23) | 74 (23) | 74 (23) | 69 (21) | 62 (17) | 56 (13) | 65 (18) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 24 (−4) | 29 (−2) | 26 (−3) | 37 (3) | 46 (8) | 55 (13) | 62 (17) | 63 (17) | 61 (16) | 44 (7) | 31 (−1) | 24 (−4) | 24 (−4) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.1 (53) | 2.2 (56) | 3.5 (89) | 3.5 (89) | 3.6 (91) | 5.1 (130) | 5.8 (150) | 6.0 (150) | 9.1 (230) | 7.1 (180) | 2.4 (61) | 1.6 (41) | 52 (1,320) |
| Source:[18] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 386 | — | |
| 1940 | 425 | 10.1% | |
| 1950 | 376 | −11.5% | |
| 1960 | 698 | 85.6% | |
| 1970 | 825 | 18.2% | |
| 1980 | 2,831 | 243.2% | |
| 1990 | 10,205 | 260.5% | |
| 2000 | 16,181 | 58.6% | |
| 2010 | 21,929 | 35.5% | |
| 2020 | 25,054 | 14.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[19] | |||
| Race | Pop 2010[20] | Pop 2020[21] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 18,695 | 20,376 | 85.25% | 81.33% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1,120 | 1,143 | 5.11% | 4.56% |
| Native American orAlaska Native (NH) | 42 | 39 | 0.19% | 0.16% |
| Asian (NH) | 252 | 337 | 1.15% | 1.35% |
| Pacific Islander orNative Hawaiian (NH) | 5 | 5 | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Some other race (NH) | 30 | 71 | 0.14% | 0.28% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 260 | 854 | 1.19% | 3.41% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,525 | 2,229 | 6.95% | 8.90% |
| Total | 21,929 | 25,054 |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 25,054 people, 10,684 households, and 6,691 families residing in the city.[22]
In 2020, 14.4% of the population were people under the age of 18, and 35.5% were people over the age of 65. The average household size was 2.39. 51.6% of the population were female and 48.4% male.[23]
In 2020, themedian household income for the city was $54,986 in 2020, and theper capita income was $32,400. About 10.6% of the population were below thepoverty line.[23]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 21,929 people, 9,114 households, and 6,319 families residing in the city.[24]
The Government of the City of Sebastian follows acouncil-manager government model with a five-member city council as the elected governing body and a city manager as the chief operating officer. Members of the city council serve two-year terms with staggered elections.
Indian River County Fire-Rescue provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the citizens of Sebastian. There are two fire stations assigned to the city:
The Sebastian Police Department provides police protection for the city. It operates from the municipal complex, and has an authorized strength of approximately 48 sworn officers.[27][28]
TheSchool District of Indian River County operates public schools.
There are three elementary schools (Sebastian Elementary,[29] Pelican Island Elementary[30] and Treasure Coast Elementary,[31]) two middle schools (Sebastian River Middle School[32] and Sebastian Charter Junior High) and one high school (Sebastian River High School) in the city.
Located to the west of the city center on County Road 512, the North County Public Library is part of the Indian River County Library System.
TheGoLine Bus system operates buses out of the North County Transit Hub at 90th Avenue & Sebastian Blvd to various parts of Indian River County.[33]
Municipalities and communities ofIndian River County, Florida,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
