Palm Bay, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Palm Bay, Florida
City
From top (left to right): Palm Bay, Palm Bay City Hall, Palm Bay overpass sign on I-95, and Turkey Creek
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  "A perfect place to grow!"
Location of Palm Bay in Brevard County (left) and in Florida (right)
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Brevard
Settled (Tillman)	Late 1870s
Incorporated (City of Palm Bay)	January 16, 1960
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• City	89.60 sq mi (232.05 km2)
• Land	86.42 sq mi (223.82 km2)
• Water	3.18 sq mi (8.23 km2)  4.56%
Elevation	19 ft (5 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	119,760
• Density	1,385.82/sq mi (535.07/km2)
• Urban	510,675 (US: 82nd)
• Urban density	2,038.3/sq mi (787.0/km2)
• Metro	606,612 (US: 95th)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	32905-32911
Area code(s)	321
FIPS code	12-54000
GNIS feature ID	0288389

Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The city's population was 119,760 at the 2020 United States census, up from 103,190 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in the county and the largest by land mass. The historic section of the city lies on the mouth of the Turkey Creek and the Palm Bay. Palm Bay has historically expanded south and to the west. The newer section is mostly situated west of Interstate 95 and south of the Tillman Canal.

Palm Bay is a principal city of the Palm Bay−Melbourne−Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 606,612 at the 2020 census.

History

The Timucua people, attracted to the mouth of Turkey Creek at the Indian River by freshwater springs, fish, oysters, and wildlife, are thought to have been the first inhabitants in the Palm Bay area.

Palm Bay's recent history began in the 1850s when the first European settlers built homes along Turkey Creek. Originally referred to as Tillman, the settlement was described as a "small strip of hammock...on each side of Turkey Creek...mostly pine and palmetto, miserable sandy barren oak scrub, some ponds and interspersed with sawgrass and gallberry."

By the mid-nineteenth century, there was a lumbering operation, packing house, and orange groves. Growth was slow until the arrival of the railroad in 1894. Then goods were brought in and produce was shipped to market faster.

Turkey Creek in 2015

1900s

Between 1910 and 1914, Tillman became the center for a land company known as the Indian River Catholic Colony. Attempting to grow two crops a season, farmers quickly depleted the soil, and the colony failed. Those remaining built St. Joseph's Church on Miller Street, the oldest building still standing.

In the 1920s, the city was renamed after the bay bordered with sabal palm trees known as Palm Bay, located at the mouth of Turkey Creek. A group of Tillman businessmen established the Melbourne-Tillman Drainage District, and issued $1.5 million worth of bonds. Starting in 1922, a 180 miles (290 km) grid of 80 canals was dug to drain 40,000 acres (160 km²) of swampy land west of Palm Bay. The canals made it possible to control flooding and turn marsh lands to agricultural use. Farmers planted citrus groves and truck farms which shipped winter produce by the Florida East Coast Railroad to northern markets. Farmers sold timber and land to paper companies. In 1926, a fire among the dredges and a severe hurricane economically depressed Palm Bay. The Melbourne-Tillman Drainage District went bankrupt.

In 1959, General Development Corporation purchased and platted extensive tracts of land in Palm Bay for its large residential project known as Port Malabar. The city incorporated itself on January 16, 1960. Prior to expanding their borders, the city population was 2,808 that year.

2000s

The active development of the city after that point was intertwined with GDC, who laid out and built many of the streets, sold and built many of the city's now older homes, and built a water treatment plant later purchased by the city after GDC filed for bankruptcy in 1991.

For three consecutive years between 2003 and 2005, the city was made a finalist for the All-America City Award.

In 2008, the former Port Malabar Country Club property was revalued at $300,000, essentially "worthless" because of arsenic in the groundwater which would require an estimated $12 million to clean up.

There are hundreds of miles of roads that are in such poor condition that the city Public Works Department considers them unserviceable. The voters have consistently defeated measures which would have improved roads, termed the worst in Brevard. In 2005 they voted down a $58.7 million bond measure. In 2009, they defeated a $75.2 million tax referendum. In 2010, voters living in areas with the worst roads voted 9-1 against $44.7 million assessment for repairing them. In 2011, the city government created a Palm Bay Road Maintenance District that they hope can levy taxes and alleviate the situation.

In 2008, fires on Mother's Day destroyed 37 homes in the Southwest area of the city. Arson has been to blame as the cause of at least a few of the numerous fires.

In 2009, the Brevard Zoo moved the remaining 15 Florida scrub jay families native to the city to Buck Lake Conservation Area in Mims. The Florida scrub jay is a threatened species in the area due to it being territorial and its inability to move to better grounds when its habitat is jeopardized.

2010s

In 2010, plans were revealed by a private company to develop Emerald City, a large planned city within the city limits. The focus will be on creating an eco-friendly urban community that will include residential zones consisting of townhouses and commercial zones consisting of state-of-the-art medical facilities, research and development centers for technology firms, and urbanized retail shopping centers. As of February 2016, Emerald City is currently in the development phase.

Fiscal concern over firefighters' pensions occurred during 2010. Firefighters' salaries averaged $71,100 annually plus $5,590 overtime pay. They were eligible for 100% of base pay after 28 years of service.

In 2012, construction began on the St. John’s Heritage Parkway (also known as the Palm Bay Parkway), an arterial roadway that runs north to south along the western limits of the city. A portion of the parkway opened to the public in 2015. The project was in the development phase for over a decade. The roadway was planned out of a need to alleviate traffic for commuters on the main thoroughfares of SR 507, CR 509, and I-95. Later phases of the project will bring the roadway further south and then east following the lower city limits, eventually connecting to I-95 just north of Micco Road. There are other roadway improvement projects currently in the development phase, including widening SR 507 (Babcock Street) from four lanes to six.

The city formerly monitored some intersections with radar cameras, resulting in the issuing of traffic tickets for running a red light. In 2013, these monitored intersections were no safer than unmonitored ones. These cameras were removed in 2014.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 68.8 square miles (178.3 km²), of which 65.7 square miles (170.2 km²) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.1 km²), or 4.56%, is water.

The city is often referred to in four quadrants: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast, each containing multiple zip codes. The most urban area is in Northeast. The most rural area is in Southwest, containing an area called The Compound. This area is home to Bombardier Recreational Products. A small portion of Bayside Lakes lies in the area.

Palm Bay is developing its portion of Bayside Lakes "downtown" to create a focus for the city.

During the early 1990s, Palm Bay Regional Park, a soccer and athletic complex in the western part of the city, was constructed. It is the largest of a citywide system of parks and recreation areas. The Turkey Creek Sanctuary is a small nature reserve in the northeast part of the city.

Climate

Surrounding areas

• St. Johns River; Sawgrass Lake; Lake Hell 'n Blazes; Indian Fields; St. John's Marsh; Osceola County
• Grant-Valkaria; Malabar; Indian River Lagoon
• West Melbourne; Melbourne
• Deer Run; St John's Marsh

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 119,760 people, 39,109 households, and 26,872 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 103,190 people, 36,940 households, and 26,528 families residing in the city.

Languages

As of 2000, English spoken as a first language accounted for 88.55% of all residents, while 11.44% spoke other languages as their mother tongue. The most significant was Spanish speakers who made up 7.45% of the population, while French came up as the third most spoken language, which made up 0.93%, German was spoken by 0.92%, and Arabic was at fourth, with 0.53% of the population.

Economy

Industry

Pink Wal-Mart Supercenter built in 2005: the city uses Key West vernacular architecture.

Forbes magazine ranked the city the 11th most innovative in the nation in 2010.

Large employers in the city include:

• L3Harris Technologies has 3,400 employees on its Palm Bay campus on Palm Bay Road
• Intersil employed 700 people in 2010
• Palm Bay Hospital

Workforce

In 2007, the average size of Palm Bay's labor force was 49,935. Of that group, 47,542 were employed and 2,393 were unemployed, for an unemployment rate of 4.8%. This figure had risen to 6,571 (12.7%) and was the highest rate in the county.

Tourism

The city has some frequently visited recreational locations, such as the area known as "the compound" and the Turkey Creek area. The city has a riverfront area that the city government is attempting to further develop and focus on.

The 2015 Tough Mudder 12.5 miles (20.1 km) race drew 9,875 visitors to the area including 6,835 participants. The Brevard County Tourist Development Council spent $40,000 promoting and staging the event.

Public safety

Police Department

The City of Palm Bay Police Department is authorized 172 sworn police officers, in addition to numerous civilian and support personnel. The police agency is broken into various sections, such as the Uniform Services Division, Support Services Division, and the Criminal Investigations Division. Each section assigns officers to various tasks, such as patrol, traffic enforcement, training officers, detectives, and similar tasks. There are three police districts within the city. Police officers are assigned to each district.

A 2009 survey indicated that the city was ranked 263 out of 400 in crime statistics, with #1 being the worst. .....

In 2011, Skype was used 32 times to obtain warrants promptly.

Fire Department

Palm Bay Fire Rescue consists of about a hundred firefighters and six stations. Most firefighters work 24 hour shifts followed by 48 hours off. The Palm Bay Fire Department responded to over 12,000 calls in 2011.

In May 2008 (Mothers Day Fires), a wild fire was started that burned a total of almost 26,000 acres (11,000 ha)—40 square miles (100 km²), 30 homes were destroyed and 140 were damaged. Firefighters from Palm Bay and across the state fought the fires around the clock.

In 2013, the city concluded an agreement with the county to furnish fire and emergency medical aid to whichever governmental unit was closer to the problem: a Palm Bay unit or a Brevard County unit.

Education

All public schools are run by the Brevard County School Board.

Public Elementary Schools:

Public Middle School:

• Southwest Middle School

Public High Schools:

• Bayside High School
• Palm Bay High School (located in Melbourne, but serves Palm Bay and Malabar)
• Heritage High School

Higher Education:

Transportation

City name marker erected on I-95 in 2002

Major roads in Palm Bay include the following:

• U.S. 1 – This road serves the northeastern section of the city. It is intersected by three main roads: Port Malabar Boulevard, Robert J. Conlan Boulevard and Palm Bay Road.
• Interstate 95 – The major freeway serving the East Coast of the United States runs northwest to southeast through the center of the city's area. The city is served by interchanges 176 (Palm Bay Road), 173 (Malabar Road), and 166 (St. Johns Heritage Parkway).
• Babcock Street – The state road portion of Babcock Street runs through the northeastern portion of Palm Bay. It provides a route from Melbourne, just north of the city, to Malabar Road and County Road 507. Main intersections include CR 516, Port Malabar Boulevard, and SR 514.
• Babcock Street – The county road portion of Babcock Street runs through the extreme southeast portion of Palm Bay. It provides a direct route to Fellsmere in Indian River County from Brevard County. Main intersections include SR 514, Waco Boulevard, Valkaria Road/Wyoming Drive, Grant Road/Eldron Boulevard, and Cogan Drive.
• Malabar Road – The state road portion of Malabar Road connects the town of Malabar, which gives its name to the road, to eastern Palm Bay and I-95. The only main intersections are Interstate 95 and SR 507.
• Malabar Road – The county road portion of Malabar Road runs through the center of Palm Bay to CR 509. The City Hall, the Police Department and the main economic center of Palm Bay are all located on this road. Major intersections include Interstate 95, San Filippo Drive, Emerson Drive, Eldron Boulevard and CR 509.
• Palm Bay Road – This road serves the extreme northern part of Palm Bay, mainly the northeastern portion. It runs from SR 507 to CR 509. Major intersections include SR 507, Port Malabar Boulevard, Dairy Road, Hollywood Boulevard, Interstate 95, and CR 509.
• Minton Road – This road serves the western part of Palm Bay. It runs from West Melbourne to Malabar Road. Major intersections include CR 516, Emerson Drive, Americana Boulevard, and CR 514.

There are about 851 miles (1,370 km) of city-maintained highways. Most roads in the area west of DeGroodt Road are unpaved. In 2013, the public works director reported that most roads in south Palm Bay were "failed roads," for lack of maintenance.

In 2012, Palm Bay had the lowest walkability of any city in the United States with a population over 100,000 people.

In 2018, The city's voters approved a bond referendum to pave the city's failing roadways. The city is repaving or reconstructing various sections or units each fiscal year.

Notable people

• William G. Bainbridge, 5th Sergeant Major of the Army
• Deanne Bell, reality television show host known for PBS's Design Squad and Discovery Channel's Smash Lab
• Xavier Carter, professional track athlete
• Joe Cohen, San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle
• Bobby Dall, bassist musician of Poison
• Ray Dandridge, Hall of Fame Baseball player, retired and died in Palm Bay in 1994
• Ezio Flagello, Italian-American opera singer

• David Gewirtz, CNN columnist, cyberterrorism advisor, presidential scholar
• Chris Heston, San Francisco Giants pitcher
• Cameron Long (born 1988), basketball player in the Israeli Premier League
• Reggie Nelson, professional football player

See also

In Spanish: Palm Bay (Florida) para niños