West Melbourne, Florida
West Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It was created in 1959 to stop the area from being annexed into the City of Melbourne. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 18,355, reflecting an increase of 8,531 from the 9,824 counted in the 2000 Census. In 1970, the city's population was approximately 3,050. Since 2000, the city has experienced the highest population growth percentage of any municipality in Brevard County. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. History. Voters created the city in 1959  to stop the area from being annexed into the City of Melbourne. In 2005, the City of West Melbourne started charging property taxes for the first time in its existence (since 1959). Prior to 2005, the city survived on a "fees only" tax revenue system for its $17 million budget. From 2005 to 2014, home-schooled students, all three children from a West Melbourne family, won the state spelling bee championship a total of seven times, from two to three times each. Government. The City of West Melbourne utilizes a Council-Manager form of government. The City Council consists  of the mayor and six council members. The City Management consists of a city manager and a twelve-person executive management team. The city government offices are located at the West Melbourne City Hall. In 2007, the city had a taxable real estate base of $1.32 billion. In 2011, about half the city general fund was spent on the police department. City management. The city experienced a 35% increase in crime for 2010, the highest rise in Brevard County, most areas of which experienced a drop in crime. This included 48.5% more burglaries. In 2010 the number of police  officers dropped from 38 to 33, due to a hiring freeze. The fee for garbage disposal was $10.24 per month per household in 2011–2012. Personnel who operate the city government, under the guidance of the city council, include: Geography. West Melbourne is located at (28.077895, −80.665326). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land, and of it (0.21%) is water. Demographics. Since 2000, the city has experienced the highest population growth percentage of any municipality in Brevard County. As of the 2000 census, there were 9,824 people, 4,497 households, and  2,693 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,255.7 inhabitants per square mile (485.0/km). There were 4,874 housing units at an average density of 623.0 per square mile (240.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 93.68% White, 1.40% African American, 0.13% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.84% of the population. There were 4,497 households, out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 8.5 % had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.63. The population in the city was spread out, with 15.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 31.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there  were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males. Education. Public schools are run by the Brevard County School Board. Schools within West Melbourne include: PK3–Kindergarten Elementary schools Middle schools High schools Economy. Personal income. The median income for a household in the city was $37,391, and the median income for a family was $46,486. Males had a median income of $38,693 versus $27,040 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,006. About 4.9% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty  line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over. Workforce. In 2007, the average size of West Melbourne's labor force was 5,074. Of that group, 4,783 were employed and 291 were unemployed, for an unemployment rate of 5.7%. Housing. In 2008, 83 building permits were issued. This was down from 174 permits in 2007, which was up from 142 permits in 2006. The median home price in 2007 was $226,000. Infrastructure. Potable water. In 2017, West Melbourne residents were still purchasing their water from the utility owned by the neighboring City  of Melbourne. It cost slightly over 1.1 cents per gallon, for a consumer of monthly. The city owns its underground network of conduits. Recreation. On 5 January 2016, the Space Coast Field of Dreams opened to the public in the West Melbourne Community Park.