City in Florida, United States
Sebastian
is a city in
Indian River County
,
Florida
, United States at the confluence of the
St. Sebastian River
and the
Indian River
.
[7]
It is two miles away from the
Atlantic Ocean
. It is the largest city in Indian River County and the biggest population center between
Palm Bay
and
Fort Pierce
.
[8]
The city's economy is heavily reliant on tourism.
[9]
It has numerous resorts in the local area, such as
Disney's Vero Beach Resort
. It is very close to many natural and scenic areas like the
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
,
Sebastian Inlet State Park
, and
St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park
.
[10]
In 2020, the population recorded by the
U.S. Census Bureau
was 25,054.
[11]
Sebastian is a principal city of the Sebastian?
Vero Beach
Metropolitan Statistical Area
, which includes all of Indian River County.
History
[
edit
]
In 1715, several Spanish ships loaded with treasure (known as the
1715 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.
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 name
New 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, after
Saint Sebastian
.
[13]
Later, “St.” was removed from the name of the town, but not from the river. Sebastian was incorporated as a city in 1923.
Nearby
Pelican Island
was declared the first
National Wildlife Refuge
in the United States in 1903.
[14]
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total land area of 13.66 square miles (35.4 km
2
).
[15]
Climate
[
edit
]
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)
|
Average
precipitation
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:
[16]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
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%
|
---|
As of the
2020 United States census
, there were 25,054 people, 10,684 households, and 6,691 families residing in the city.
[20]
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.
[21]
In 2020, the
median household income
for the city was $54,986 in 2020, and the
per capita income
was $32,400. About 10.6% of the population were below the
poverty line
.
[21]
As of the
2010 United States census
, there were 21,929 people, 9,114 households, and 6,319 families residing in the city.
[22]
Government
[
edit
]
The Government of the City of Sebastian follows a
council-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.
Public safety
[
edit
]
Fire Rescue
[
edit
]
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:
- Station 8: Engine 8, Rescue 8, Battalion 1.
- Station 9: Quint 9, Rescue 9.
[23]
[24]
Police Department
[
edit
]
The Sebastian Police Department provides police protection for the city. It operates from the municipal complex, and is staffed by approximately 43 sworn officers.
[25]
[26]
Education
[
edit
]
The
School District of Indian River County
operates public schools.
There are three elementary schools (Sebastian Elementary,
[27]
Pelican Island Elementary
[28]
and Treasure Coast Elementary,
[29]
) two middle schools (Sebastian River Middle School
[30]
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.
Transportation
[
edit
]
The GoLine Bus system operates buses out of the North County Transit Hub at 90th Avenue & Sebastian Blvd to various parts of Indian River County.
[31]
Notable people
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"City of Sebastian Florida"
. City of Sebastian Florida
. Retrieved
September 19,
2012
.
- ^
"Russ Lemmon: Origin of Sebastian's 'Six Old Grouches' remains a mystery"
.
- ^
"Who are Sebastian's "six old grouches"?"
,
Tampa Bay Times
- ^
"2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
December 2,
2021
.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
"US Board on Geographic Names"
.
United States Geological Survey
. October 25, 2007
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
"Google Maps"
.
Google Maps
. Retrieved
November 17,
2021
.
- ^
"Florida Cities by Population"
.
www.florida-demographics.com
. Retrieved
November 17,
2021
.
- ^
"Visit Indian River County | Official Travel & Tourism Information"
.
Visit Indian River County
. October 26, 2015
. Retrieved
November 17,
2021
.
- ^
"Explore Nature Vero Beach Sebastian Fellsmere Florida"
. Retrieved
November 17,
2021
.
- ^
"United States Census"
. Retrieved
July 14,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"Sebastian, Florida - City Information, Fast Facts, Schools, Colleges, and More"
.
- ^
"Profile for Sebastian, Florida, FL"
. ePodunk
. Retrieved
September 19,
2012
.
- ^
"History - Pelican Island - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service"
.
www.fws.gov
. Retrieved
March 13,
2021
.
- ^
"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Sebastian city, Florida; United States"
.
www.census.gov
. Retrieved
March 13,
2021
.
- ^
"Monthly Weather-Sebastian, FL"
. The Weather Channel
. Retrieved
March 13,
2021
.
- ^
"Census of Population and Housing"
. Census.gov
. Retrieved
June 4,
2015
.
- ^
"P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Sebastian city, Florida"
.
United States Census Bureau
.
- ^
"P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Sebastian city, Florida"
.
United States Census Bureau
.
- ^
"S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2020: Sebastian city, Florida"
.
United States Census Bureau
.
- ^
a
b
"United States Census"
. Retrieved
July 14,
2022
.
- ^
"S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Sebastian city, Florida"
.
United States Census Bureau
.
- ^
"Fire Rescue Division"
.
Indian River County
. Retrieved
July 2,
2022
.
- ^
"Indian River County Emergency Services Org Chart"
(PDF)
.
Indian River County
. Retrieved
July 2,
2022
.
- ^
"Police Scorecard: Sebastian, FL"
.
Police Scorecard: Sebastian, FL
.
- ^
"Sebastian Annual Budget"
.
- ^
"Sebastian Elementary School"
. Retrieved
July 14,
2022
.
- ^
"Pelican Island Elementary School"
. Retrieved
July 15,
2022
.
- ^
"Treasure Coast Elementary School"
. Retrieved
July 15,
2022
.
- ^
"Sebastian River Middle School"
. Retrieved
July 15,
2022
.
- ^
"Goline Transportation"
. Retrieved
July 15,
2022
.
- ^
"Bryan Augenstein"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
September 19,
2012
.
External links
[
edit
]