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Palm Bay, city, Brevard county, east-central Florida, U.S. It lies along the Indian River, a lagoon (part of the Intracoastal Waterway) which at that point is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the long and narrow southern peninsula of Merritt Island, adjacent to Melbourne (north). The area was settled in the 1850s and the city was originally known as Tillman. It was renamed Palm Bay in the 1920s. The city was incorporated in 1960, and its growth was greatly stimulated by the development and spread of the aerospace industries associated with the John F. Kennedy Space Center and U.S. Air Force installations—all located farther north on Merritt Island.
Tourism and high-technology industries are important to the economy, and the area has a sizeable retiree population. The city has a campus of Brevard Community College. Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge are about 15 miles (25 km) southeast. Pop. (2000) 79,413; Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metro Area, 476,230; (2010) 103,190; Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metro Area, 543,376.
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Florida, constituent state of the United States of America. It was admitted as the 27th state in 1845. Florida is the most populous of the southeastern states and the second most populous Southern state after Texas. The capital is Tallahassee, located in the northwestern panhandle.…
Intracoastal Waterway, navigable toll-free shipping route, extending for about 3,000 miles (4,800 km) along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico coasts in the southern and eastern United States. It utilizes sounds, bays, lagoons, rivers, and canals and is usable in many portions by deep-draft vessels. The route is federally…
Melbourne, city, Brevard county, east-central Florida, U.S. It lies on the Intracoastal Waterway along the Indian River (a lagoon separated from the Atlantic Ocean by barrier islands), about 60 miles (95 km) southeast of Orlando. The site, originally known as Crane Creek, was settled in 1878, and the community was…