Sebastian is a city in Indian River County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,181 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 18,671 [1].
Sebastian is a principal city of the Sebastian–Vero Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Indian River County.
Geography
Sebastian is located in northeastern Indian River County, Florida at 27°46′58″N 80°28′56″W / 27.782751°N 80.482352°W / 27.782751; -80.482352.[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.1 km² (13.6 mi²). 32.7 km² (12.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (6.86%) is water.
Life
Sebastian and the rest of northern Indian River County comprise one of the fastest-growing areas of Florida in the first decade of the 21st century. The Sebastian area has one acute care hospital, Sebastian River Medical Center and a small library at the other end of Roseland Road. There are three elementary schools (Sebastian Elementary, Pelican Island Elementary, and Treasure Coast Elementary, one middle school (Sebastian River Middle School) and one high school (Sebastian River High School) in the city. The city also contains the Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum. The unincorporated township of Roseland is often included into the city of Sebastian, but is outside city limits. Roseland was actually founded earlier than the city of Sebastian and retains much of its old-Florida charm, particularly in the oldest section along the banks of the St. Sebastian River. The Sebastian Highlands neighborhood hosts many new construction projects, parks, and sports facilities.
Industry
Sebastian residents include many retirees and families. The largest private employers in Sebastian are Publix supermarket and Sebastian River Medical Center, followed closely by city and county government.
Sebastian is home to airplane manufacturer Velocity Aircraft [2] located at Sebastian Municipal Airport. The airport is also home to Skydive Sebastian [3].
The majority of Sebastian-area residents work in either Vero Beach, Brevard County, or St. Lucie County.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 16,181 people, 6,844 households, and 5,044 families residing in the city. The population density was 495.0/km² (1,282.2/mi²). There were 7,287 housing units at an average density of 222.9/km² (577.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.66% White, 3.18% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.95% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.86% of the population.
There were 6,844 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, with the remaining 26.3% non-traditional families or unrelated individuals. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the city the population was distributed among a variety of age ranges, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 27.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a Sebastian household was $39,327, and the median income for a family was $43,044. Males had a median income of $30,787 versus $23,936 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,111. About 4.8% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The City Council includes Mayor Richard H. Gillmor, Vice-Mayor Jim Hill, Andrea B. Coy, Don Wright, and Eugene Wolff [4].
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Sebastian include:
- Jim Gary (1939-2006), sculptor, was born in Sebastian. He constructed a dinosaurs made from discarded automobile parts that traveled as an exhibition, Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs, for display at museums and other venues.[4]
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Fox, Margalit."Jim Gary, Sculptor Inspired by Junk, Dies at 66", The New York Times, January 19, 2006. Accessed November 27, 2007. "He was 66 and lived in Farmingdale, N.J.... James Gary was born in Sebastian, Fla., on March 17, 1939, and grew up in Colts Neck."
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