Introduction to West Melbourne, Florida
West Melbourne, Florida, in Brevard county, is 2 miles W of Melbourne, Florida (center to center) and 110 miles E of Tampa, Florida.. The city is located inside the Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay metropolitan area.
West Melbourne History
West Melbourne was established and incorporated in 1959, in an effort to avoid inclusion in the City of Melbourne and the additional ad valorem tax. Brevard County, where West Melbourne is located, has been occupied by humans for 12,000 years. When the Spanish first came to this area, it was occupied by the Ais tribe. The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León is said to have arrived in 1513. In 1855, Brevard County was named after Theodore Washington Brevard, the State Comptroller from 1854-60.
West Melbourne and Nearby Attractions
- Brevard Museum of Art and Science.
- Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.
- Brevard Zoo.
- Historic Bok Sanctuary.
- Kennedy Space Center.
Things To Do In West Melbourne
There are numerous parks in West Melbourne including Bryant Adams Park, Clements Wood Park, Hammock Lake Park, Jan Lieson Crossroads Park and Westbrooke Park. The Brevard Museum of Art and Science has information on the area's history. There are also two historical sites - Historic Bok Sanctuary and the Zora Neale Hurston House situated nearby.
West Melbourne Transportation
Melbourne International Airport is a major airport nearby.
West Melbourne Higher Education
The colleges near West Melbourne include Brevard Community College - Cocoa Campus, Florida Institute of Technology and University of Central Florida.