Sebastian, Florida

Sebastian, Florida
City
City of Sebastian
City hall
Logo
Motto(s):  "Home Of Pelican Island" [1] "Friendly People and Six Old Grouches" [2] [3]
Location in Indian River County and the state of Florida
Sebastian, Florida Location in the United States
Coordinates: 27°46′58″N80°28′56″W / 27.78278°N 80.48222°W / 27.78278; -80.48222
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Indian River
Settled	1870s
First settlers	Andrew Canova, Ed Marr, Thomas New, and David Peter Gibson
Incorporated (municipality)	Dec. 6, 1924
Incorporated (city)	May 18, 1925
Government
• Type	Council-manager government
Area [4]
• Total	14.84 sq mi (38.44 km2)
• Land	14.00 sq mi (36.26 km2)
• Water	0.84 sq mi (2.18 km2)
Elevation	20 ft (6 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	25,054
• Density	1,789.70/sq mi (691.02/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	32958, 32978
Area code	772
FIPS code	12-64825 [5]
GNIS feature ID	0295607 [6]
Website	City of Sebastian Florida

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

Sebastian Historical Marker

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

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total land area of 13.66 square miles (35.4 km²). ^[15]

Climate

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

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%
U.S. Decennial Census [17]

Sebastian racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race	Pop 2010 [18]	Pop 2020 [19]	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	18,695	20,376	85.25%	81.33%
Black or African American (NH)	1,120	1,143	5.11%	4.56%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	42	39	0.19%	0.16%
Asian (NH)	252	337	1.15%	1.35%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)	5	5	0.02%	0.02%
Some other race (NH)	30	71	0.14%	0.28%
Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)	260	854	1.19%	3.41%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,525	2,229	6.95%	8.90%
Total	21,929	25,054

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

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

Fire Rescue

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

The Sebastian Police Department provides police protection for the city. It operates from the municipal complex, and has an authorized strength of approximately 48 sworn officers. ^{[25] [26]}

Education

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

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

• Bryan Augenstein, pitcher in Major League Baseball in 2009 and 2011; born in Sebastian ^[32]
• Jim Gary, American sculptor, was born in Sebastian
• Arlo Guthrie, American folk singer-songwriter
• Paul Kroegel, American conservationist

See also

• Ais people
• Alvaro Mexia
• Andrew Canova
• Bartram Trail
• Robert A. Hardee

References

1. "City of Sebastian Florida". City of Sebastian Florida. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
2. "Russ Lemmon: Origin of Sebastian's 'Six Old Grouches' remains a mystery".
3. "Who are Sebastian's "six old grouches"?", Tampa Bay Times
4. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
6. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
7. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
8. "Florida Cities by Population". www.florida-demographics.com. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
9. "Visit Indian River County | Official Travel & Tourism Information". Visit Indian River County. October 26, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
10. "Explore Nature Vero Beach Sebastian Fellsmere Florida" . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
11. "United States Census" . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
12. "Sebastian, Florida - City Information, Fast Facts, Schools, Colleges, and More".
13. "Profile for Sebastian, Florida, FL". ePodunk. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
14. "History - Pelican Island - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
15. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Sebastian city, Florida; United States". www.census.gov. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
16. "Monthly Weather-Sebastian, FL". The Weather Channel. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
17. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
18. "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 .
19. "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 .
20. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2020: Sebastian city, Florida". United States Census Bureau .
21. "United States Census" . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
22. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Sebastian city, Florida". United States Census Bureau .
23. "Fire Rescue Division". Indian River County. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
24. "Indian River County Emergency Services Org Chart" (PDF). Indian River County. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
25. "Police Scorecard: Sebastian, FL". Police Scorecard: Sebastian, FL.
26. "Sebastian Annual Budget".
27. "Sebastian Elementary School" . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
28. "Pelican Island Elementary School" . Retrieved July 15, 2022.
29. "Treasure Coast Elementary School" . Retrieved July 15, 2022.
30. "Sebastian River Middle School" . Retrieved July 15, 2022.
31. "Goline Transportation" . Retrieved July 15, 2022.
32. "Bryan Augenstein". MLB.com. Retrieved September 19, 2012.

External links

• City of Sebastian Florida Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more
• City-Data.com Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Sebastian
• ePodunk
• Sebastian Daily