Palm Bay, Florida
| Palm Bay, Florida | |||
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| City | |||
| City of Palm Bay | |||
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| Motto: "A perfect place to grow!" | |||
 Location in Brevard County and the U.S. state of Florida |
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| Coordinates: 27°59′52.52″N 80°40′12.03″W / 27.9979222°N 80.6700083°WCoordinates: 27°59′52.52″N 80°40′12.03″W / 27.9979222°N 80.6700083°W | |||
| Country |  United States of America |
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| State |
 Florida
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| County |
 Brevard
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| Government | |||
| • Type | Council-Manager | ||
| • Mayor | William Capote | ||
| • City Manager | Greg Lynk | ||
| Area | |||
| • City | 68.8 sq mi (178.3 km2) | ||
| • Land | 65.7 sq mi (170.2 km2) | ||
| • Water | 3.1 sq mi (8.1 km2) 4.56% | ||
| Elevation | 19 ft (5 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • City | 103,190 | ||
| • Metro | 543,376 | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 32905-32911 | ||
| Area code(s) | 321 | ||
| FIPS code | 12-54000 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0288389 | ||
| Website | www |
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Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida. The city's population was 103,190 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the most populous city in the county. Palm Bay is a principal city of the Palm Bay−Melbourne−Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 543,376 at the 2010 census.
The Timucua people, attracted to the mouth of Turkey Creek at the Indian River by freshwater springs, fish, oysters, and wildlife, are thought to have been the first inhabitants in the Palm Bay area.
Palm Bay's recent history began in the 1850s when the first European settlers built homes along Turkey Creek. Originally referred to as Tillman, the settlement was described as a "small strip of hammock...on each side of Turkey Creek...mostly pine and palmetto, miserable sandy barren oak scrub, some ponds and interspersed with sawgrass and gallberry."
By the mid-nineteenth century, there was a lumbering operation, packing house, and orange groves. Growth was slow until the arrival of the railroad in 1894. Then goods were brought in and produce was shipped to market faster.
Between 1910 and 1914, Tillman became the center for a land company known as the Indian River Catholic Colony. Attempting to grow two crops a season, farmers quickly depleted the soil, and the colony failed. Those remaining built St. Joseph's Church on Miller Street, the oldest building still standing.
In the 1920s, the city was renamed after the bay bordered with sabal palm trees known as Palm Bay, located at the mouth of Turkey Creek. A group of Tillman businessmen established the Melbourne-Tillman Drainage District, and issued $1.5 million worth of bonds. Starting in 1922, a 180 miles (290 km) grid of 80 canals was dug to drain 40,000 acres (160 km2) of swampy land west of Palm Bay. The canals made it possible to control flooding and turn marsh lands to agricultural use. Farmers planted citrus groves and truck farms which shipped winter produce by the Florida East Coast Railroad to northern markets. Farmers sold timber and land to paper companies. In 1926, a fire among the dredges and a severe hurricane economically depressed Palm Bay. The Melbourne-Tillman Drainage District went bankrupt.
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Wikipedia