Our Florida Home
St. Mark's Church is on the banks of the Indian River in Cocoa Village, next door to a large city park and a historic home. (Just beyond the home is the Cocoa Civic Center.) Cocoa Village today is a quaint walking and shopping area, but it was founded in the nineteenth century as a stopping point for fishermen.
Cocoa Village is just north of the center of Brevard County, which is 72 miles long and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean barely 15 miles to its widest point. The county seat is in Titusville, about 22 miles north of Cocoa. The largest city in the county, Palm Bay, is an hour and almost 40 miles south of that courthouse. About 20 years ago a park of additional county offices, including the school board, was built in Viera, midway down the county, to better serve the modern population centers in the south county.
Brevard County includes a barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean that is home to eight separate communities and Patrick Air Force Base. On the mainland are 18 communities; some are incorporated municipalities, others not.
Most of the parishioners at St. Mark's live in Cocoa, Rockledge (the municipality just to the south) and Merritt Island (an unincorporated community to the northeast). However we also have members from Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach and Cape Canaveral, on the island, and Port St. John, Viera, north Melbourne and Titusville, on the mainland.
It is hard to get accurate demographic information by zip code, but U.S. Census information for Brevard County and the cities of Cocoa and Rockledge are below. (Figures for the county are 2014 estimates; for the cities, the numbers are 2010 actual.)
Cocoa Village is just north of the center of Brevard County, which is 72 miles long and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean barely 15 miles to its widest point. The county seat is in Titusville, about 22 miles north of Cocoa. The largest city in the county, Palm Bay, is an hour and almost 40 miles south of that courthouse. About 20 years ago a park of additional county offices, including the school board, was built in Viera, midway down the county, to better serve the modern population centers in the south county.
Brevard County includes a barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean that is home to eight separate communities and Patrick Air Force Base. On the mainland are 18 communities; some are incorporated municipalities, others not.
Most of the parishioners at St. Mark's live in Cocoa, Rockledge (the municipality just to the south) and Merritt Island (an unincorporated community to the northeast). However we also have members from Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach and Cape Canaveral, on the island, and Port St. John, Viera, north Melbourne and Titusville, on the mainland.
It is hard to get accurate demographic information by zip code, but U.S. Census information for Brevard County and the cities of Cocoa and Rockledge are below. (Figures for the county are 2014 estimates; for the cities, the numbers are 2010 actual.)
| Brevard County | Cocoa | Rockledge | |
| Population | 556,885 | 17,419 | 26,071 |
| Over 65 | 22 % | 16.8 % | 17.6 % |
| White | 75.8 % | 54.2 % | 74.5 % |
| Black | 10.7 % | 31.3 % | 14.5 % |
| Hispanic | 9.3 % | 11.3 % | 6.4 % |
| Home ownership | 73.5 % | 56.9 % | 78.6 % |
| Median home value | $144,900 | $105,200 | $143,800 |
| Median income | $48,039 | $32,163 | $56,665 |
| Poverty rate | 13.5 % | 27.1 % | 6.8 % |
The economies of most coastal counties in Florida rely on tourist and snowbird revenue and the service industries that cater to them. Brevard County, however, is the Silicon Valley of Florida: The largest employment sector is high-tech and aerospace with 39,000 employees. In addition, more than 16,000 civilians work for the 45th Space Wing based at Patrick Air Force Base. Farther down the sector list are medical services (13,000) and education (10,000).
Public Schools
Public schools in Florida are administered at the county level. Brevard Public Schools is the 47th largest school district in the country, and the 10th largest in Florida. It has about 73,000 students in 82 traditional schools, 20 special centers and 10 charter schools.
Brevard schools regularly rank well in state assessment tests, and there are several statistics of which the school board is very proud. Here are two of them:
For more information about Brevard Public Schools, go to:
http://www.edline.net/pages/Brevard_County_Schools/About_Us
Amenities
Brevard County is the Space Coast, the home of Kennedy Space Center, where rocket launches still amaze. And Cocoa is barely an hour's drive from Disney World.
Cape Canaveral is rapidly becoming a prominent port for cruise ships; five cruise line operators – including Disney – sail from there.
But the natural beauty of the area is its prime attraction, with miles of both beaches and trails for walking, biking, canoeing and kayaking. Three species of sea turtles nest on the beaches, and Cocoa Beach is the No. 1 surfing spot on the east coast of the U.S.
Dotted along the length of Brevard are ten libraries; a planetarium; art, aerospace and history museums; a zoo; soccer and Little League fields; tennis courts and golf courses; and dozens of theater, music and dance organizations.
A fun web site is: spacecoasthiddengems.com
Public Schools
Public schools in Florida are administered at the county level. Brevard Public Schools is the 47th largest school district in the country, and the 10th largest in Florida. It has about 73,000 students in 82 traditional schools, 20 special centers and 10 charter schools.
Brevard schools regularly rank well in state assessment tests, and there are several statistics of which the school board is very proud. Here are two of them:
- In 2014, Brevard Public Schools ranked 6th in the state in graduation rate – and the five districts above Brevard collectively did not have as many students.
- In 2014, Brevard Public Schools had 27 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, 12.6% of Florida recipients.
For more information about Brevard Public Schools, go to:
http://www.edline.net/pages/Brevard_County_Schools/About_Us
Amenities
Brevard County is the Space Coast, the home of Kennedy Space Center, where rocket launches still amaze. And Cocoa is barely an hour's drive from Disney World.
Cape Canaveral is rapidly becoming a prominent port for cruise ships; five cruise line operators – including Disney – sail from there.
But the natural beauty of the area is its prime attraction, with miles of both beaches and trails for walking, biking, canoeing and kayaking. Three species of sea turtles nest on the beaches, and Cocoa Beach is the No. 1 surfing spot on the east coast of the U.S.
Dotted along the length of Brevard are ten libraries; a planetarium; art, aerospace and history museums; a zoo; soccer and Little League fields; tennis courts and golf courses; and dozens of theater, music and dance organizations.
A fun web site is: spacecoasthiddengems.com