Sebastian, Florida

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Sebastian, Florida
City
City of Sebastian
City hall
City hall
Template:Infobox settlement/columns
Mottoes: 
"Home Of Pelican Island"[1]
"Friendly People and Six Old Grouches"[2][3]
Location in Indian River County and the state of Florida
Location in Indian River County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°46′40″N 80°29′36″W / 27.77778°N 80.49333°W / 27.77778; -80.49333Coordinates: 27°46′40″N 80°29′36″W / 27.77778°N 80.49333°W / 27.77778; -80.49333
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountyIndian River
Settled1870s
First settlersAndrew Canova, Ed Marr, Thomas New, and David Peter Gibson
Incorporated (municipality)Dec. 6, 1924
Incorporated (city)May 18, 1925
Government
 • TypeCouncil-manager government
Area
[4]
 • TotalTemplate:Infobox settlement/areadisp
 • LandTemplate:Infobox settlement/areadisp
 • WaterTemplate:Infobox settlement/areadisp
Elevation
[5]
Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp
Population
 (2020)
 • Total25,054
 • DensityTemplate:Infobox settlement/densdisp
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
32958, 32978
Area code(s)772
FIPS code12-64825[6]
GNIS feature ID2405438[5]
WebsiteCity of Sebastian Florida

Sebastian is the most populous city in Indian River County, Florida. It is located at the confluence of the St. Sebastian River and the Indian River.[7] It is located near the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge just inland of the Atlantic Ocean.

As of the 2020 census, Sebastian had a population of 25,054.[8]

Sebastian is a principal city of the Sebastian−Vero Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Indian River County.

History

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File:Sebastian historical marker 01.jpg
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.[9] 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. A significant portion of the treasure was discovered by Mel Fisher, who established a permanent museum in Sebastian in 1992.[10][11]

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[9] and named St. Sebastian, after Saint Sebastian.[12] 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.[13]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total land area of 13.66 square miles (35.4 km2).[14]

Climate

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Template:Weather box

Demographics

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Template:US Census population

Racial and ethnic composition

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Sebastian racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race Pop 2010[15] Pop 2020[16] % 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

2020 census

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As of the 2020 census, Sebastian had a population of 25,054. The median age was 57.1 years. 14.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 34.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.4 males age 18 and over.[17][18]

99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.[19]

There were 11,179 households in Sebastian, of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.0% were married-couple households, 15.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[17]

There were 12,192 housing units, of which 8.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.[17]

Racial composition as of the 2020 census[18]
Race Number Percent
White 20,932 83.5%
Black or African American 1,182 4.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 53 0.2%
Asian 341 1.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 6 0.0%
Some other race 570 2.3%
Two or more races 1,970 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 2,229 8.9%

According to the Census Bureau's QuickFacts, the average household size was 2.39. Females comprised 51.6% of the population and males 48.4%. The median household income was $54,986 and the per capita income was $32,400, with 10.6% of residents below the poverty line.[20]

2010 census

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As of the 2010 United States census, there were 21,929 people, 9,114 households, and 6,319 families residing in the city.[21]

Government

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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

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Fire Rescue

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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.[22][23]

Police Department

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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.[24][25]

Education

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The School District of Indian River County operates public schools.

There are three elementary schools (Sebastian Elementary,[26] Pelican Island Elementary[27] and Treasure Coast Elementary,[28]) two middle schools (Sebastian River Middle School[29] 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

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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.[30]

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  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. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Template:GNIS
  6. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  8. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Sebastian, Florida - City Information, Fast Facts, Schools, Colleges, and More".
  10. ↑ "Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum". Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Mel Fisher's Treasures - Historic Shipwreck Recovery - Sebastain, Florida". www.melfisher.com. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Profile for Sebastian, Florida, FL". ePodunk. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  13. ↑ "History - Pelican Island - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  14. ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Sebastian city, Florida; United States". www.census.gov. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  15. ↑ "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.
  16. ↑ "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.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  19. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  20. ↑ "United States Census". Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  21. ↑ "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Sebastian city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
  22. ↑ "Fire Rescue Division". Indian River County. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Indian River County Emergency Services Org Chart" (PDF). Indian River County. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Police Scorecard: Sebastian, FL". Police Scorecard: Sebastian, FL.
  25. ↑ "Sebastian Annual Budget".
  26. ↑ "Sebastian Elementary School". Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Pelican Island Elementary School". Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Treasure Coast Elementary School". Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Sebastian River Middle School". Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Goline Transportation". Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Bryan Augenstein". MLB.com. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  32. ↑ Cohen, Howard (July 24, 2025). "'He shaped the futures of millions of students.' G. Holmes Braddock dies at 100". Miami Herald. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
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Template:Indian River County, Florida

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