Indian River County

Indian River County was established in 1925 from a portion of St. Lucie County and named for the Indian River.


In 1993 approximately 65% of the population of Indian River County was in unincorporated areas. Much of the population is concentrated along the Indian River. The incorporated place with the greatest population is Vero Beach (17,404 in 1993), followed by Sebastian, with a 1993 population of 12,154. Unincorporated places that grew rapidly during the 1980s include Florida Ridge, South Beach, and Vero Beach South. In 1993, 91% of Indian River County's population was white and 9% was nonwhite. In 1990, 3.0% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 98.4% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 10.7 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 11.5 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 9.8 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.


Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 65.4% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 4.8%. In 1990, 76.5% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 19.1% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Indian River Community College (St. Lucie County).


Economy

The per capita income in Indian River County for 1993 was $27,291 (4th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $28,961. In 1989, 5.9% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 16.1% of personal income in the county was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Indian River County were employed in the services, retail trade, and agricultural sectors. The major employers in the services sector were medical and other health services and hotels and motels, and the major employers in the retail trade sector were eating and drinking establishments and food stores. In 1992 there were 447 farms in Indian River County, totalling 174,673 acres (55% of land in the county). Indian River County is the state's leading producer of grapefruit and a major producer of oranges. In 1991, 1,551,660 pounds of fish and 46,356 pounds of shellfish were landed in Indian River County.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $78,800
Median monthly rent 1990: $422
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 14.4
Housing starts 1992: 905
Housing starts 1993: 933
In 1992 the price level index for Indian River County was 98.40 (14th highest in the state).


Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 4.2462, and the total taxable value of property was $5,406,245,871. Taxable sales totalled $748.00 million in 1992 and $787.90 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $13,226 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Indian River County's revenues totalled $114,231 thousand ($1,235.9 per capita) and its expenditures $122,054 thousand ($1,320.5 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 70.9% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 33.9% were registered Democrat and 58.7% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 43.5% of the votes were cast for Bush, 28.1% for Clinton, and 28.1% for Perot.


Places of Interest

Spanish Fleet Survivors and Salvors Camp Site, vicinity of Sebastion; Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.