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. It is the largest city in Indian River County and the biggest population center between Palm Bay and Fort Pierce. The city's economy is heavily reliant on tourism. It is located near many natural and scenic areas such as Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Sebastian Inlet State Park, and St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park.
In 2020, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 25,054.
Sebastian is a principal city of the Sebastian−Vero Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Indian River County.

History

In 1715, several Spanish ships loaded with treasure encountered a storm off the shores of the Treasure Coast and were lost. 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.
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 and named St. Sebastian, after Saint Sebastian. 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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total land area of.

Climate


Demographics

RacePop 2010Pop 2020% 2010% 2020
White 18,69520,37685.25%81.33%
Black or African American 1,1201,1435.11%4.56%
Native American or Alaska Native 42390.19%0.16%
Asian 2523371.15%1.35%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian 550.02%0.02%
Some other race 30710.14%0.28%
Two or more races/Multiracial 2608541.19%3.41%
Hispanic or Latino 1,5252,2296.95%8.90%
Total21,92925,054

As of the 2020 [United States census], there were 25,054 people, 10,684 households, and 6,691 families residing in the city.
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.
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.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 21,929 people, 9,114 households, and 6,319 families residing in the city.

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.

    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.

Education

The School District of Indian River County operates public schools.
There are three elementary schools two middle schools and one 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.

Notable people