Titusville, Florida

Titusville is a small city situated in the northern half of Brevard County in the east-central part of the US State of Florida. The city is located on the west bank of the Indian River Lagoon on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and is connected via a causeway to the John F. Kennedy Space Center located on Merritt Island. The city of Titusville has been nicknamed the “Miracle City” and “Space City USA” and serves as a popular tourist destination, with the city’s aerospace programs attracting thousands of visitors every year.

Geography Of ​Titusville

The city of Titusville covers a total area of 88.8 sq. km, of which 12.7 sq. km is occupied by water and 76.1 sq. km is occupied by land. The city is located about 55km to the east of the city of Orlando and to the south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore. As a part of Florida’s Space Coast, the city of Titusville serves as the principal city of the “Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville” Metropolitan Statistical Area. The shopping district is located at the southern end of the city, close to the meeting point of State Road 50 and State Road 405. Several places situated close to the city, including the Canaveral National Seashore, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and the rocket launching pads of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, attract many tourists every year. 

The city of Titusville is the only place in the world where the endangered mint plant, Dicerandra thinicola Miller, also referred to as “Titusville mint,” is found. The plant is grown in the fields along a narrow, 21km long strip between the Titusville wellfield and Mims. Also located close to the city of Titusville is the Windover Archaeological Site, where skeletal remains and artifacts dating to the early Archaic Period have been discovered. The site was designated as a National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987.

Climate Of ​Titusville

According to the Köppen climate classification, the city of Titusville experiences a humid subtropical climate with long, hot, humid summers and short, cool, and mild winters. The hot summer season lasts from May to September, with an average daily temperature above 29.4°C. The cool winter season lasts from December to February, with an average daily temperature below 23.3°C. The city gets an average of 1,402mm of precipitation per annum. The best time to visit the city of Titusville is from mid-March to mid-May and from mid-October to early December.  

Demography Of ​Titusville

As per the 2010 census, about 43,761 people live in the city of Titusville. The city’s population had increased from the 2000 census, which showed that the city was home to 40,670 people. About 76.3% of the city’s population is considered White. The Hispanic group accounts for 5.9% of the city’s population, African Americans at 14.5%, American Indians at 0.6%, Asians at 2.6%, Native Hawaiian at 0.1%, Two or more races at 4.8%. The census also revealed that there are about 18,719 households in the city with a median household income of $46,609.

Brief History Of ​Titusville

The Windover Archaeological Site discovered in 1982 proved that indigenous people inhabited the area for thousands of years. The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon visited the adjacent Cape Canaveral in 1513. Before the Europeans arrived in the region, the area was inhabited by the native Ais Indians. However, by 1760, due to the spread of infectious diseases, slave raids, etc., the native Ais tribes had disappeared completely. In 1821, Florida was acquired by the United States from Spain. The community was initially referred to as Sand Point, and in 1859, a post office was established here. In 1867, the area was visited by Colonel Henry Theodore Titus, who wished to establish a city on land owned by his wife close to the Sand Point post office. In 1870, Titus erected the Titus House, laid out roads, and donated land for building churches and courthouse. In 1873, after Colonel Titus won a domino game against Captain Clark Rice, the community of Sand Point was renamed Titusville.

In 1887, the city of Titusville was incorporated. During this time, the city was mainly a port served by a mule-drawn railway that carried freight from as far as the city of Sanford. In 1885, the Atlantic Coast, St. Johns & Indian River Railroad was extended to Titusville. In 1892, this railroad was connected by a spur line with the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West Railroad. The linking of railroads with the city of Titusville helped it develop, and the area soon became a shipping center for fruits like citrus and pineapple and a commercial fishing port. In the late 1950s, the establishment of space-exploration centers in Cape Canaveral and John F. Kennedy Space Center immensely helped in the growth of the city of Titusville.