Sebastian is the most populous city in

Indian River County, Florida Indian River County () is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern and east-central portions of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 159,788. Its county seat, seat i ...

. 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 Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Florida’s Atlantic Coast. It is also known as the Sunrise City. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

. 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 Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and part of the Everglades Headwaters NWR complex, located just off the western coast of Orchid Island, Florida in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebast ...

, Sebastian Inlet State Park, and St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park. In 2020, the population recorded by the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

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 (known as the

1715 Treasure Fleet The 1715 Treasure Fleet was actually a combination of two Spanish treasure fleets returning from the New World to Spain, the "Nueva España Fleet", under Captain-General Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla, and the "Tierra Firme Fleet", under Don Antonio ...

) 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 Mel Fisher (August 21, 1922 – December 19, 1998) was an American treasure hunter who spent decades treasure hunting in the Florida Keys and is best known for finding the 1622 wreck of the ''Nuestra Señora de Atocha'' in the 1970s. Early lif ...

, 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 Sebastian (; ) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this d ...

. 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 The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) is a system of protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency within the United States Department of the Interior, Department of the Interi ...

in the United States in 1903.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total land area of .

Climate

Demographics

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 The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

for the city was $54,986 in 2020, and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $32,400. About 10.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. 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 (Sebastian Elementary, Pelican Island Elementary and Treasure Coast Elementary,) two middle schools (Sebastian River Middle School 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

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

* Bryan Augenstein,

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

in 2009 and 2011; born in Sebastian *

Jim Gary Jim Gary (March 17, 1939 – January 14, 2006) was an American sculptor popularly known for his large, colorful creations of dinosaurs made from discarded automobile parts. These sculptures were typically finished with automobile paint although s ...

, American sculptor, was born in Sebastian *

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk music, folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing protest song, songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his fa ...

, American folk singer-songwriter * Paul Kroegel, American conservationist

References

External links

City of Sebastian Florida
Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Sebastian
ePodunk
*
Sebastian Daily
' {{Authority control 1924 establishments in Florida Cities in Brevard County, Florida Cities in Florida Cities in Indian River County, Florida Populated places established in 1924 Populated places on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida