Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of

Indian River County, Florida Indian River County ( es, Condado de Río Indio, link=) is a county located in the Treasure Coast region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 159,788. Its seat is Vero Beach. It is Florida's 7th richest count ...

, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's

Treasure Coast The Treasure Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is located on Florida's East Coast, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and comprising Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. The region, whose name refers to the Spanish Treasure ...

. It is thirty-four miles south of

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of the ...

's 2010 data, the city had a population of 15,220.

History

Pre-Columbian

Parts of a human skeleton were found north of Vero in association with the remains of

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

animals in 1915. The find was controversial, and the view that the human remains dated from much later than the Pleistocene prevailed for many years. In 2006, an image of a mastodon or mammoth carved on a bone was found in vicinity of the Vero man discovery. A scientific forensic examination of the bone found the carving had probably been done in the Pleistocene. Archaeologists from

Mercyhurst University (Seize the day) , former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012) , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy) , endowment = $31.8 million , faculty = 136 full-time , administrat ...

, in conjunction with the Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee (OVIASC), conducted excavations at the Old Vero Man site in Vero Beach in 2014–2015. Starting in 2016, archaeologists from

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-ca ...

joined the Old Vero Man site excavations.

Post-Columbian

In 1715, a

Spanish treasure fleet The Spanish treasure fleet, or West Indies Fleet ( es, Flota de Indias, also called silver fleet or plate fleet; from the es, label=Spanish, plata meaning "silver"), was a convoy system of sea routes organized by the Spanish Empire from 1566 to ...

wrecked off the coast of Vero. Eleven out of twelve Spanish ships carrying tonnes of silver foundered in a hurricane. The remains of the silver attracted pirates. A group of 300 unemployed English

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s led by

Henry Jennings Henry Jennings (died possibly 1745) was an 18th-century English privateer from the colony of Bermuda, who served primarily during the War of the Spanish Succession and later served as leader of the pirate haven or " republic" of New Providence ...

stole about £87,500 in gold and silver in their first acts of

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

. The coins still wash to the shore to this day. In 1872 Captain Allen W. Estes officially established the first land patent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon, after settling in the area in 1870. In 1893 Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway began operation through the area. The town of Vero was chartered on June 13, 1919. Vero was officially renamed "Vero Beach" and was switched from being part of St. Lucie County to become the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Indian River County Indian River County ( es, Condado de Río Indio, link=) is a county located in the Treasure Coast region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 159,788. Its seat is Vero Beach. It is Florida's 7th richest county ...

when it was formed in June, 1925. There are many theories on possible origin of the city name, but there's no consensus. Early residential construction in the area often utilized

Florida cracker architecture Florida cracker architecture is a style of vernacular architecture typified by a wood-frame house. It was widespread in the 19th century and is still popular with some developers as a source of design themes. Florida cracker refers to colonial-e ...

style. During the war year of 1942 the U.S. Navy selected surrounding the Vero Beach Municipal Airport as the site of Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base, a Naval Air Station. Due to the bombing practices conducted during the WWII, there are many buried explosives and the Army Corps officials have conducted ongoing search & clearing exercises for the potentially dangerous items since 2014. In 1951 Barber Bridge was built from mainland to barrier islands. It was later demolished and replaced in 1995 with the Merrill P. Barber Bridge. It is named after Merrill P. Barber who was the mayor of Vero beach in 1947. In 1957 Piper Aircraft began research and development in Vero Beach. In 1961 Piper Aircraft moved administrative and manufacturing operations to Vero after completing building additions. In 1965 the A1A bridge over the

Sebastian Inlet Sebastian Inlet, located in Sebastian Inlet State Park in Brevard County, Florida and Indian River County, Florida, offers surfing and fishing opportunities. It is off State Road A1A just 12 miles north of Vero Beach. There are annual surf tour ...

connected the two barrier islands. In 1979, the

17th Street Bridge The 17th Street Bridge (officially named the Alma Lee Loy Bridge in 2012) is a fixed concrete bridge that spans the Indian River intracoastal waterway in Indian River County, Florida Indian River County ( es, Condado de Río Indio, link=) is ...

was completed, allowing a second point of access from Vero Beach mainland to the barrier islands.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 15,220 people, 7,505 households, and 3,946 families residing in the city. There were 10,258 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 87.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 4.8%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

, 0.30% Native American, 1.8%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.00%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 3.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 10.7% of the population. There were 7,505 households, out of which 16.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.4% were non-families. 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, with 4.8% being 85 years and older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.65. In the city the population was spread out, with 14.1% under the age of 16, 84.1% over 18, 4.3% from 15 to 19, 4.9% from 20 to 24, 5.5% from 20 to 25 and 29.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. The population consists of 51.3% female and 48.7% male.

Geography

Climate

Vero Beach has a humid subtropical climate, with hot and humid summers and warm, drier winters.

Economy

Industry

Vero Beach is home to general aviation manufacturer Piper Aircraft, which is the largest private employer in Indian River County. As of July 2015, Piper employed approximately 750 people. Aside from Piper, the bulk of commercial activity in Vero Beach centers around tourism, the citrus industry and service activities.

Retail

There are two shopping malls: the Indian River Mall, and the Vero Beach Outlets just west of I-95 on State Road 60. There are small specialty shops along Ocean Drive on the barrier island. There are also a set of shops directly inland in what is called "Miracle Mile." The Historic Downtown is a newly revitalized area of shopping, dining, antique stores, and art galleries.

Tourism

Points of interest

=Beaches

= The beaches in Vero Beach are part of Florida's

. Vero's three main public beaches are South Beach, accessible at the eastern end of Florida State Road 656 at the eastern end of 17th Street; Humiston Park, in Vero's Central Beach Business District on Ocean Drive and Jaycee Park which is adjacent to Conn Beach. There are of oceanfront shore in Indian River County. Vero Beach also has other free public access trails and walkways with beach access, such as Riomar Beach, Sea Cove, Sea Grape Trail, Sexton Plaza, and Turtle Trail.

=Water recreation in the Indian River Lagoon

= The Indian River Lagoon, passing through Vero Beach, forms a significant portion of the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following t ...

, and is a hub for boating, fishing, water skiing, diving, kayaking and other small-craft waterborne activities.

= Resorts

= Disney's Vero Beach Resort is officially located in Wabasso, a small town north of Vero Beach. , the city hosts 14 private golf clubs.

= Historic Dodgertown

= Vero Beach is home to Historic Dodgertown, which initially started operations during World War II as a U.S. Naval Air Station, and later served as the Spring Training facility of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

baseball team, until 2008. After the team's departure for a new Spring home in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in 2008, it has served as a year-round multi-purpose facility for athletes of all ages. As of January 2, 2019,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

has assumed control of the historic facilities with plans to expand the complex and rename it The Jackie Robinson Training Complex. This is to honor both the late Jackie Robinson and the site's history as the first racially integrated spring-training center in the American South. spring training

=National Register of Historic Places

* Driftwood Inn * Hallstrom House * Old Indian River County Courthouse * Judge Henry F. Gregory House *

Maher Building The Maher Building is a historic building in Vero Beach, Florida. Originally located at 1423 Osceola Boulevard, now 20th Street, the Maher Building housed the Maher department store owned by William J. and Catherine Maher. The store retained a re ...

McKee Jungle Gardens The McKee Botanical Garden (area of 18 acres (7.3 hectares)) is a non-profit, subtropical botanical garden in Vero Beach, Florida. It is located at 350 U.S. Highway 1, Vero Beach, Florida. History It was founded in 1929, when Waldo E. Sexton and ...

* Old Palmetto Hotel * Pueblo Arcade * Royal Park Arcade * Theodore Hausmann Estate * Old Vero Beach Community Building * Vero Beach Diesel Power Plant * Vero Beach Woman's Club *

Vero Railroad Station Vero station, also known as Vero Beach station, is a historic Florida East Coast Railway train station in Vero Beach, Florida. It is located at 2336 Fourteenth Avenue. History Prior to the station, the railroad stop was known as mile marker 350. ...

* Vero Theatre

Infrastructure

Transportation

Air

Vero Beach Regional Airport Vero Beach Regional Airport is a public airport one mile northwest of Vero Beach in Indian River County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned and is the home of Piper Aircraft. History 1929–1941 In 1929, Bud Holman, whose so ...

is a public airport one mile northwest of Vero Beach, offering commercial jet service by

Elite Airways Elite Airways is an airline based in the United States operating charter and scheduled passenger flights. The airline adjusts destinations as demand increases or decreases. The airline is headquartered in Portland, Maine. History Elite Airways ...

. It will begin flying Breeze Airways on February 2, 2023.

Bus

Vero Beach is served by GoLine Bus routes.

Rail

The Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) mainline bisects Vero Beach, with an active

team track A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighte ...

in town serving two off-line lumber/building products customers, who receive boxcars, flatcars and gondolas, . The

served the transportation needs of the community and its surrounding agricultural area for almost 65 years from 1903 to 1968.Vero Beach Railroad Station
/ref> It now serves as a county historical exhibit center.

Education

Public schools

The

Indian River County School District School District of Indian River County (SDIRC), also known as Indian River County School District, is a public school district that covers Indian River County, Florida. The district headquarters are in Vero Beach. Superintendent The current supe ...

operates the following public schools serving Vero Beach: *

Vero Beach High School Vero Beach High School (VBHS) is a 9–12 public high school in Vero Beach, Florida, United States that was established in 1925. The school is operated by the Indian River County School District. The campus of VBHS encompasses approximately , w ...

* Gifford Middle School * Oslo Middle School * Storm Grove Middle School * Beachland Elementary School * Citrus Elementary School * Dodgertown Elementary School * Glendale Elementary School * Indian River Academy (elementary school) * Liberty Magnet School (elementary) * Osceola Magnet School (elementary) * Rosewood Magnet School (elementary) * Vero Beach Elementary School * Alternative Center for Education

Charter schools

Indian River Charter High School Indian River Charter High School (IRCHS) is a co-educational public charter high school in Vero Beach, Florida. The school operates under charter from the Indian River County School District. Location The school is located near the Mueller Cam ...

* Imagine South Vero * North County Charter Elementary * St. Peter's Academy

Private schools

Saint Edward's School Saint Edward's School is a coeducational independent college-preparatory school in Vero Beach, Florida, United States. It enrolls children grades pre-K through 12. History The school opened on September 22, 1965, to 31 students in grades five ...

. Independent College Preparatory in Episcopal School Tradition; grades pre-K–12 * St. Helen Catholic School *Anderson Academy. grades 8–12 * Masters Academy. grades pre-K–12 *Tabernacle Christian School. grades K-8 * SunCoast School. grades pre-K–8

Colleges

Indian River State College Indian River State College (IRSC) is a public college with a main campus in Fort Pierce, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and serves the counties of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie on the Treasure Coast region ...

– Mueller Campus * Treasure Coast Technical College

Notable people

* Fred Barnes, journalist, editor of

The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "re ...

and

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

contributor *

Lake Bell Lake Siegel Bell (born March 24, 1979) is an American actress, screenwriter and director. She has starred in various television series, including ''Boston Legal'' (2004–2006), '' Surface'' (2005–2006), ''How to Make It in America'' (2010–2 ...

, actress, attended school in Vero Beach and her film '' I Do... Until I Don't'' is set there *

Jade Cargill Jade Cargill (born June 3, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is the inaugural and current AEW TBS Champion. Her ongoing reign is the longest reign of any AEW championship at + day ...

, professional wrestler signed to

AEW AEW or aew may refer to: * Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft * Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW) * AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company ...

and fitness model *

Alex Cobb Alexander Miller Cobb (born October 7, 1987), nicknamed Swan, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth round of the 2006 MLB draf ...

, pitcher for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

, attended

* Gloria Estefan, singer, has a house and owns a hotel in Vero Beach *

Tom Fadden Tom Fadden (January 6, 1895 – April 14, 1980) was an American actor. He performed on the legitimate stage, vaudeville, in films and on television during his long career. Early life Fadden was born in Bayard, Iowa, on January 6, 1895; his fath ...

, actor *

Prince Fielder Prince Semien Fielder (born May 9, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. He was selected in ...

, professional baseball player *

Mardy Fish Mardy Simpson Fish (born December 9, 1981) is an American former professional tennis player. He was a hardcourt specialist. He is one of several American tennis players who rose to prominence in the early 2000s.Fish won six tournaments on the mai ...

, former professional tennis player and Olympic Silver medalist *

Calvin Souther Fuller Calvin Souther Fuller (May 25, 1902 – October 28, 1994) was an American physical chemist at AT&T Bell Laboratories where he worked for 37 years from 1930 to 1967. Fuller was part of a team in basic research that found answers to physical cha ...

, inventor of the solar cell, died 1994 * Horace Gifford, architect *

David Alan Gore David Alan Gore (August 21, 1953 – April 12, 2012) was an American serial killer who confessed to, and was convicted of, six murders in Vero Beach and Indian River County, Florida in the 1980s. Gore was executed by lethal injection in 2012, ...

, serial killer *

Carl Hiaasen Carl Hiaasen (; born March 12, 1953) is an American journalist and novelist. He began his career as a newspaper reporter and by the late 1970s had begun writing novels in his spare time, both for adults and for young-adult readers. Two of his no ...

, journalist, novelist, and author *

Sandy Koufax Sanford Koufax (; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. He has been hailed as one of t ...

, former professional baseball player *

Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl (; born March 7, 1960) is a Czech–American former professional tennis player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Lendl was ranked world No. 1 in singles for 270 weeks and won 94 singles titles. ...

, former professional tennis player *

Richard Littlejohn Richard Littlejohn (born 18 January 1954) is an English author, broadcaster and journalist. He writes a twice-weekly column for the ''Daily Mail'' about British affairs as observed from reading the news at home in Florida. Littlejohn has been a ...

, columnist for the Daily Mail, lives in Vero Beach * Debbie Mayfield, Florida state senator *

F. James McDonald Francis James McDonald (August 3, 1922 – June 13, 2010) was an American engineer and business executive who worked his way up through the ranks at General Motors, ultimately serving as its president and chief operating officer from 1981 to ...

, former president and chief operating officer of General Motors *

Alison Mosshart Alison Nicole Mosshart (born November 23, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, artist, and the lead vocalist for the rock bands The Kills and The Dead Weather. She started her musical career in 1995 with the Florida punk rock band Dis ...

, lead singer of

The Kills The Kills are an English-American rock duo formed by American singer Alison "VV" Mosshart and English guitarist Jamie "Hotel" Hince. They are signed to Domino Records. Their first four albums, '' Keep On Your Mean Side'', '' No Wow'', ''Mid ...

and

The Dead Weather The Dead Weather is an American rock supergroup, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. Composed of Alison Mosshart (of The Kills and Discount), Jack White (of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs), Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Ag ...

Jake Owen Joshua Ryan Owen (born August 28, 1981), known professionally as Jake Owen, is an American country music singer, songwriter, and actor. Signed to RCA Nashville in 2006, he released his debut studio album, '' Startin' with Me'', that year. Thi ...

, country music singer-songwriter, graduate of Vero Beach High School, 1999 *

Peter George Peterson Peter George Peterson (June 5, 1926 – March 20, 2018) was an American investment banker who served as United States Secretary of Commerce from February 29, 1972, to February 1, 1973, under the Richard Nixon administration. Before serving as Sec ...

, co-founder,

Blackstone Group Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. Blackstone's private equity business has been one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts in the last three decades, while its real estate bu ...

* Albert Reed, model, 2007 ''Dancing with the Stars'' competitor, actor, graduate of Vero Beach High School, 2003 Vero Beach Press Journal (August 13, 2005) ''Good for you.'' Section: Today on the Treasure Coast; Page E8. * Priscilla Renea, singer-songwriter signed to Capitol Records, debut album entitled "

Jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to sele ...

" released in 2009 * Norman Sas, inventor of Electric football * Waldo E. Sexton, early settler and pioneer *

Parvati Shallow Parvati Shallow ( ; born September 21, 1982) is an American television personality and was the $1 million winner of the reality television series '' Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites''. She had previously competed in '' Survivor: Cook I ...

, winner of '' Survivor: Micronesia'', runner-up in '' Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains'' * Eric Smith, former professional football player for the Chicago Bears of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

Bryan Stork Bryan Stork (born November 15, 1990) is a former American football center. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. In the span of 13 months, Stork was ...

, professional football player for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

of the NFL *

Roscoe Tanner Leonard Roscoe Tanner (born October 15, 1951) is a retired American tennis player, who turned professional in 1972 and reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 on July 30, 1979. Tanner was famous for his big left-handed serve, which ...

, former professional tennis player * Rick Wiles, Christian Broadcaster and antisemitic conspiracy theorist

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vero Beach, Florida Cities in Florida Cities in Indian River County, Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean County seats in Florida Helen Blazes 1919 establishments in Florida