FLORIDA'S SPACE COAST

Cape Canaveral possesses the third-oldest European name of any place in the US. Due to the surrounding currents, a number of shipwrecked sailors found themselves on its shore in the early sixteenth century, with Spaniards dubbing it “Cabo Cañaveral”. These wrecks decreased after the construction of the classic black-and-white striped Cape Canaveral Lighthouse in 1848, which still attracts visitors today. 

By the 1880’s, the cities of Melbourne, Titusville, Eau Gallie, Rockledge, and Cocoa were already in existence. However, the area didn't truly flourish until Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad reached these areas between 1886 and 1894, allowing them to begin development in earnest. While disasters such as occasional hurricanes and the Great Depression hindered progress, recovery has been slow but sure each time.

Another major event in the development of the Space Coast occurred in 1929, when the construction of the Cape’s deep-water port was approved. In 1950, the area celebrated a major milestone when the first rocket was launched from the Cape, beginning a long and prosperous relationship with the aeronautics industry.