History of the City of Cape Canaveral, Florida

The history of Cape Canaveral, Florida traces back to the first permanent settlement established in 1848.  The first contemporary structure was a lighthouse, prompting a few families to move in and a small, but stable, town developed.  Over time, when the threat of attacks by native tribes started to decrease in number, settlers began to move into the area around the Indian River.

In the 1920s, a group of journalists from Orlando invested funds to purchase beach acreage that is now the area encompassing several president-themed streets in Cape Canaveral.  The group named their development Journalista in honor of their profession.  The retreat was intended to be a seasonal haven for inland residents that would one day become as popular a resort area as the fashionable Cocoa Beach a few miles to the south.  A main factor in the town‘s development as a coveted destination was the construction of wooden bridge connecting Merritt Island to the area.

Around the same time, fishermen, retirees, and descendants of the original official lighthouse keeper of the Cape Canaveral Light resided in the northern part of the present-day Cape Canaveral  city limits.  The regions was named Artesia and it occupied the area that is now Port Canaveral.

With the Great Depression came many hardships to the area, and many investors defaulted on their holdings.  A wealthy newspaper owner and his son recovered much of this land after they sold property in Orlando, and they used the remaining $4,500 to purchase much of the Avon area.  Their dream was that a port would be developed and a direct route to Orlando would eventually be constructed.

By the 1950s, the region benefited from the boon of America’s Space Program.  According to local law at the time, an adjacent city could annex an unincorporated area without requiring a vote of the residents.  Therefore, property owners were discussing the feasibility of forming a new municipality in order to avoid a possible annexation by the City of Cocoa Beach.

Property owners were asked for their position on the proposed annexation into Cocoa Beach.  With the drawbacks of Cocoa Beach’s substantial city debt and exorbitant land taxes, most residents preferred not to become part of the city to the south.  Therefore, the landowners decided that the time was right to pursue incorporation and create a city of their own.