More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #315 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Cocoa West was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cocoa West is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #315 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cocoa West’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Cocoa West’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Cocoa West’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Cocoa Point Park Mobile Home ParkEagle One Mobile Home ParkFontana Cove Mobile Home ParkKing Street Mobile Home CommunityPoinsett Mobile Home ParkTropical Court Mobile Home ParkTwin Oaks Park Mobile Home Park
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Cocoa West, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Cocoa West yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Cocoa West is a census-designated place (CDP) in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,939 at the 2020 census, up from 5,925 at the 2010 census. It is the closest place to Lake Poinsett and Canaveral Groves. Cocoa West is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 5,925 in 2010, 5,939 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Cocoa West is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #315 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Cocoa West?
2% of Cocoa West’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1974.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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