Satellite Beach was first counted by the census in 1960
More historic than 2% of U.S. towns · #608 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Satellite Beach was built recently: 0.2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Satellite Beach is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #608 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Satellite Beach’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 Satellite Beach’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.3 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Satellite Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Satellite Beach became incorporated in 1957 by Percy L. Hedgecock and his brothers, B. D. (Shine) and Herbert (Hub) Hedgecock, along with cousins Jimmy Caudle and Dumont Smith. Hedgecock also served as the town's first mayor from 1957 until 1973.
In 2010, the city began planning for a rise in sea level resulting from climate change.
As of 2011, volunteers have provided more than 10,000 hours each year to youth and public service programs.
In 2011, the city became one of the first areas in the United States to install solar panels on municipal buildings.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Satellite Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1949Tropic sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Satellite Beach.
People over time
Satellite Beach, census by census
Grew from 825 people in 1960 to 11,226 in 2020, more than tenfold.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Satellite Beach’s Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Satellite Beach post office opened in 1960, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Satellite Beach rank for history?
Satellite Beach is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #608 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 Satellite Beach?
0.2% of Satellite Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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