Cocoa, FloridaHOW TO FIND COCOA, FLORIDA
Cocoa Florida is about one hour east of Orlando on SR-528, also known as the Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway. No Florida towns along the way; a straight shot. We oldtimers knew it as the Beeline Expressway until the PR people got involved. They wanted the Orlando tourists to know where the beach was. If you are on I-95, take Exit 202 and follow SR-520 east into downtown Cocoa. Cocoa is in the heart of Brevard County and the Space Coast. View Larger Map
HISTORY OF COCOA, FLORIDA Cocoa was founded by early settlers, mostly fishermen, before the Civil War. The area was first called Indian River City, but the U.S. Postal Department said the name was too long. Several stories still circulate among Cocoa old timers as to how the town got its name. The version I prefer is the one that said the mail used to come by river boat and was placed in an empty tin box labeled Baker's Cocoa.
The town was a typical little Florida fishing village until the U.S. government started buying up all the land across the Indian River on North Merritt Island. This was in Sputnik Cold War era of the 1950's, and they would create a huge missile base. Cocoa's population would soon boom. Kennedy Space Center changed the nature of Cocoa and Brevard County forever. The County grew from 23,653 people in 1950 to 230,006 by 1970. No other place in the United States had ever grown that fast. It may still be a record. Today, in 2009, Brevard County has about 530,000 people. 
The huge population explosion resulted in a lot of problems. Schools were overcrowded, roads and bridges were congested, and there was a huge housing shortage.The federal government didn't do much to help; it was left to the County and State to solve to problems, along with private developers. Those problems have been largely solved since the bad old days. It is a fun place to visit and a great place to live. I lived in Brevard County for many years, and have seen much of its transformation. One of the nicest changes has been the rebirth of Cocoa Village. This is the name of downtown Cocoa, and it began to redevelop in the early 1970's. What was then a drab little downtown was converted into a beautiful pedestrian oriented village of shops and restaurants.
Cocoa is within an easy half hour drive of all major areas of interest in Brevard County. Cocoa Beach is to the east, Rockledge, Melbourne and Palm Bay to the south, and Titusville to the north. Kennedy Space Center is a short drive to the north. The drive along the west side of the Indian River from Williams Point through Cocoa Village and down to Bonaventure is one of the most beautiful stretches of Florida you will ever see. I have written a bit more about this part of Florida in one of my blogs,
Cocoa, Florida And The Space Coast.
The category of motels in Cocoa may also include hotels, bed and breakfast inns, or other forms of lodging including Florida state parks or private campgrounds. There are many places to stay in Cocoa, Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island. I'll just focus on a couple that I know something about.
COCOA, FLORIDA RESTAURANTS
COCOA, FLORIDA ATTRACTIONS
OTHER THINGS TO DO AND PLACES TO SEE NEAR COCOA Central East Florida Art Festivals Central East Florida Day Trips Central East Florida Heritage Sites Central East Florida Tourist Attractions An interesting photographic history of Cocoa, Florida is available by clicking the image below.
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In any event, the good citizens got the U.S. Postal Department to accept the name, and the rest is history. It has been called Cocoa since 1884.
The reborn downtown area attracted several large condominium projects on the river, and the town has become alive and vibrant.
