Sharpes is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Brevard County Brevard County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. It is on the Atlantic coast of eastern Central Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county se ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. The population was 3,115 at the 2020 United States census, down from 3,411 at the 2010 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay–

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

–

Titusville, Florida Titusville is a city in and the county seat of Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 48,789, up from 43,761 at the 2010 census. Titusville is located along the ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

] Sharpes may have been named after William H. Sharpe, part of the board of trustees formed to construct the City Point Community Church in Cocoa, FL in early 1885.

Henry Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...

extended his

Florida East Coast Railroad The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a p ...

south from

Daytona Daytona may refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach, Florida * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Daytona, the region around Daytona Beach Motor racing * Dayto ...

, building a station at Titusville in 1892.

Geography

Sharpes is located at (28.441281, -80.761019). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 52.46%, is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,415 people, 1,478 households, and 947 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,680 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.92%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.54%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.88% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.70% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.34% of the population. There were 1,478 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.77. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,692, and the median income for a family was $33,825. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $19,231 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $16,039. About 12.6% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Florida Power and Light (FPL) "Cape Canaveral" plant is located here. In 2010, FPL razed its two 45-year-old landmark towers, each , each weighing . The destruction of the 1960s-era plant paved the way fo
U.S.-produced natural gas-fired plants
In 2011, construction was started on $1.1 billion gas-fired plants. Up to 600 workers were employed for the construction. The Brevard County Jail Complex is located in Sharpes. It is owned and maintained by the Board of County Commissioners and operated by the

Sheriff's Office. The jail is accredited through the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission. The main jail opened in 1986 with beds for 386 inmates. Currently the Jail Complex routinely houses over 1,800 inmates daily with 1,321 permanent inmate beds. There has been a jail as long as there has been a sheriff and a county court. The jail was formerly located in Titusville, Florida, in the Courthouse complex. In 2013, the jail re-introduced

chain gang A chain gang or road gang is a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form of punishment. Such punishment might include repairing buildings, building roads, or clearing land. The system was nota ...

s as a deterrent on crime in a pilot project. Ex-convict Larry Lawton was critical of this, saying a better use of law enforcement resources would be to combat

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

because he says it is a "contributing factor" to criminal activity. The Brevard Correctional Institution is located west of the county jail. Despite its name, it is operated by the state. It was built in 1977. It houses up to 1,000 inmates. It employs 238 people. In 2010, it cost $30.8 million to operate. In 2011, it needed $6.2 million to repair. The state decided to close it in March 2011.

References

External links

Brevard County Sheriff's Office

Flagler Museum: Florida East Coast Railway
{{authority control Census-designated places in Brevard County, Florida Census-designated places in Florida Populated places on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida