Walters, Lori C.

This thesis discusses the effects of the United States space program at Cape Canaveral on the City of Cocoa Beach, Florida from 1950 to 1973. Prior to 1950, Cocoa Beach was a typical small coastal community. However, with the establishment of missile launching facilities at nearby Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach rode atop a great wave of growth and prosperity for two decades. National space efforts pumped millions of dollars into the Cape Canaveral area. As a result, the City of Cocoa Beach and other Brevard communities became inextricably dependent on Federal dollars. Massive cutbacks in space appropriations, beginning in 1968, forced the City of Cocoa Beach to diversify. After a brief period of economic hardship, Cocoa Beach evolved into a tourist and retirement mecca.