Editing Cocoa, Florida (section)

==History==
===Etymology===
Several stories circulate among Cocoa old timers as to how the town got its name. One story says that the mail used to come by river boat and was placed in an empty tin box labeled Baker's Cocoa. The box was nailed to a piling in the river next to downtown. Additionally, an early hotel in the area, located on the Indian River Lagoon, was named Cocoa House.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/cocoa-florida.html |title=Cocoa Florida from the Civil War to the Space Age |access-date=2016-02-01 |author=Mike Miller |year=2016 |work= Florida Backroads Travel }}</ref> Another story speaks of an elderly African-American woman who lived on the banks of the Indian River. She would supply hot cocoa to sailors traversing the Indian River. The sailors approaching her house were said to yell out "Cocoa!, Cocoa!", alerting the woman that they were present and wanted the beverage.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cocoafl.org/908/History-Culture | title=History & Culture &#124; Cocoa, FL - Official Website }}</ref>

===19th century===
In 1885, the S. F. Travis Hardware store opened. As of 2023, the business remains open.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://travishardware.com/ |title=S.F. Travis Hardware - home page |date=2023-01-22 |work= The S.F. Travis Company }}</ref> Cocoa's business district was mostly destroyed by fire in 1890, but significant development soon was stimulated by the extension of the Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Indian River Railway to Cocoa.<ref>{{cite web|title=History & Culture {{!}} Cocoa, FL - Official Website|url=https://www.cocoafl.org/908/History-Culture|access-date=2021-04-28|website=www.cocoafl.org}}</ref>

The city was chartered on October 1, 1895.<ref name="cocoa-2017">{{cite web |url=https://www.choosecocoa.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/65 |title=2017 Annual Economic Development Update |work=Cocoa Economic Development |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813192744/https://www.choosecocoa.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/65 |archive-date=August 13, 2019 |date=2018 |access-date=August 13, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the winter of 1894–1895, Cocoa had an economic setback when the "[[Great Freeze]]" destroyed the [[citrus]] crop and forced many citrus workers to seek new jobs. By 1903, the population of Cocoa had declined to 382.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.cocoafl.org/index.aspx?NID=132 |title=History |date=2010-01-17 |work=cocoafl.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102112151/http://cocoafl.org/index.aspx?NID=132 |archive-date=November 2, 2010 }}</ref>

===Early 20th Century===
In the 1910s, population growth in Cocoa accelerated. The state business directory of 1911–1912 stated the population was 550.<ref name=":0" />
In October 1918, the mayor of Cocoa proclaimed that all places of assembly, including schools, churches, and movies, be closed to avoid spreading the [[Spanish flu]].<ref>{{Cite news | first=Rick | last=Neale | title=Flu | url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/08/13/1918-spanish-flu-shuttered-schools-killed-young-and-old-alike-across-brevard-county/3191226001/| newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida| pages= 12A | date=August 15, 2020 | access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref>
By 1925, its population was estimated at 1,800. By 1930, despite the [[Great Depression]], the population had risen to 2,200.<ref name=":0" />

===World War II and beyond===
The population rose dramatically following the development of the space industry, quadrupling from 3,098 in 1940 to 12,244 in 1960. Cocoa and the surrounding area also became integrated with the tourist industry for the first time, as thousands visited the area to witness the launches from [[Cape Canaveral]]. By 1980, the city's population had grown to 16,096.<ref>[http://www.cocoafl.org/index.aspx?nid=131 History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021185103/http://cocoafl.org/index.aspx?NID=131 |date=2010-10-21 }} Cocoa, Fla. Official Website. Accessed on 2009-06-24.</ref>

Education was [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] until the 1960s, when Monroe High School and elementary schools for black students were closed.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Rebecca | last=Basu | title=Cocoa's class of 1950 shares life stories at reunion | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100314/LIFE/3140303/Cocoa-s-class-of-1950-shares-life-stories-at-reunion | publisher=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida | pages=1D | date=14 March 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703220748/http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100314/LIFE/3140303/Cocoa-s-class-of-1950-shares-life-stories-at-reunion | archive-date=3 July 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1964, the [[Cocoa Expo Sports Center]] (Cocoa Stadium) was built for the Colt 45s spring baseball training and [[Grapefruit League]] games. The team later became the [[Houston Astros]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.springtrainingonline.com/teams/houston-astros.htm|title=Houston Astros Spring Training|work=Spring Training Online|access-date=3 February 2015}}</ref> In the early 1980s, the city attempted to upgrade the stadium by asking the Astros to pay for needed repairs. In 1985, the team responded by moving its training to [[Osceola County Stadium]] in [[Kissimmee, Florida|Kissimmee]]. As a result, future negotiations with major league teams would be done by the county government.

Clearlake Middle School was closed in 2013. Students were moved to [[Cocoa High School]], which was converted to a junior and senior high school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spacecoastdaily.com/2013/02/school-board-votes-to-shutter-three-schools/|title=School Board Votes To Shutter Three Schools|date=February 13, 2013 |access-date=3 February 2015}}</ref>