The county has several incorporated cities and towns, primarily along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and is mostly rural or suburban west of Interstate 95.

[6] The Windover Archeological Site, discovered in 1982, was found during excavation to have the largest collection of human remains and artifacts of the early Archaic Period (6,000–5,000 BCE), or more than 8,000 years before present.

[6] The Windover pond, which would have been a woody marsh at the time, was used by the Archaic Floridians as a burial ground, with the bodies being wrapped in fabric and submerged in the peaty soil.

[8] The Ais and the Jaega were the dominant tribes in the area when it is thought that Ponce De Leon landed on the shores near Melbourne Beach in 1513.

[15][16] In 1940, the United States federal government built Naval Air Station Banana River (now Patrick Space Force Base).

These facilities helped stimulate development in the county; where Brevard had once been considered a "backwoods" area of Florida, it attracted more educated workers and scientists associated with the program.

The North Reach includes 9.4 miles (15.1 km) of coastline from Cape Canaveral, through Cocoa Beach, to Patrick Space Force Base.

[29] The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Brevard County as the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

First, westward-moving tropical systems often reach an atmospheric ridge weakness in the Bermuda High by the time they approach Florida at a latitude as northerly as Brevard County.

A second reason is that hurricanes making landfall along the Florida peninsula Gulf Coast often weaken to a tropical storm by the time they move northeast and reach Brevard County.

[40] Five hurricanes have directly affected Brevard since 1950: David (September 3, 1979); Erin (August 2, 1995) – made landfall near Sebastian Inlet and caused mostly minor wind damage and more extensive flooding countywide; Charley (August 13, 2004) – caused damage in Titusville and North Brevard; Frances (September 3, 2004) – struck neighboring Vero Beach in Indian River County directly and caused widespread wind damage throughout Brevard;[41] and Jeanne (September 26, 2004) – struck Vero Beach directly, following very nearly the same path as Frances.

[50] Brevard County works together with the federal and state government to control pollution and preserve wetlands and coastal areas through lands dedicated to conservation and wildlife protection.

[54] Common mammals include North American river otters, bobcats, white-tailed deer, raccoons, marsh rabbits,[55] scrub lizards,[56] rat snakes,[57] and opossum.

[62] Fish and reptiles include alligators, red snapper, sea turtles,[58] North Atlantic right whales, a rare protected species, give birth near the coast of Brevard, among other places, from November 15 to April 15.

[71] Other birds include the red-shouldered hawk,[72] the loggerhead shrike,[73] the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker,[74] Cooper's hawks, pileated woodpeckers, Savannah sparrows,[56] rails (which also includes coots), Florida scrub jays (an endangered species), wood storks, grackles,[58] great horned owls,[75] northern mockingbirds, brown thrashers, catbirds,[76] green-winged teals, greater yellowlegs, western sandpipers, least sandpipers, dowitchers, and American white pelicans.

[79] Other native plants include sea grape, red mulberry, purslane, dandelion, Spanish bayonet, blackberry, Jerusalem artichoke, dogwood, and gallberry.

A unit of the Coast Guard, homeported at Port Canaveral, plays a role in preventing illegal immigration and is an interdictor of drugs in the area.

[140] In 11 sanctuaries that protect natural ecosystems, the county's Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program offers passive recreation opportunities such as hiking, wildlife viewing, biking and paddling.

[168] In 2010 and 2011, the Brookings Institution reported that Brevard ranked in the bottom fifth of the nation's top metro areas, based on unemployment, gross metropolitan product, housing prices and foreclosed properties.

[citation needed] The Brevard economy has been driven by Trade, Transportation and Utilities (18%), Professional and Business Services (17%), Total government (15%), Education and Health (14%), Manufacturing (12%), Leisure and hospitality (10%), Construction (6%), Financial (4%).

[207] As in all Cooperative extension service, a land grant college, the University of Florida, conducted over 60 courses in 2010 in aid of 4-H programs and other agricultural pursuits.

[211] Brevard tourists come mainly from ten states: Florida itself is first, followed by Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.

[225] The annual Florida Key Lime Pie Festival is held beach side every Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.

[249] In 2013, the County Health Department Director issued a caution about the potential danger of flesh-eating bacteria that inhabit inland estuaries.

[252] Space Coast Center for Independent Living offers over-all services for individuals with all types of disabilities: peer support, advocacy, skills training, accessibility surveys, support groups, transportation, specialized equipment, sign language interpreter coordination services,[253] and a program for high school students for career development.

Health Outreach Prevention & Education (HOPE) is a network of community partners working together to provide care for people without insurance, and for children with special needs.

[264] The Brevard Blue Ducks, members of the United States Basketball League (USBL), played at the Clemente Center at Florida Tech.

Brevard County Central Disposal Facility is located in Cocoa, has a size 190-acre (77 ha) and receives annually around 275,000 tonnes of waste.

[292] The Brevard Zoo is a 75 acres (30 ha) facility[293] that contains more than 650 animals representing more than 165 species from Florida, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

The Zoo offers animal experiences including giraffe and lorikeet feedings, African kayak tours, paddle boats in the wetlands and a train ride.