Rockledge was officially founded on August 7, 1887, making it the oldest incorporated municipality in Brevard County.

[7] The name Rockledge, attributed to Gardner S. Hardee, an early settler, comes from the many ledges of coquina rock that line the Indian River.

[8] Other sources refer to a man named Cephas Bailey Magruder, who built his home after settling in the area in 1876 near the Indian River.

Early industry in the area was based on the citrus trade and accommodation for tourists traveling to South Florida via the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway of the Indian River.

[citation needed] President Grover Cleveland and his wife visited the city in 1888.

Steamboats in the Indian River connected with Henry Flagler's trains to bring people to the North.

The mayor convinced the council to donate land from the former golf course that had belonged to the defunct Indian River Hotel for the hospital.

[14] Rockledge underwent an expansion further west and south in the 1960s when it became a bedroom community for the nearby Kennedy Space Center.

Several hundred families from all over the United States settled in the city with the advent of the Apollo missions and the space shuttle program.

Levitt Park and Woodsmere were built atop a gladiola farm and an orange grove.

The huge Australian Pine trees at the southernmost points of Fiske Boulevard are all that remain of the grove's windbreaks.

[15] It is bounded on the north by Cocoa, on the west by the St. Johns River and scrubland, to the south by Viera (unincorporated) and Melbourne, and to the east by the Indian River Lagoon and Merritt Island (unincorporated) on the opposite shore.

The area's warm and humid climate is caused primarily by its proximity to the Gulf Stream, which flows off the east coast of Florida.

[17] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,678 people, 10,768 households, and 7,486 families residing in the city.

[21] As of the 2010 United States census, there were 24,926 people, 9,310 households, and 7,002 families residing in the city.

[22] In 2010, the city had the lowest percentage of people living in poverty of any municipality measured in the county, 5%, compared to an average of 10% countywide.

The city holds municipal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November each year.

[29] Rockledge has approximately fifty full-time certified police officers serving the city.

[30] In addition, there are 18 support staff positions, five reserve officers, eight crossing guards, and seven civilian volunteers.

[30] In August 2011, the new $4 million police headquarters was finished and it is located at 1776 Jack Oates Blvd.

Local businesses focus on technology and aerospace, especially those related to nearby Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral.