[5] Titusville is located along the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center, and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore.

Near Titusville is the Windover Archeological Site, a National Historic Landmark recognizing its important collection of human remains and artifacts of the early Archaic Period (6,000 to 5,000 BC.).

Indigenous peoples had inhabited this area for thousands of years, as shown by discovery in 1982 of the Windover Archeological Site, dating to the early Archaic Period (6000 to 5000 BC).

At the time of European encounter, this area was inhabited by the Ais Indians, who gathered palmetto, cocoplum and seagrape berries.

By 1760, however, the tribe had disappeared due largely to infectious disease, slave raids, and the disruptive effects of rum.

The United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1821, and the Seminole Wars delayed settlement of portions of the new territory.

[9] This community was originally called Sand Point, and a post office was established in 1859, although it closed a few months later.

[3] The city was incorporated in 1887, the year construction began on St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, as listed in the 1972 National Register of Historic Places.

[10] The Atlantic Coast, St. Johns & Indian River Railroad reached Titusville in 1885, constructed from Enterprise, Florida.

It was connected by a spur line to the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West Railroad at Enterprise Junction in present-day DeBary, Florida.

Henry Flagler extended his Florida East Coast Railroad south from Daytona, building a station at Titusville in 1892.

[11] In October 1918, Titusville officials were the first in the county to order closed all places of assembly, including schools, churches, and movies, to avoid spreading the Spanish flu.

[14] That year operations were to be moved to New York City in a joint venture between Patch Communications of Titusville and Ziff Davis.

[14] The A. Max Brewer Bridge, a 65 feet (20 m) fixed high-level span on SR-406 connecting Titusville to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore, opened on February 5, 2011, to replace the former swing bridge built in 1949.

[15] In January 2013, Miracle City Mall closed, a victim of a declining local economy after the termination of the Space Shuttle program in 2012.

In addition, county population had moved to the south, and changing shopping habits had adversely affected malls across the country.

[27] The economy shrunk after lay-offs involving the end of the space shuttle program in 2011, since many employees live in Titusville.

[30] Knight's Armament Company in Titusville is believed to be the state's largest manufacturer of small arms.

In October 2013, Barn Light Electric Company opened a new manufacturing plant, providing work for at least 60 former NASA workers and men who had completed drug rehabilitation.

[32] The city has benefited from tourism associated with the space program, and the TICO Warbird Air Show each March draws about 40,000–50,000 visitors.

[33] While 47 miles (76 km) from the event, the city gets a noticeable economic effect from bikers on their way to the annual Daytona Beach Bike Week.

[43] Titusville's five city council members (one of whom is the mayor) are elected at-large to four-year, staggered terms.

It also adopts ordinances and resolutions, cote appropriations, approve budgets, determine the tax rate, and appoint citizens to serve on advisory boards and commissions.

The mayor is the recognized head of city government for ceremonial and military law purposes, but has no regular administrative duties.