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2 . 0 COMMUNITY PROFILE This section describes the geography , population , infrastructure , property and development trends , economic resources , environmental resources , historic and cultural resources , and critical facilities within Indian River County and the municipalities therein . The three main sources of information for this section are the 2000 US Census Enterprise Florida (2003 ) , and University of Florida (2001 ) . 2 . 1 GEOGRAPHY Indian River County is located in southeast central Florida , along the Atlantic Ocean coast. The County has a total area of approximately 543 square miles ( 347 , 520 acres ) of which 41 . 1 square miles (26 , 298 acres ) are water, and 502 square miles (321 , 280 acres) are land area . Included in the land area are 5 municipalities containing approximately 37 . 2 square miles (23 , 830 acres) . Indian River County is about 33 miles wide from east to west and 2 miles long from north to south . In addition to the Atlantic Ocean , the County is bounded by Brevard County on the north , St. Lucie County on the south , Osceola County on the west , and Okeechobee County on the southwest . Indian River County receives an average of 53 inches of rain per year and sees approximately 127 days of rain per year. Nearly two-thirds of the total land area is west of 1 -95 ; however , more than 90 % of the population resides in the eastern third of the County . The City of F Ilsmere is `., the only community in the western portion of the County. The land along the western boundary of the County is used primarily for range and pasture land with little residential development . To the east of that area is St . Johns Marsh , a large freshwater arsh extending the entire length of the County . Included in this significant wetland is the 6 , 000-acre Blue Cypress Lake . The land between the marsh and 1 -95 is devoted primarily to agriculture . Much of this land is drained marshland now used for citrus or pasture . Other than the City of Fellsmere in the north , there is little human settlement in this a ea . The mainland topography of Indian River County is generally low in elevation , without significant deviation . However, two ridges parallel the coast , one about 1 mile inland from the Indian River with elevations up to 30 feet , the other about 10 miles inland with similar elevations . The coastal barrier islands have typical dune topography w th dune elevations of about 15 feet . The majority of the land in the County is devoted to agriculture . Residential , commercial , and industrial development occurs along the coastal barrier island and the western shore of the Indian River. The climate of Indian River is mild subtropical , with average summer temperatures of about 79 ° F and average winter temperatures of about 62° F . Average rainfall is about 51 inches . Prevailing winds are from the southeast and east in the spring and summer, and from the northeast in the fall . The drainage area of Indian River County is generally divided by the two geographic ridges that parallel the coast. Areas west of the inland ridge are relatively flat 2- 1