Cocoa Beach’s first non-native settlement in the area was founded by a family of freed slaves after the Civil War. The Town of Cocoa Beach was established on June 5, 1925. Gus C. Edwards was elected as mayor and served as a commissioner along with J.A. Haisten, and R.Z. Grabel. On July 27, 1925, Cocoa Beach held its first official meeting at the Cocoa Beach Casino, and adopted the City Seal. On May 1, 1942 the German submarine U-109 sank the La Paz off the shore of Cocoa Beach. Local boys were recruited for salvaging efforts and to rid the beach of the subsequent debris. During World War II, Cocoa Beach experienced money shortages for employees, and money to fix roads. In 1950, a volunteer fire department was created which used a second-hand vehicle. In 1950, a proposal was made to prevent people from driving on the beach, but it was defeated. The town of Cocoa Beach was incorporated into a city on June 29, 1957. That same year, the city added more sidewalks to the city and paved more roads. Cocoa Beach began to experience tremendous growth in the 1960s as a result of America’s emerging space program. The John F. Kennedy Space Center is located about 15 miles north of the town. The town often holds parades in honor of NASA’s astronauts. After NASA’s Apollo program came to an end, and before the Shuttle program was in full swing, the town’s economy reacted to the layoffs. At one point, in 1975, unemployment was 14.3%. Many families lost their jobs or simply moved away. People could not sell their homes and some walked away from them. Cocoa Beach was the setting for the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie; although star Barbara Eden made only two visits during the show’s production (both in 1969 for publicity), and no episodes were actually filmed there. Cocoa Beach High School was used as the school in the 2002 movie Race to Space. The 2010 Nebula Awards were held in the city.