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Merritt Island, Florida
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Merritt Island is a census designated place in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located on the east coast of the state on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2000 census, the population was 36,090. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name "Merritt Island" also refers to the extent of the former island, which is now a peninsula.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center are located on the northern part of Merritt Island. The area is heavily residential, with centralized light commercial and light industrial areas.
itt Island's recent history dates back into the mid-1800s and centers on the growth of citrus, stressing the cultivation of pineapples and oranges.
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Encyclopedia
Merritt Island is a census designated place in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located on the east coast of the state on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2000 census, the population was 36,090. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name "Merritt Island" also refers to the extent of the former island, which is now a peninsula.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center are located on the northern part of Merritt Island. The area is heavily residential, with centralized light commercial and light industrial areas.
History
Merritt Island's recent history dates back into the mid-1800s and centers on the growth of citrus, stressing the cultivation of pineapples and oranges. The famous Indian River oranges and grapefruits come from this sandy area. The Island became a huge draw in the 1950s and '60s as the Space Race began and NASA expanded. Construction of a barge canal to the Intracoastal Waterway from the Atlantic Ocean (for power plant oil shipments) cut off the northern half of the island for many years and to this day it remains slightly less developed with few areas remaining cattle pasture or citrus land. Now though a 4-lane highway connects to the Space Center, moving workers rapidly from the more densely populated central and southern sections of the Island. The small towns of Merritt Island vanished with the coming of the Space Age, towns like Georgiana, Courtenay, Tropic, Fairyland, Orsino, Angel City, Wilson, Lotus, Shiloh, and Indianola now only live on in the names of streets and historic churches. The Island now belongs to no official city, however the central part of Merritt Island is home to the majority of the population and includes the local high school, library, and shopping district.
With the lack of a municipal government Merritt Island is left to the administrative care of the local county government and the water and sewer (where available) are handled by neighboring Cocoa, Florida. As a result, there are no city taxes and therefore few neighborhood parks. The county maintains sheriff, fire, and EMS coverage.
With Merritt Island's central location within Brevard County, between Titusville and Melbourne, the region is a commercial economic hub with the crowded beaches to the east and the older mainland cities of Rockledge and Cocoa to the west.
The origin of Merritt Island's name is a matter of some debate. Most agree it's either named for a Spanish surveyor, Captain Pedro Marratt, or for a Revolutionary war hero, a Frenchman by the name of Murat.
Economy
Personal Income
According to the 2000 Census:
- Median household income = $43,532
- Median family income = $52,388
- Median income for males = $41,393
- Median income for females = $25,787
- Per capita income = $23,961
- Below the poverty line:
- Families = 7.2%
- Population = 9.4%
- Those under age 18 = 13.8%
- Those over age 64 = 7.0%
Industry
Sea Ray, a brand of pleasure boats owned by Brunswick Corporation, operates a factory. It is scheduled to close in 2008. There are also light industrial fabrication centers around the Merritt Island Airport, and NASA-related industrial activities to support space shuttle and other rocket launches on North Merritt Island.
Redevelopment
Merritt Island has a redevelopment agency funded by the county.
Airports
Merritt Island Airport is a public general aviation airport located on South Merritt Island and run by the Titusville-Cocoa (TICO) Airport Authority.
Geography
Merritt Island is located at (28.357901, -80.684734).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 47.0 square miles (121.9 kmē), of which, 17.6 square miles (45.7 kmē) of it is land and 29.4 square miles (76.1 kmē) of it (62.49%) is water.
Merritt Island, originally named "Artesia", was originally an island and is still referred to as one. The construction of the Crawlerway in the north (for the NASA space vehicles to move to the launch pad over the Banana Creek) connects Merritt Island to a mainland peninsula. To the west and south it is separated by the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The east side of Merritt Island splits and is divided by Sykes Creek and Newfound Harbor. They, in turn, are separated by the Banana River Lagoon from Cocoa Beach, Florida.
To the north, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, along with a narrow barrier island that make up Canaveral National Seashore, offer an unpopulated protected buffer area for the space shuttle launching site of Kennedy Space Center. The area is a wildlife magnet drawing huge sums of migratory birds that join the more resident wildlife including, alligators, manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, bald eagles, ospreys, bobcats, and the elusive Florida panther.
The island is linked by causeways to the beaches of the barrier island to its east and the mainland to the west. The barrier runs from Port Canaveral in its north, to the town of Cape Canaveral, onward to Cocoa Beach, then Patrick Air Force Base, Satellite Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach and Sebastian Beach ending at Sebastian Inlet. To the west, the island connects to mainland Brevard County near Titusville and Cocoa on its northern end, and in Melbourne, Florida on its southern end.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 36,090 people, 14,955 households, and 10,049 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,044.6 people per square mile (789.5/kmē). There were 15,813 housing units at an average density of 895.9/sq mi (345.9/kmē). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.22% White, 5.31% African American, 0.41% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.83% of the population.
Of the 14,955 households, 27.1% had children under the , 52.9% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.8% of households were solely individuals and 11.4% had a lone resident of 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.8% under the , 6.1% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% of 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
Landmarks
- Georgiana Church and Cemetery, 19th Century
- Hacienda del Sol, large historic agricultural estate on South Merritt Island (home still exists, property is now housing development)
- Old Haulover Canal
- NASA Kennedy Space Center
- Mather's Bridge Restaurant (now closed), previously Hacienda del Sol's workers mess hall, was joined by former field workers quarters (since destroyed) across South Tropical Trail at Mather's Bridge
- Merritt Island Airport
- Merritt Island Barge Canal
- Merritt Island Dragon (crumbled into water because of negligence by owner and county)
- Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Merritt Island Rotary Park Nature Trail and Center
- Pine Island Conservation Area
- Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary
Notable residents
See also
External links
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