Merritt Island, Florida
Encyclopedia : M : ME : MER : Merritt Island, Florida
Merritt Island is a census designated place in Brevard County, on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2000 census, the population was 36,090. 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.
The Island
Merritt Island was originally an island and is still referred to as one. Because of the construction of the Crawlerway for the NASA space vehicles to move to the launch pad over the Banana Creek in the north, it has been connected 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, are 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 and more resident wildlife including, alligators, manatee, dolphin, sea turtles, bald eagles, osprey, bobcats, and the elusive Florida panther.
To its south and east, the Island is linked by the Merritt Island Causeway and the NASA Causeway to the beaches of the barrier island that run from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station opposite the southside of the Kennedy Space Center, past the cruise ship docks at Port Canaveral onward to Cocoa Beach, Florida and Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. To the west, the island connects to mainland Brevard County by the A. Max Brewer Causeway to Titusville, Florida and by the Emory L. Bennett Causeway and Merritt Island Causeway to Cocoa, Florida, and Pineda Causeway, just north of Melbourne, Florida.
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 took off and NASA expanded. The construction of a barge canal to the Intracoastal Waterway from the Atlantic Ocean cut off the northern half of the Island for many years and to this day remains slightly rural with cattle pastures still holding on to some land. Now though a 4-lane highway connects to the Space Center, moving workers rapidly from the more densly 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 and Indianola now only live on in the names of streets and historic churches. The area 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 subject to the care of the local county government. There are no city taxes and Merritt Island has nominal county sheriff, fire, and EMS coverage.
With Merritt Island's central location within Brevard County 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.
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
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 121.9 km² (47.0 mi²). 45.7 km² (17.6 mi²) of it is land and 76.1 km² (29.4 mi²) of it (62.49%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 36,090 people, 14,955 households, and 10,049 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 789.5/km² (2,044.6/mi²). There were 15,813 housing units at an average density of 345.9/km² (895.9/mi²). 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.There were 14,955 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age 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 age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age 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.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,532, and the median income for a family was $52,388. Males had a median income of $41,393 versus $25,787 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $23,961. About 7.2% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Landmarks
The Merritt Island Dragon was a dragon-shaped cement structure that stood at the southern tip of Merritt Island where the Indian River Lagoon split to form the Banana River Lagoon. The dragon was built circa 1971 by an upset landowner who was not permitted to join the marina across the Banana River Lagoon in Indian Harbour Beach. This creature was created from twenty tons of cement and steel, and stood thirty-five feet high and sixty-five feet long. Guarding the lagoon from her perch on Dragon Point, "Annie" was a favorite landmark for both locals and boaters. It served primarily as a playhouse for children. In August 2002 the Dragon collapsed into the water and was destroyed due to the neglect of the current landowner and the inability for the landowner and the Brevard County Commissioners to agree on a rehabilitation effort.See also
External links
- [Discover Merritt Island] Demographics, Overview and Local Directory
| Merritt Island Launch Sites |
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| Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (all except LC-39) John F. Kennedy Space Center>Kennedy Space Center (LC-39) |
| LC-1 | LC-2 | LC-3 | LC-4 | LC-5 | LC-6 | LC-9 | LC-10 | LC-11 | LC-12 | LC-13 | LC-14 | LC-15 | LC-16 | LC-17 | LC-18 | LC-19 | LC-20 | LC-21 | LC-22 | LC-25 | LC-26 | LC-29 | LC-30 | LC-31 | LC-32 | LC-34 | LC-36 | LC-37 | LC-39 | LC-40 | LC-41 | LC-43 | LC-45 | LC-46 | LC-47
Atlantic Missile Range drop zone | Grand Turk Island drop zone | Mobile Launch Area | SLBM Launch Area | Patrick AFB | Runway 15/33 | Runway 30/12 |
| Cities and communities of Brevard County, Florida | ||||||||||
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