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.
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, 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.
To its south and east, the Island is linked by causeways to the beaches of the barrier island that run from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the east of the Kennedy Space Center, past the cruise ship docks at
Port Canaveral, onward to
Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, and
Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. To the west, the island connects to mainland
Brevard County near Titusville, Cocoa, and to 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 began and NASA expanded. The 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 remains slightly less developed with few areas remaining of cattle pastures and citrus 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 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, FL. As a result, there are no city taxes and therefor few neighborhood parks and minimal county
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.
Merritt Island Airport is a public general aviation airport located on South Merritt Island and run by the Titusville-Cocoa (TICO) Airport Authority.
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Location of Merritt Island, Florida |
Merritt Island is located at (28.357901, -80.684734).
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.
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 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.
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.
NASA Kennedy Space Center
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Merritt Square Mall
Ulumay County Wildlife Sanctuary
Historic 19th Century Georgiana Church and Cemetery
Merritt Island Rotary Park Nature Trail and Center
Merritt Island Airport
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List of Merritt Island launch sites*
Discover Merritt Island Demographics, Overview and Local Directory
