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Merritt Island

 
Dictionary: Mer·ritt Island   (mĕr'ĭt) pronunciation
 
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Temp: 79°F / 26°C
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A city of east-central Florida on Merritt Island between the mainland and Cape Canaveral. Population: 36,000.

 

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Columbia Encyclopedia: Merritt Island
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Merritt Island, c.40 mi (60 km) long and c.6 mi (10 km) wide, E Fla., separated from the mainland by Indian River (a lagoon) and from the Canaveral peninsula on the east by Banana River (a lagoon). It produces citrus fruits and is noted for its birds and other wildlife. The Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge and the John F. Kennedy Space Center, a division of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), are there. Tourism is a major island industry.


 
Weather: Merritt Island, FL
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AccuWeather® Current Conditions for



M/CLEAR
Temperature: 79°F / 26°C
RealFeel Temperature™: 82°F / 27°C
Humidity: 73%
Winds: SE 6 mph / 10 kmh
Pressure: 30.13"
Visibility: 10 mi. / 16 km

5-Day Forecast

Saturday HI:  87°F / 30°C
LO: 69°F / 20°C
Sunday HI:  87°F / 30°C
LO: 72°F / 22°C
Monday HI:  88°F / 31°C
LO: 74°F / 23°C
Tuesday HI:  88°F / 31°C
LO: 74°F / 23°C
Wednesday HI:  88°F / 31°C
LO: 76°F / 24°C
Last updated July 11, 2009 20:09 (EST)

 
Wikipedia: Merritt Island, Florida
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Merritt Island, Florida
Merritt Island seen from Spot Satellite
Merritt Island seen from Spot Satellite
Location in Brevard County and the state of Florida
Location in Brevard County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°21′28″N 80°41′5″W / 28.35778°N 80.68472°W / 28.35778; -80.68472
Country  United States
State  Florida
County  Brevard
Area
 - Total 47.1 sq mi (121.8 km2)
 - Land 17.7 sq mi (45.7 km2)
 - Water 29.4 sq mi (76.1 km2)
Elevation 3 ft (1 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 36,090
 - Density 766.2/sq mi (296.3/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 32952-32954
Area code(s) 321
FIPS code 12-44275[1]
GNIS feature ID 0294625[2]

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 BayMelbourneTitusville 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.

Contents

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 grapefruit 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. 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 on the island vanished with the coming of the Space Age, and now only live on in the names of streets and historic churches. The island does not belong to any official city. The central part of Merritt Island, previously known as Merritt City,[3] 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. 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.

Merritt Island's name originated from the king of Spain, who granted the entire island to a nobleman named Merritt. "Merritt Island also owes its name to the generosity of the king of Spain. The entire island was part of a land grant given by the king to a nobleman named - what else - Merritt." [4]

Places on Merritt Island

Merritt Island has several concentrations of population known as a place.

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.[5]

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°21′28″N 80°41′5″W / 28.35778°N 80.68472°W / 28.35778; -80.68472 (28.357901, -80.684734)[6].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 47.0 square miles (121.9 km²), of which, 17.6 square miles (45.7 km²) of it is land and 29.4 square miles (76.1 km²) of it (62.49%) is water.

Merritt Island 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[1] 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/km²). There were 15,813 housing units at an average density of 895.9/sq mi (345.9/km²). 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

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ Parrish, Field, Harrell (2001). Images of America, Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 123. ISBN 978-0-7385-0668-5. 
  4. ^ Alpha Theta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma (1970?). The History of Brevard County, Florida. Merritt Island Public Library: Alpha Theta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma. pp. various pagings. FL 975.927 His. ISBN none assigned. http://discover.mylibraryworld.com/. 
  5. ^ http://flatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070629/NEWS01/706290338/1006 retrieved June 29, 2007
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Weather. © 2008 AccuWeather, Inc.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Merritt Island, Florida" Read more