Merritt Island is a peninsula in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Florida coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and southern parts of the island and a census-designated place (CDP).
The population was 34,518 at the 2020 census, down from 34,743 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center is located on Merritt Island to the north of the town, and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is located north of the space center.
The central part of Merritt Island, previously known as Merritt City, is home to the majority of the population and includes the local high school, library, and shopping district. The southern area is heavily residential, with centralized light commercial and light industrial areas.
History
Etymology
Merritt Island owes its name to the King of Spain. The entire island was part of a land grant given by the King to a nobleman named Merritt.
Prehistory
Paleontological excavations in the area have unearthed the remains of numerous megafauna and other extinct species, including many herbivorous ungulates, artiodactyls (camelids, peccaries), perissodactyls (equids, tapirs), proboscideans (mammoths, mastodons), rodents (beaver, capybara, porcupine), tortoises and xenarthrans (armadillos, glyptodonts). Biochemical analyses have shown, for example, that Clovis tools were used in the hunting of camelids.
By between 800-900 BC, permanent Native American structures were erected in the area. Their mounds populated the lagoon margin.
Post-Columbian
In 1605, Spanish explorer Álvaro Mexía visited the local tribes living in the Indian River area. He interacted with the local tribe of Ais people, part of the native province of Ulumay. Merritt Island is the prominent island on a color map he drew of the area, a copy of which is in the archives at the Library of Congress and the archives in Seville, Spain. Within a few years, all but a handful of these natives were dead from an epidemic that plagued the area after a British merchant ship ran aground. In April 1788, French botanist André Michaux traveled to Merritt Island, near Cape Canaveral, and spent five days looking at the local plants. He wrote a letter on April 24, 1788, from St Augustine. He reported discovering the flag or bigflower paw-paw, Asimina obovata (Annona grandiflora <small>Bartr.</small>). <!-- this says NEAR Cape Canaveral. Seems more like Merritt Island history -->
In 1837, Fort Ann was constructed on the east coast of Merritt Island, near present-day Haulover Canal, Merritt Island's recent history dates back to the mid-19th century, and centers on the growth of citrus, with an emphasis on the cultivation of oranges as well as pineapples. The Indian River oranges and grapefruit come from this sandy area. Freezes temporarily destroyed the local pineapple industry in the late 1890s.
Sea Ray Boats operated a factory on Merritt Island from 1978 to 2012. At one time it employed 1200 people.<!-- guesses on dates. Can't find anything solid --> It closed the plant in 2013.<!-- there is url. Could not access 3/7/2013 -->
Geography
thumb|South end of Merritt Island
Merritt Island extends some from the Volusia County line to Dragon Point near Melbourne. It connects to the Florida mainland where SR 3 now intersects US 1 in Volusia County.
Fauna
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 rocket launches at Kennedy Space Center. There are about 356 species of birds on the peninsula, one of the most diverse in the country.
Places on Merritt Island
Merritt Island has or had 23 named communities,
| align = right
| align-fn = center
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+Merritt Island racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|29,241
|27,770
|84.16%
|80.45%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|1625
|846
|4.68%
|2.45%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|137
|115
|0.39%
|0.33%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|772
|1,029
|2.22%
|2.98%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|37
|72
|0.11%
|0.21%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|63
|126
|0.18%
|0.37%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|739
|1,772
|2.13%
|5.13%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|2,129
|2,788
|6.13%
|8.08%
|-
|Total
|34,743
|34,518
|100.00%
|100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Merritt Island had a population of 34,518. The median age was 52.2 years. 16.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.5 males age 18 and over.
There were 15,030 households in Merritt Island, of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.3% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 28,570 || 82.8%
|-
| Black or African American || 877 || 2.5%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 133 || 0.4%
|-
| Asian || 1,045 || 3.0%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 76 || 0.2%
|-
| Some other race || 555 || 1.6%
|-
| Two or more races || 3,262 || 9.5%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 2,788 || 8.1%
|}
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 34,743 people, 14,247 households, and 9,385 families residing in the CDP.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, Arnott Air Suspension Products, develops and sells aftermarket automotive air suspension products, is also headquartered in Merritt Island.
Redevelopment
Merritt Island has a redevelopment agency funded by the county.
Education
thumb|upright|An entrance to Tropical Elementary.
Merritt Island has several schools.
Public schools are operated by Brevard Public Schools:
- MILA Elementary
- Tropical Elementary
- Audubon Elementary
- Robert Louis Stevenson School of the Arts
- Lewis Carroll Elementary
- Gardendale Elementary (Closed since 2014)
- Thomas Jefferson Middle School
- Edgewood Junior/Senior High School
- Merritt Island High School
Private schools:
- Merritt Island Christian
- Calvary Chapel Christian School
- Brevard Private Academy
Library district
The Merritt Island Public Library, though a part of the Brevard County Library System, is a state-designated special library district. Since Merritt Island is an unincorporated area of Brevard County, in 1965 the area applied for, and was designated, a special library district under Chapter 65-1289 by the Florida Legislature. In 2005, the Florida House of Representatives codified all special acts and amendments, in regards to the Merritt Island Public Library District, under HB 1079.<!-- the preceding narrative (not capacity!) can be mostly removed once we get a robust article about sewage and water, lift stations, etc. Right now info is sparse -->
Airports
<!-- Ought to be included with transportation including roads and canals -->
Merritt Island Airport is a public general aviation airport located on South Merritt Island and run by the Titusville-Cocoa (TICO) Airport Authority.
Landmarks
<!-- needs brief introduction.
With blue link, needs citation per WP:NLIST.
Without blue link, still needs citation per WP:NLIST but also some indication of its importance with an WP:RS -->
- J. R. Field Homestead
- Hacienda del Sol, large historic agricultural estate on South Merritt Island (home still exists, property is now a private estate)
- Haulover Canal
- Dr. George E. Hill House
- Kennedy Space Center
- Merritt Island Airport
- Merritt Island (Canaveral) Barge Canal
- Merritt Island Dragon
- Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Kiwanis Island Park
- Merritt Island Rotary Park Nature Trail and Center
- Pine Island Conservation Area, preserve. Pine Island contains Sams House, built in 1875. It is Brevard's oldest standing structure.
- Old St. Luke's Episcopal Church and Cemetery
- Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary
- Futch Cove on Banana Creek (location of Apollo/Saturn Visitors Center)
- Merritt Square Mall
Notable people
- Tim DeMorat, football player
- Arias Deukmedjian, racing driver
- Taylor Jordan, baseball player
- Travis Kittleson, racing driver
- Will Perdue, Professional basketball player
- Clint Hurdle, Professional Baseball Player and Manager
See also
- List of Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island launch sites
Town Merritt Island Town Merritt Island Newspaper