Merritt Island, Florida
The King of Spain granted the entire island to a nobleman named Merritt. This land grant established the name that persists today across Brevard County, Florida. The peninsula extends from the Volusia County line to Dragon Point near Melbourne. It connects to the mainland where State Road 3 intersects US Highway 1 in Volusia County. To the west, the Indian River and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway separate it from the shore. To the east, Mosquito Lagoon and the Banana River divide it from Cape Canaveral. The eastern side splits further by Sykes Creek and Newfound Harbor. In the north, the Haulover Canal first dug in the 19th century separates the island from the mainland. Causeways now link the area to Titusville, Cocoa, and Melbourne.
Paleontological excavations unearthed remains of numerous megafauna species including mammoths and mastodons. These herbivorous ungulates thrived until approximately 11,000 years ago when extinction events struck. Climate change caused by advancing glacial maximums affected natural resources and weather conditions. Later pressures came from the arrival of the Clovis culture who became prolific hunters. Their distinct fluted stone weaponry included some of the earliest spears and arrowheads. Biochemical analyses showed that Clovis tools were used in hunting camelids. By between 800-900 BC permanent Native American structures were erected in the area. Their mounds populated the lagoon margin along the water's edge.
Spanish explorer Álvaro Mexía visited local tribes living in the Indian River area in 1605. He interacted with the Ais people part of the native province of Ulumay. Merritt Island appears on a color map he drew which is archived at the Library of Congress. Within a few years all but a handful of these natives died from an epidemic. The disease spread after a British merchant ship ran aground nearby waters. In the 1760s the Elliott Plantation grew and processed sugar cane there. Remains of this plantation can be found inside the Wildlife Refuge today. Freezes temporarily destroyed the local pineapple industry in the late 1890s. Freed slaves constructed small towns including Haulover, Clifton, and Shiloh after the Civil War.
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center sits on Merritt Island to the north of the town. Construction of a barge canal to the Intracoastal Waterway cut off the northern half for many years. The island's population grew during the 1950s and 1960s as the Space Race began. Small towns vanished with the coming of the Space Age leaving only street names behind. Citizens defeated a proposed incorporation into a city in 1988 by a vote of 77% opposed. Sea Ray Boats operated a factory from 1978 until 2012 employing up to 1200 people. It closed the plant in 2013 ending that era of manufacturing. Air Liquide operates a plant there alongside NASA-related industrial activities supporting rocket launches.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge offers an unpopulated protected buffer area for rocket launches. About 356 species of birds inhabit the peninsula making it one of the most diverse areas. Migratory birds join resident wildlife including alligators, manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, bald eagles, ospreys, bobcats, and Florida panthers. A number of bald eagle nests are monitored atop power line poles along State Road 3 within Kennedy Space Center. There are about 12,000 feral pigs in North Merritt Island alone. Licensed trappers catch about 2,000 annually which maintains a stable population. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service would like to reduce the pig population further.
The population was 34,518 at the 2020 census down from 34,743 at the 2010 census. As of the 2020 United States census there were 13,790 households residing in the CDP. Racial composition showed 80.45% White non-Hispanic and 2.45% Black or African American non-Hispanic. Asian populations rose from 2.22% in 2010 to 2.98% in 2020. Hispanic or Latino residents made up 8.08% of the total population in 2020. Median household income reached $43,532 according to the 2000 Census data. The median age was 43 years with 21.8% under age 18 and 19.8% over age 65. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males across all age groups.
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Common questions
Who granted the land that became Merritt Island Florida?
The King of Spain granted the entire island to a nobleman named Merritt. This land grant established the name that persists today across Brevard County, Florida.
When did permanent Native American structures appear on Merritt Island Florida?
Permanent Native American structures were erected in the area by between 800-900 BC. Their mounds populated the lagoon margin along the water's edge.
What happened to the Ais people who lived near Merritt Island Florida in 1605?
All but a handful of these natives died from an epidemic within a few years after Spanish explorer Álvaro Mexía visited local tribes living in the Indian River area in 1605. The disease spread after a British merchant ship ran aground nearby waters.
Why does Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge exist for rocket launches?
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge offers an unpopulated protected buffer area for rocket launches. About 356 species of birds inhabit the peninsula making it one of the most diverse areas.
How many households resided in Merritt Island Florida according to the 2020 census?
As of the 2020 United States census there were 13,790 households residing in the CDP. The population was 34,518 at the 2020 census down from 34,743 at the 2010 census.