Flagler County, Florida

Flagler County, in Florida, United States, was created in 1917. It was named for Henry Morrison Flagler, a famous railroad builder who built the Florida East Coast Railway.

In 1998, when two brush fires threatened to become one huge brush fire in Flagler County, a mandatory evacuation was ordered for the entire county. This was the first and so far the only time a whole county was evacuated in Florida. Flagler is also a sports town. Three Flagler baseball teams have made it to the State Tournament in the last 2 years.

Land
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 570.76 sqmi, of which 485.00 sqmi (or 84.97%) is land and 85.77 sqmi (or 15.03%) is water.

Counties nearby

 * St. Johns County, Florida - north
 * Volusia County, Florida - south
 * Putnam County, Florida - west

Parks and gardens

 * Belle Terre Park
 * Betty Steflik Preserve
 * Bings Landing
 * Bird of Paradise Nature Reserve
 * Bull Creek Campground
 * Bulow Creek State Park
 * Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park
 * Central Park in Town Center
 * Children's Memorial Garden
 * Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area
 * Graham Swamp Preserve
 * Haw Creek Preserve / Russell Landing
 * Heroes Memorial Park
 * Herschel King Park
 * Hidden Trails Park
 * James F. Holland Memorial Park
 * Jungle Hut Park
 * Lehigh Trail
 * Longs Landing Estuary
 * Malacompra Park
 * Moody Homestead Park
 * Old Dixie Park
 * Old Salt Park
 * Palm Coast Community Center & Park
 * Palm Coast Linear Park
 * Princess Place Preserve
 * Ralph Carter Park
 * River to Sea Preserve
 * Seminole Woods Neighborhood Park
 * Shell Bluff Park
 * Silver Lake Park
 * St. Joe Walkway
 * Varn Park
 * Veteran's Park
 * Wadsworth Park
 * Washington Oaks State Gardens
 * Waterfront Park
 * Wickline Park

Rivers and waterways

 * Atlantic Ocean
 * Dead Lake
 * Crescent Lake
 * Intracoastal Waterway
 * Matanzas River
 * Pellicer Creek

People
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,832 people, 21,294 households, and 15,672 families living in the county. The population density was 103 people per square mile (40/km²). There were 24,452 housing units at an average density of 50 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.27% White, 8.83% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.96% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 5.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 90.1% spoke English, 5.0% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language.

1.8% of the population identified themselves as being of non-Hispanic West Indian Ancestry.

In 2000 there were 21,294 households out of which 21.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.80% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were not related. 21.60% of all households were made up of people living alone and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.67.

In the county the population was spread out with 17.90% under the age of 18, 4.80% from 18 to 24, 20.30% from 25 to 44, 28.30% from 45 to 64, and 28.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 92.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,214, and the median income for a family was $45,625. Males had a median income of $31,184 versus $24,865 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,879. About 6.70% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.70% of those under age 18 and 4.40% of those age 65 or over.

Flagler county was ranked the fastest-growing county in the nation by the US Census Bureau from 2000 to 2005, with a 53.3% change, with a July 1, 2005 population estimate at 76,410.

Incorporated

 * City of Bunnell
 * City of Flagler Beach
 * City of Palm Coast
 * Town of Marineland
 * Town of Beverly Beach

Unincorporated

 * Flagler Estates (also in St. Johns County)
 * Hammock
 * Painters Hill
 * Espanola
 * Bimini
 * Dupont
 * Korona
 * Codys Corner
 * Favoretta
 * St. Johns Park
 * Daytona North
 * Relay

Major roads

 * [[Image:I-95.svg|25px]] Interstate 95
 * [[Image:US 1.svg|25px]] U.S. 1
 * [[Image:Florida A1A.svg|25px]] SR A1A
 * [[Image:Florida 11.svg|25px]] SR 11
 * [[Image:Florida 20.svg|25px]] SR 20
 * [[Image:Florida 100.svg|25px]] SR 100

Politics
Because the demographics of the county are changing quickly, Flagler County is often an unpredictable county in presidential and other elections, although the general trend has been towards the Democratic party in recent years.

Education
Flagler County Public Schools enroll about 13,000 students. It includes two public high schools: Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High School. The county also has 5 elementary schools and 2 middle schools.

Flagler county schools are:
 * Belle Terre Elementary K-6th
 * Bunnell Elementary K-6th
 * Rymfire Elementary K-6th
 * Old Kings Elementary K-6th
 * Wadsworth Elementary K-6th
 * St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School Pre K-8th
 * Buddy Taylor Middle School 7th-8th
 * Indian Trails middle School 7th-8th
 * Matanzas High School 9th-12th
 * Flagler Palm Coast High School 9th-12th
 * Pathways Academy (alternative school)
 * iFlagler Virtual School 7th-12th
 * Imagine School at Town Center (charter)
 * Academies of Excellence's Heritage Academy (charter)
 * Daytona State College (Daytona Beach, Florida (main campus)/ Palm Coast, Florida)

Government links/Constitutional offices

 * Flagler County Board of County Commissioners official website
 * Flagler County Supervisor of Elections
 * Flagler County Property Appraiser
 * Flagler County Sheriff's Office
 * Flagler County Tax Collector

Special districts

 * Flagler County Public Schools
 * St. Johns River Water Management District

Judicial branch

 * Flagler County Clerk of Courts
 * Public Defender, 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia counties
 * Office of the State Attorney, 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida
 * Circuit and County Court for the 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

 * Flagler County Tourist Development Council