Flagler County, Florida

Flagler County, Florida
Flagler County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 115,378. Its county seat is Bunnell, and the largest city is Palm Coast. Created in 1917 from portions of Saint Johns and Volusia Counties, it was named for Henry Flagler, who built the Florida East Coast Railway.
Flagler County is included in the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area, and is also included in the Orlando–Deltona–Daytona Beach, FL Combined Statistical Area.
History
In 1974, Marco Polo Park, a theme park off Interstate 95 opened. It was never profitable and closed soon after.
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 for a wildfire.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (15.0%) is water.
Adjacent counties
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
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 115,378 people, 44,040 households, and 31,591 families residing in the county.
As of the census of 2010, there were 95,696 people, 39,186 households, and 27,843 families residing in the county. The population density was 197.1 people per square mile. There were 48,595 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 82.3% White, 11.4% Black or African American. 8.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.9% under the age of 18, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,049, and the median income for a family was $58,327.
Flagler county was ranked the fastest-growing county in the nation by the US Census Bureau from 2000 to 2005, boasting a 53.3% change, with a July 1, 2005 population estimate at 76,410. As of 2016 the largest ancestry group in the county was English-American at 18.1% of the county, followed by German-American at 12.7% and Irish-American also at 12.7%.
Transportation
Airports
Flagler County Airport is the primary airport within the county. It does not provide commercial air services but does serve private, student and business aviation.
Major roads
Interstate 95
U.S. 1
SR A1A
SR 11
SR 20
SR 100
Other
The Florida East Coast Railway provides rail freight services in the county.
The Intracoastal Waterway runs just in from the coast in eastern Flagler County and provides for freight shipping and recreational boating.
Politics
Voter registration
According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are a plurality of registered voters in Flagler County.
Statewide elections
Education
Flagler County Public Schools enroll approximately 13,000 students. The system includes two public high schools, Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High School. The county also has five elementary schools and two middle schools. All elementary schools will be Pre-K to 5th grade and middle schools 6th and 8th.
Flagler County schools are:
Belle Terre Elementary K–5th
Bunnell Elementary K–5th
Rymfire Elementary K–5th
Old Kings Elementary K–5th
Wadsworth Elementary K–5th
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School Pre-K–8th
Buddy Taylor Middle School 6th–8th
Indian Trails Middle School 6th–8th
Matanzas High School 9th–12th
Flagler Palm Coast High School 9th–12th
Pathways Academy (alternative school)
iFlagler Virtual School K–12th
Imagine School at Town Center (charter)
Academies of Excellence's Heritage Academy (charter) (closed after the 2011–2012 school year)
In addition, Daytona State College maintains a branch campus in Palm Coast.
Libraries
Flagler County Library System consists of two branches with over 57,000 borrowers. The Main Branch is located at 2500 Palm Coast Pkwy NW, Palm Coast and the Bunnell Branch is located at 103 E Moody Blvd, Bunnell. The Flagler County Library system currently employees eighteen staff, with fourteen full-time employees and four part-time employees with an annual operating budget of $1 million.
The Flagler County Public Library was created by the County Commission in 1987, but as early as 1937, a room of the County Courthouse in Bunnell was set aside for a small library, which was sponsored by the Colony Club. The current library director is Holly Albanese.
The Flagler County Library System offers a wide variety of services beyond traditional library services. They have an e-book collection through Overdrive and Axis360. The library system will assist patrons in filing taxes, and applying for some government programs, as well as with passport applications. Both libraries offer fax services, and the Main Branch also offers scanning services.
In 2001, the Flagler County Library System began a local oral history project called the "Flagler County Memories Project". This project is currently being recorded and then preserved on compact discs. The project mission states, "This collection of oral life histories seeks to sample the common themes and unique stories of selected local residents."
Communities
Cities
Bunnell
Flagler Beach
Palm Coast
Towns
Beverly Beach
Marineland
Unincorporated communities
Andalusia
Bimini
Cody's Corner
Daytona North
Dupont
Espanola
Favoretta
Flagler Estates (also in St. Johns County)
Hammock
Korona
Orange Hammock
Painters Hill
Relay
St. Johns Park
See also
Bike trails in Florida (paved)
National Register of Historic Places listings in Flagler County, Florida
Halifax area
First Coast
Notes
References
External links
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
1917 establishments in Florida
Populated places established in 1917
Florida counties
Counties in Greater Orlando
North Florida