Monroe County, Florida

Monroe County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 79,589. The 2006 estimate for the county is 74,737. 

Monroe County includes the islands of the. Its is.

History
Monroe County was created in. It was named for, the fifth , who served from to.

Culture
The Florida Keys Council for the Arts is the primary cultural umbrella for the Florida Keys, and serves the population from to. A local arts agency, it makes grants, operates the Monroe County Art in Public Places program, sponsors seminars, and manages the on-line cultural calendar for the region. It also manages the County's Tourism Development Council arts marketing grants and serves as a leading advocate for cultural tourism in lower. In 1998, the Florida Keys Council of the Arts was designated by the Board of Monroe County Commissioners as the area's Local Arts Agency as provided by Florida Statute 286.011. Established in 1997 as the Monroe Council of the Arts Corporation. The name was changed to the Florida Keys Council of the Arts in 2001. Today the organization is the liaison among cultural organizations, all levels of government and the private sector in encouraging and promoting the arts throughout Monroe County. The council endeavors to make the arts a part of the fabric of daily life. From its inception through fiscal year end 2006, FKCA has awarded $433,916 in privately-raised funds and grants to literary, visual and performing artists and cultural organizations. Add to that sum the Cultural Umbrella event funding, the South Florida Cultural Consortium Visual & Media Artists Fellowships and The Art in Public Places commissions, and the total distributed in the Keys cultural community through FKCA’s efforts come to $2.5 million to date. The annual economic impact of the non-profit cultural community in the Keys is estimated at over $22 million. The Florida Keys Council of the Arts, a non-profit,501(c) (3) corporation in a public-private partnership with local county government since 1997 serves 76,329 local residents and three million visitors annually. A ten-member board of directors guides the council, assisted by three alternate directors, two directors Emeritus and twenty-five advisory board members.

Other notable Monroe County cultural organizations are, the Red Barn Theatre, Key West Symphony, Sculpture Key West, , the San Carlos Institute, , , and Key West Art and Historical Society.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 9,679 (3,737 ). 2,582 km² (997 sq mi) of it is land and 7,097 km² (2,740 sq mi) of it (73.32%) is water.

Virtually all the Monroe County population (more than 99.9 ) lives in the island chain known as the.

Two thirds of large area in what local residents call "mainland Monroe" is protected by the, and the remainder by the in the northeastern interior. The area, officially named Cape Sable, is virtually uninhabited. As of the of 2000, this area had 86.9 percent of the county's land area (2243.58 out of 2582.00 sqkm), but only 0.075 percent of its population (60 out of 79,589). The Census Bureau defines this area as 9701 of Monroe County, Florida. With a population density of only 0.0267/km² (0.0693/sq mi), if it were a separate county or, only the of central  would have a lower population density out of all U.S. counties. The only three populated places appearing on detailed maps and in the geographic name database are , Pinecrest (not to be confused with much larger  of neighboring ), and Trail City. Flamingo, located on the south coast and at the end of (Flamingo Lodge Highway), is the location of Flamingo Lodge and Flamingo Ranger Station (with Visitor Center & Marina). 11 km northeast on the highway is the West Lake Trail (station). Pinecrest, located in the northern interior of the county (in the Big Cypress National Preserve) on Loop Road (given that name since it forms a loop with further north), hosts Loop Road Education Center. Trail City is 6 km west of Pinecrest on Loop Road. Loop Road can be found on most maps as CR 94, although the roadway no longer has a numbered designation and is now managed by the National Park Service.

Between the south coast of Florida's mainland and the Florida Keys is, which is also protected by the Everglades National Park and which contains numerous islets or keys.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - northeast

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 79,589 people, 35,086 households, and 20,384 families residing in the county. The was 31/km² (80/sq mi). There were 51,617 housing units at an average density of 20/km² (52/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 90.65%, 4.77% or , 0.38% , 0.83% , 0.04% , 1.55% from , and 1.78% from two or more races. 15.77% of the population were or  of any race.

In 2005 Monroe County had a population that was 75.1% non-Hispanic white, 17.7% Latino, 5.4% African-American and 1.1% Asian.

In 2000 there were 35,086 households out of which 20.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.80% were living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.90% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the county the population was spread out with 17.10% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 30.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 113.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,283, and the median income for a family was $50,734. Males had a median income of $31,266 versus $25,709 for females. The for the county was $26,102. About 6.80% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the, including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.

Population History of Monroe County, FL: {{USCensusPop
 * 1840= 688
 * 1850= 2645
 * 1860= 2913
 * 1870= 5657
 * 1880= 10940
 * 1890= 18786
 * 1900= 18006
 * 1910= 21563
 * 1920= 19550
 * 1930= 13624
 * 1940= 14078
 * 1950= 29957
 * 1960= 47921
 * 1970= 52586
 * 1980= 63188
 * 1990= 78024
 * 2000= 79589
 * estimate= 74737
 * estyear= 2006

School Enrollment:


 * 2005-2006-8,328
 * 2006-2007-8,058
 * 2007-2008-7,836
 * 2007-2008(actual)-8,280
 * 2010-2011-7,231

The drop in enrollment is due to high insurance and taxes and homes are becoming too expensive for families to purchase, although the median price has dropped, the median price of a home in Monroe County remains high at $589,000 according to Zillow.com. The enrollment has been dropping for 10 years from a peak of 10,000 students. But these predictions could be changed as insurance has been lowered and property taxes could possibly be rolled back to the 2001 or the 2003 levels.{{fact|date=April 2007}} The enrollment in Monroe County, Florida rose by 129 for the first time in 9 years, and is expected to keep rising.

Languages
As of 2000, 79.23% spoke as a, while 16.08% spoke  as theirs, 1.01% spoke , and 0.98% spoke  as their.

Incorporated

 * 1) City of
 * 2) City of
 * 3) City of
 * 4) City of
 * 5) Village of

Unincorporated islands and areas

 * a.
 * b.
 * c.
 * d.
 * e.
 * f.
 * g.
 * h.
 * i.
 * j.
 * k.

Parks and recreational areas

 * l.
 * m.
 * n.


 * Not pictured
 * Islamorada Founder's Park
 * Islamorada Founder's Park
 * Islamorada Founder's Park
 * Islamorada Founder's Park

Government links/Constitutional offices

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

Special districts

 * Monroe County Public Schools
 * South Florida Water Management District

Judicial branch

 * Monroe County Clerk of Courts
 * Monroe County State Attorney's Office, 16th Judicial Circuit
 * Circuit and County Court, 16th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

 * The Florida Keys and Key West Monroe County Tourism Development Council