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 571 sqmi, of which 485 sqmi is land and 85 sqmi (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%.

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

 * [[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

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.

Voter registration
According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are a plurality of registered voters in Flagler County.

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.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando operates area Catholic schools. Father Lopez Catholic High School, a private high school, is in nearby Daytona Beach.

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."

Cities

 * Bunnell
 * Flagler Beach
 * Palm Coast

Towns

 * Beverly Beach
 * Marineland (partly in St. John's County)

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

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