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Everglades City, Florida

Coordinates: 25°51′32″N 81°23′5″W / 25.85889°N 81.38472°W / 25.85889; -81.38472
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"Everglades, Florida" redirects here. For the wetland area, see Everglades. For the National Park, see Everglades National Park.
Everglades City
City
City of Everglades City
Everglades City City Hall (Old Collier County Courthouse)
Everglades City City Hall
(Old Collier County Courthouse)
Location in Collier County and the state of Florida
Location in Collier County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 25°51′32″N 81°23′5″W / 25.85889°N 81.38472°W / 25.85889; -81.38472
Country United States
State Florida
County Collier
Settled
(Everglade Settlement)		1873-1895[1][2]
Incorporated
(Town of Everglades)		1923[3]
Incorporated
(City of Everglades)		1953[4][5]
Reincorporated (City of Everglades City)1965[4]
Government
 • TypeMayor-Council
 • MayorHowell "Howie" Grimm Jr.
 • CouncilorsVicky Wells,
Parker Oglesby,
Michael McComas,
Tony Pernas, and
Diana Valdes
 • City ClerkDorothy "Dottie" K. Smallwood
 • City AttorneyZachary Lombardo
Area
[6]
 • Total
1.20 sq mi (3.11 km2)
 • Land0.92 sq mi (2.37 km2)
 • Water0.28 sq mi (0.74 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
352
 • Density384.70/sq mi (148.48/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
34139
Area code239
FIPS code12-21425[7]
Websitewww.cityofeverglades.org

Everglades City is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States, of which it was once the county seat. It is part of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers-Naples Combined Statistical Area.[8] The Gulf Coast Visitor Center for Everglades National Park is located in Everglades City.[9] As of the 2020 US census, the population was 352, down from 400 in the 2010 US census.

History

[edit]
The Museum of the Everglades in Everglades City

The area around Chokoloskee Bay, including the site of Everglades City, was occupied for thousands of years by Native Americans of the Glades culture, who were absorbed by the Calusa shortly before the arrival of Europeans in the New World, but by the time Florida was transferred from Spain to the United States in 1821, the area was uninhabited. A legend says that Seminoles planted potatoes along what is now the Barron River during the Seminole Wars, in the vicinity of the present Everglades City.[10]

American settlement began after the Civil War, when Union sympathizers who had farmed on Cape Sable to supply Key West during the war moved up the west coast of the peninsula. The first permanent settler was William Smith Allen, who arrived on the banks of Potato Creek (later renamed the Allen River) in 1873. After Allen retired to Key West in 1889, George W. Storter, Jr. became the principal landowner in the area. Storter gained fame for his sugar cane crops. He opened a trading post in 1892, and gained a post office, called "Everglade", in 1895. Storter also began entertaining northern tourists who came to Everglade by yacht in the winter to hunt and fish. His house eventually grew into the Rod and Gun Club, visited by United States Presidents and other notables.[1][2]

The first school in Everglade was organized in 1893. The school moved into a new building in 1895, but the building was destroyed by a tornado later in the year. The next school building was washed away by the 1910 hurricane. A Methodist circuit rider began visiting Everglade in 1888, and another Methodist minister began a four-year residency the next year. After that, Everglade was occasionally visited by itinerant preachers of various denominations.[11] The Episcopal Church established a mission at Immokalee which eventually moved to Everglade when revitalized in the 1930s by Harriet Bedell.

In 1922, Barron Collier began buying large areas of land in what was then southern Lee County. In 1923, the Florida legislature created Collier County from Lee County, and they chose the county seat to be in Everglade. During that same year, it only consisted of a dozen families, but some northern sportsmen had established winter homes there.[3] Also in 1923, the community was officially incorporated as the "Town of Everglades" (adding the "s").[4]

The Tamiami Trail, which crossed Collier's domain, passed five miles north of Everglades City. While construction was proceeding on the Trail (it was completed in 1929), Collier pushed construction of what became State Road 29 from Everglades City to Immokalee, providing the town with its first land connection to the rest of the state.[12] In 1928, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad began service to Everglades City, which became the southernmost point the Coast Line ever reached. Service was provided by an extension of the Coast Line's Haines City Branch from Immokalee to Deep Lake, where it connected to Collier's Deep Lake Railroad, an earlier railroad that transported agricultural freight.[13] The railroad was removed in 1957.[14]

In 1953, the "Town of Everglades" became the "City of Everglades".[4][5] In 1960, the strong winds and coastal flooding of Hurricane Donna combined to destroy 153 homes in Collier County, as well as inflict major damage on 409 more, and damage an additional 1,049.[15] Everglades was hard hit, and two years later, Florida's legislature moved the county seat to East Naples, Florida. In 1965, the state legislature changed the city's name to the "City of Everglades City".[4][5]

Geography

[edit]

The approximate coordinates for the City of Everglades City is located at 25°51′32″N 81°23′5″W / 25.85889°N 81.38472°W / 25.85889; -81.38472.

Everglades City is at the mouth of the Barron River, on Chokoloskee Bay. Chokoloskee Bay is approximately ten miles (16 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide, and runs southeast to northwest along the mainland of Collier County. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands.[16] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), of which 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (21.01%) is water.

Climate

[edit]

Everglades City has a tropical climate, similar to the climate found in much of the Caribbean. It is part of the only region in the 48 contiguous states that falls under that category. More specifically, it generally has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification: Aw), bordering a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification: Am).[17]

Climate data for Everglades City 5 NE, Florida, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2007–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 92
(33) 		95
(35) 		96
(36) 		99
(37) 		99
(37) 		100
(38) 		99
(37) 		100
(38) 		99
(37) 		96
(36) 		94
(34) 		93
(34) 		100
(38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 77.1
(25.1) 		80.8
(27.1) 		83.3
(28.5) 		86.7
(30.4) 		90.3
(32.4) 		90.9
(32.7) 		92.5
(33.6) 		92.6
(33.7) 		91.1
(32.8) 		87.4
(30.8) 		83.2
(28.4) 		79.7
(26.5) 		86.3
(30.2)
Daily mean °F (°C) 65.1
(18.4) 		68.2
(20.1) 		70.3
(21.3) 		74.4
(23.6) 		78.2
(25.7) 		81.7
(27.6) 		83.7
(28.7) 		83.9
(28.8) 		82.8
(28.2) 		78.7
(25.9) 		72.4
(22.4) 		68.5
(20.3) 		75.7
(24.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 53.1
(11.7) 		55.7
(13.2) 		57.3
(14.1) 		62.0
(16.7) 		66.1
(18.9) 		72.4
(22.4) 		74.9
(23.8) 		75.3
(24.1) 		74.5
(23.6) 		70.0
(21.1) 		61.6
(16.4) 		57.4
(14.1) 		65.0
(18.3)
Record low °F (°C) 28
(−2) 		29
(−2) 		35
(2) 		41
(5) 		54
(12) 		64
(18) 		70
(21) 		70
(21) 		66
(19) 		45
(7) 		40
(4) 		29
(−2) 		28
(−2)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.70
(43) 		2.11
(54) 		2.28
(58) 		2.61
(66) 		3.71
(94) 		11.70
(297) 		7.44
(189) 		7.66
(195) 		9.05
(230) 		3.76
(96) 		1.45
(37) 		1.81
(46) 		55.28
(1,404)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 5.2 4.1 4.2 5.4 8.9 16.5 17.1 17.4 16.6 10.5 4.4 5.0 115.3
Source: NOAA[18][19]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1930172—
1940518201.2%
195062520.7%
1960552−11.7%
1970462−16.3%
198052413.4%
1990321−38.7%
200047949.2%
2010400−16.5%
2020352−12.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[20]

2010 and 2020 census

[edit]
Everglades City racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race Pop 2010[21] Pop 2020[22] % 2010 % 2020
White (NH) 336 283 84.00% 80.40%
Black or African American (NH) 3 0 0.75% 0.00%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 9 9 2.25% 2.56%
Asian (NH) 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Some other race (NH) 0 1 0.00% 0.28%
Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) 7 6 1.75% 1.70%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 45 53 11.25% 15.06%
Total 400 352 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 352 people, 103 households, and 59 families residing in the city.[23]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 400 people, 106 households, and 80 families residing in the city.[24]

2000 census

[edit]

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 479 people, 230 households, and 154 families residing in the city. The population density was 513.2 inhabitants per square mile (198.1/km2). There were 345 housing units at an average density of 369.6 per square mile (142.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.45% White, 0.84% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 1.46% from other races, and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.97% of the population.

In 2000, there were 230 households, out of which 13.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 3.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. Of all households, 27.0% were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.50.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 11.9% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 34.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.0 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $36,667, and the median income for a family was $38,929. Males had a median income of $32,083 versus $22,222 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,535. About 6.1% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or older.

Historic buildings

[edit]

Historic buildings in Everglades City include the Old Collier County Courthouse, Bank of Everglades Building, and Everglades Laundry (now the Museum of the Everglades).[25]

Schools & Libraries

[edit]

The city's public schools are operated by the District School Board of Collier County.

The Collier County Public Library (CCPL) is the public library system that serves Collier County, and the one branch located within Everglades City is the Everglades City Branch Library Archived November 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Tebeau. pp. 28–33.
  2. ^ a b Liefermann.
  3. ^ a b Tebeau. pp. 33, 35.
  4. ^ a b c d e An Act relating to the City of Everglades, Collier county, name; amending chapter 29068, Laws of Florida, 1953, by adding section 1A to change the name of said municipality to Everglades City (1524). 1965.
  5. ^ a b c "FLORIDA CITIES BY INCORPORATION YEAR WITH INCORPORATION & DISSOLUTION INFO" (PDF). www.flcities.com.
  6. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  8. ^ "Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Guidance on the Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). Executive Office of the President. July 21, 2023. p. 64. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "Gulf Coast Visitor Center". National Park Service. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  10. ^ Tebeau. p. 28.
  11. ^ Tebeau. pp. 33–5.
  12. ^ Carter. p. 80.
  13. ^ Turner, Gregg M. (December 1, 1999). Railroads of Southwest Florida. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing.
  14. ^ "Harrisburg to Everglades City". Abandoned Rails. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  15. ^ Special Storm and Flood Report by the American Red Cross for U.S. Weather Bureau. American Red Cross (Report). United States Weather Bureau. October 20, 1960. p. 1. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  16. ^ Tebeau 1968:5
  17. ^ "Köppen Climate Classification Map: South Florida=Am/Aw=tropical wet & dry". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011.
  18. ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  19. ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  20. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  21. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Everglades city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
  22. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Everglades city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
  23. ^ "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2020: Everglades city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
  24. ^ "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Everglades city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
  25. ^ "Florida Everglades". Florida Everglades. Retrieved March 6, 2024.

Further reading

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[edit]
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