Merritt Island, Florida

"Merritt Island" redirects here. For the Yolo County, California island, see Merritt Island AVA. For the Florida airport, see Merritt Island Airport. For the NASA facility, see Kennedy Space Center.
Merritt Island, Florida
Census-designated place
Location in Brevard County and the state of Florida
Location in Brevard County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°21′28″N 80°41′5″W / 28.35778°N 80.68472°W / 28.35778; -80.68472
CountryUnited States United States
StateFlorida Florida
CountyBrevard
Area
[1]
 • Total46.16 sq mi (119.54 km2)
 • Land16.97 sq mi (43.96 km2)
 • Water29.18 sq mi (75.59 km2)
Elevation
3 ft (1 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total34,518
 • Density2,033.94/sq mi (785.30/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
32952–32954
Area code321
FIPS code12-44275[2]
GNIS feature ID0294625[3]

Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island,[4] in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Florida coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and southern parts of the island and a census-designated place (CDP).

The population was 34,518 at the 2020 census, down from 34,743 at the 2010 census.[5][6] It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center is located on Merritt Island to the north of the town, and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is located north of the space center.

The central part of Merritt Island, previously known as Merritt City,[7] is home to the majority of the population and includes the local high school, library, and shopping district. The southern area is heavily residential, with centralized light commercial and light industrial areas.

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (USGS). 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ft180509 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Merritt Island CDP, Florida".
  6. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Merritt Island CDP, Florida". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  7. ^ Parrish, Ada Edmiston; Alma Clyde Field; George Leland Harrell (2001). Images of America, Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach. Arcadia Publishing. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-7385-0668-5. OCLC 47669471.