Palm Coast, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Palm Coast, Florida
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Location in Flagler County and the state of Florida
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 Palm Coast, Florida
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States | |
| State | Florida | |
| County | Flagler | |
| Developed | 1969 | |
| Incorporated (city) | December 31, 1999 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council-Manager | |
| Area | ||
| • City | 96.57 sq mi (250.12 km2) | |
| • Land | 95.37 sq mi (247.00 km2) | |
| • Water | 1.20 sq mi (3.12 km2) | |
| Elevation | 31 ft (9 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • City | 89,258 | |
| • Density | 935.92/sq mi (361.36/km2) | |
| • Urban | 349,064 (US: 109th) | |
| • Metro | 99,956 | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP codes |
32135, 32137, 32142, 32164
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| Area code(s) | 386 | |
| FIPS code | 12-54200 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0295049 | |
Palm Coast is a city in Flagler County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 89,258, an increase of almost 200% since the 2000 count of 32,832. The population was estimated to be 98,411 as of July 1, 2022. It is the most populous city in Flagler County. Palm Coast is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area.
Contents
History
In the late 1950s, most of the land that would become Palm Coast consisted of swamp and pine forest, with only a few farms and beach houses as well as a turpentine distillery. Business activity was concentrated along Florida State Road 100. Tourists paid fees to hunt and fish in the area.
Developed by ITT Community Development Corporation (Levitt) in 1969, the original development plan encompassed 48,000 home sites on approximately 42,000 acres (17,000 ha) of the 68,000 acres (28,000 ha) owned by ITT. Paved streets and central water and sewer served all lots developed within the plan. An extensive water management system was designed to replenish the area's water table, which includes 46 miles (74 km) of freshwater canals and 23 miles (37 km) of saltwater canals. On October 29, 1970, ITT built Palm Coast's welcome center. This date is now celebrated as Founder's Day.
In 1975, the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners established Palm Coast Service District, which included almost 40,000 acres (16,000 ha). Funds for the district were derived primarily from ad valorem taxes and were used to provide fire services, fire hydrants, street lighting, animal control and emergency services.
Florida had its first serious "wildland urban interface" fire in 1985 with the Palm Coast Fire, which burned 131 homes. Research on this fire indicated that the most important factor was the proximity of heavy ground vegetation to the structures. Thirteen years later, fires struck the same Palm Coast subdivision. The 1998 fires were national news because the whole county was ordered to evacuate, and 45,000 people were displaced. Fire suppression organizations responded from 44 states, and Florida hosted the largest aerial suppression operation ever conducted in the United States. Because of the massive effort, only 71 homes were destroyed.
In September 1999, the citizenry of Palm Coast voted by a margin of two to one to incorporate as a council/manager form of government. On December 31, 1999, the City of Palm Coast was officially incorporated. On October 1, 2000, all services were officially transferred from the former Service District to the city of Palm Coast. The five-member City Council is elected at large and serves staggered four-year terms. One member is elected as mayor. The promulgation and adoption of policy are the responsibility of the council and the execution of such policy is the responsibility of the council-appointed city manager. The city hired its first city manager on April 17, 2000.
The city provides a wide range of services including development services, fire services, street construction and maintenance, parks and recreational activities. Palm Coast contracts with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services. As of 2012[update], the city has plans under way for a new city hall, a town center, new fire stations, and additional lands for parks. Preservation and protection of environmentally sensitive lands is a key goal of this city as it prepares for the future.
Geography
Palm Coast is located in northeastern Flagler County at 29°32′17″N 81°13′24″W / 29.538128°N 81.223385°W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 90.8 square miles (235.3 km2), of which 89.9 square miles (232.8 km2) is land and 0.97 square miles (2.5 km2), or 1.06%, is water. The city extends north to the Flagler County line, southwest to the Bunnell city limits, and southeast to touch the city of Flagler Beach.
Interstate 95 crosses Palm Coast from north to south, with access from Exit 293 (Matanzas Woods Parkway), Exit 289 (Palm Coast Parkway), and Exit 284 (Florida State Road 100). U.S. Route 1 runs parallel to I-95 through the western side of Palm Coast, leading into Bunnell.
The area around Palm Coast last saw a direct hit from a tropical cyclone in 2004 when Hurricane Charley passed directly over the area. Since 1851 when hurricane tracking data began, 33 hurricanes and tropical storms have directly affected the area.
Palm Coast has become a bedroom community for St. Augustine, 25 miles (40 km) to the north, and Daytona Beach, 30 miles (48 km) to the south, while some residents also work in Orlando and Jacksonville.
Climate
| Climate data for Palm Coast, Florida, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1999–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 87 (31) |
89 (32) |
92 (33) |
94 (34) |
102 (39) |
100 (38) |
101 (38) |
99 (37) |
97 (36) |
92 (33) |
89 (32) |
87 (31) |
102 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 79.9 (26.6) |
82.3 (27.9) |
85.7 (29.8) |
88.7 (31.5) |
91.9 (33.3) |
95.1 (35.1) |
95.5 (35.3) |
95.6 (35.3) |
92.2 (33.4) |
88.7 (31.5) |
83.9 (28.8) |
81.0 (27.2) |
97.1 (36.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 65.2 (18.4) |
67.9 (19.9) |
72.4 (22.4) |
77.8 (25.4) |
82.8 (28.2) |
86.2 (30.1) |
87.8 (31.0) |
87.8 (31.0) |
86.0 (30.0) |
80.8 (27.1) |
73.7 (23.2) |
68.5 (20.3) |
78.1 (25.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 57.2 (14.0) |
60.0 (15.6) |
64.2 (17.9) |
70.1 (21.2) |
76.2 (24.6) |
80.8 (27.1) |
82.2 (27.9) |
82.2 (27.9) |
80.8 (27.1) |
75.1 (23.9) |
67.1 (19.5) |
60.8 (16.0) |
71.4 (21.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 49.2 (9.6) |
52.1 (11.2) |
56.0 (13.3) |
62.3 (16.8) |
69.5 (20.8) |
75.5 (24.2) |
76.5 (24.7) |
76.7 (24.8) |
75.6 (24.2) |
69.4 (20.8) |
60.4 (15.8) |
53.1 (11.7) |
64.7 (18.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 30.7 (−0.7) |
35.7 (2.1) |
40.5 (4.7) |
49.1 (9.5) |
57.4 (14.1) |
66.1 (18.9) |
70.1 (21.2) |
70.6 (21.4) |
67.0 (19.4) |
52.9 (11.6) |
42.4 (5.8) |
37.8 (3.2) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 21 (−6) |
26 (−3) |
33 (1) |
39 (4) |
43 (6) |
54 (12) |
61 (16) |
64 (18) |
58 (14) |
41 (5) |
35 (2) |
23 (−5) |
21 (−6) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.34 (85) |
3.60 (91) |
3.09 (78) |
2.51 (64) |
2.79 (71) |
5.92 (150) |
6.27 (159) |
6.41 (163) |
7.67 (195) |
4.45 (113) |
2.46 (62) |
2.93 (74) |
51.44 (1,307) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.3 | 9.8 | 9.3 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 13.2 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 10.5 | 8.9 | 9.5 | 127.2 |
| Source: NOAA (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020) | |||||||||||||
Economy
As of 2012[update], industrial parks within the town house more than 30 mid-size businesses, with the largest one, the "Palm Coast Data" company, employing close to 1,000 people. Flagler County has had one of the highest rates of population growth in the United States since 1990, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census. However, the area was hit extremely hard by the housing bust's recession. In December 2009, it had the worst unemployment rate of the state of Florida's largest metropolitan areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate at that time was 16.9 percent.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 2,837 | — | |
| 1990 | 14,287 | 403.6% | |
| 2000 | 32,732 | 129.1% | |
| 2010 | 75,180 | 129.7% | |
| 2020 | 89,258 | 18.7% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 102,113 | 35.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 26,217 | 54,762 | 62,158 | 80.10% | 72.84% | 69.64% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 3,261 | 9,191 | 9,249 | 9.96% | 12.23% | 10.36% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 65 | 155 | 223 | 0.20% | 0.21% | 0.25% |
| Asian (NH) | 492 | 1,878 | 2,161 | 1.50% | 2.50% | 2.42% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 10 | 44 | 55 | 0.03% | 0.06% | 0.06% |
| Some other race (NH) | 73 | 270 | 614 | 0.22% | 0.36% | 0.69% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 418 | 1,328 | 3,852 | 1.28% | 1.77% | 4.32% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,196 | 7,552 | 10,946 | 6.71% | 10.05% | 12.26% |
| Total | 32,732 | 75,180 | 89,258 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 89,258 people, 33,264 households, and 24,478 families residing in the city.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 75,180 people, 27,184 households, and 19,862 families residing in the city.
Languages
As of 2000, English spoken as a first language accounted for 87.66% of all residents, while 12.33% spoke other languages as their mother tongue. The most significant was Spanish speakers who made up 6.48% of the population, while German came up as the third most spoken language, which made up 1.18%, Italian was spoken by 1.02%, and Portuguese at 1.00% of the population.
Noted issues
Pedestrian fatalities
On March 2, 2017, Michelle Taylor, a 16-year-old student of Matanzas High School was struck and killed by a car while walking home from school in an area with no sidewalks and few street lights. In the following months, the people of the city petitioned to have more street lights and sidewalks installed throughout the entire city to reduce the number of pedestrian injuries and deaths. Students of Matanzas High School took charge of these efforts by creating committees and petitions to generate attention and pressure the local city council. Towards the end of 2016, Kevin Smith Jr, also a student of Matanzas, was injured in a hit and run under the same conditions.
Healthcare
The only hospitals are AdventHealth Palm Coast and AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway.
Notable people
- Ray Black Jr., driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series
- Caesar DePaço, Portuguese businessman and diplomat who served as the Portuguese Consul to Florida
- Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Congressman and current Governor of Florida
- Louis Miceli Jr., vocalist of band Palisades
- Eddie Money, singer of Two Tickets to Paradise
- Reilly Opelka, tennis player
- Leslie West, former lead singer of Mountain
- Home Is Where, emo band
- Louis Bernard Gaskin, "The Ninja Killer" who was executed by the state in 2023 for two 1989 murders
See also
In Spanish: Palm Coast para niños
