Islamorada, Florida

History

The name Islamorada, pronounced (Is-La-Moh-RA-Da) (Original meaning: "Island Home" after the Pinder family schooner of that name), newly nicknamed, "The Purple Isle," came from early Spanish explorers in the area. Its pronunciation has been anglicized to "eye-lah-moh-RA-da."

Islamorada was hit almost directly by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, causing 423 deaths. A memorial, including the ashes of over 300 victims, exists today at Overseas Highway mile marker 82.

Hall of Fame baseball player Ted Williams began visiting Islamorada in 1943 and for the next 45 years was the island's most well-known resident. After his retirement from baseball he became the national spokesman for Sears sporting goods and became renowned for his abilities as a fisherman. Over the decades, he hosted numerous celebrities at his Islamorada house and took them on local fishing trips. Williams’ residency in Islamorada ended in 1988 when he moved to Hernando, Florida. Williams cited the island’s increased development as his reason for leaving. He reportedly said that he knew it was time to leave when he could no longer make a left turn on to U.S. Route 1 because of the traffic.

The village was incorporated on November 4, 1997. Prior to this date, Islamorada was only considered to be on the island of Upper Matecumbe Key.

As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 6,119. As of 2009, the population recorded by the United States Census Bureau is 6,435.

Geography

Islamorada is located at 24°56′9″N 80°36′49″W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 7.2 square miles (19 km²), of which 7.1 square miles (18 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (1.93%) is water.

Islamorada is located approximately 1.5 hours driving time south of Miami and approximately 2 hours driving time northeast of Key West.

Climate

Islamorada has a tropical climate similar to the rest of the Florida Keys.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,119 people, 2,882 households, and 1,673 families residing in the village. The population density was 838.2 inhabitants per square mile (325.4/km²). There were 5,692 housing units at an average density of 767.7 per square mile (296.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.54% White, 0.72% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.63% of the population.

There were 2,882 households out of which 17.04% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.13% were married couples living together, 5.76% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.95% were non-families. 31.78% of all households were made up of individuals and 33.24% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.57.

In the village, the population was spread out with 13.86% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 35.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 112.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $41,522, and the median income for a family was $56,118. Males had a median income of $31,339 versus $25,670 for females. The per capita income for the village was $29,519. 6.9% of the population and 3.5% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.0% are under the age of 18 and 4.5% are 65 or older.

On January 13, 2012, actor Gene Hackman was struck by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle in Islamorada.

Neighborhoods

Official neighborhoods within the village are:

Education

Residents are zoned to schools in the Monroe County School District.

Notable people

In popular culture

Much of the action in the Netflix series Bloodline takes place in and around Islamorada: