Flagler County is situated in the northeastern quadrant of the U.S. state of Florida. The population as of the 2020 census was 115,378. Bunnell is the county seat, and Palm Coast is the largest city. Flagler County is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area, but is also part of the Orlando–Deltona–Daytona Beach, FL Combined Statistical Area, typically associated with Central Florida.

History

The region was home to Seminole and Timucua tribes before the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Large plantations grew cash crops including corn and sugar cane in the early 1800s. Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park was the biggest sugar plantation on Florida's east coast. Farmers also cultivated the Irish potato and the potato is on the county seal. Beginning in the 1800s, agriculture (cabbage and potato farming), silviculture and ranching (cattle farming) were the economic drivers of the county. The county was created in 1917 using parts of Volusia and St. Johns Counties. It was named in honor of Henry Flagler, the wealthy Industrialist who financed and constructed the Florida East Coast Railway. The county was involved in the Florida land boom of the 1920s which generated tourism. Bunnell was incorporated as a city in 1924, Flagler Beach the following year and the original courthouse in Bunnell was built in 1926.

Tourism

Marine Studios was one of Florida's first marine mammal parks, billed as "the world's first oceanarium". The first attraction was a bottlenose dolphin. Approximately 30,000 people showed up for the grand opening on June 23, 1938 and Florida State Road A1A was gridlocked for miles in both directions. Underwater scenes were filmed at the facility in hundreds of movies. It was one of the first tourist attractions built in Florida, intended for St. Augustine but ended up in Flagler County. It was renamed Marineland of Florida in 1961.

Cement

The Pennsylvania-based Lehigh Cement Company purchased of Flagler County land in 1948 and began building a manufacturing plant for Portland cement in 1949. A rail spur was constructed from the plant, seven miles to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks north of Bunnell. A navigable canal was built from the Intracoastal Waterway to the plant allowing fuel oil delivery from barges. The area’s soil has coquina shell containing lime, a major component of cement, and the plant was expected to produce 1.5 million barrels of cement per year for 100 years. The plant opened in 1952 and employed 300 for a dozen years. The cement bags were loaded in box cars and bulk product into tank cars. The plant's peak production occurred in 1958 when 150 rail cars were loaded every day. Despite high productivity and earnings, the plants could not recapture enough funds through depreciation to pay for replacement machinery. The Bunnell plant was closed down in 1965. The property was purchased by ITT for $8 million on December 23, 1968.

Palm Coast

Palm Coast was established in 1969-1970 as a master-planned community by International Telephone & Telegraph Corporation, transforming over 40,000 acres of pine forest and wetlands into a residential "golf town". At the time, the population of the county was under 5,000. The population nearly doubled every ten years through 2010 when the population reached 95,696. Formally incorporated in 1999, it grew from a planned retirement/resort area into a thriving city, now known for its extensive canal systems and rapid population growth.

Wildfire 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.

Geography U.S. Census Bureau data shows that the total area of the county is , of which is land and (15.0%) is water. The county has 18-miles of Atlantic coastline.

Adjacent counties St. Johns County, Florida – north Volusia County, Florida – south Putnam County, Florida – west

Parks and gardens The county has over 40 preserves and parks for use by sunbathers, campers, swimmers, boaters and nature-lovers. There are more than 90 miles of trails for biking, hiking, and paddling.

Belle Terre Parkway 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 Crescent Lake Intracoastal Waterway Matanzas River Pellicer Creek

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Flagler County, Florida – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)9,41324,84141,63672,86084,29186.25%86.55%83.55%76.14%73.06%Black or African American alone (NH)1,2742,2704,29510,47010,53711.67%7.91%8.62%10.94%9.13%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6501192232910.05%0.17%0.24%0.23%0.25%Asian alone (NH)292695762,0202,4500.27%0.94%1.16%2.11%2.12%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census114759xx0.02%0.05%0.05%Other race alone (NH)311852907040.03%0.04%0.17%0.30%0.61%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census5731,5354,747xx1.15%1.60%4.11%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1881,2602,5378,25112,2991.72%4.39%5.09%8.62%10.66%Total10,91328,70149,83295,696115,378 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Flagler County had a population of 115,378, 48,450 households, and 34,022 families; the population density was 237.3 per square mile (91.6/km), and there were 55,565 housing units at an average density of 114.3 per square mile (44.1/km). Of those housing units, 12.8% were vacant, 78.5% of the occupied units were owner-occupied, and 21.5% were renter-occupied, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 2.1% and a rental vacancy rate of 10.7%.

As of the 2020 census, the median age was 54.0 years; 16.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.0% were 18 to 24, 17.4% were 25 to 44, 28.0% were 45 to 64, and 32.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.6 males age 18 and over.

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 76.0% White, 9.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.0% from some other race, and 9.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.7% of the population.

As of the 2020 census, 92.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 7.7% lived in rural areas.

As of the 2020 census, there were 48,450 households, of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.8% were married-couple households, 14.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 2.9.

2020 American Community Survey (2016–2020) estimates According to the 2016–2020 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 19.7% of residents had a bachelor’s degree or higher. The median household income was $57,536 (± $2,337), and the median family income was $66,778 (± $2,998). Males had a median income of $34,295 (± $3,092) versus $26,810 (± $1,300) for females, and the median income for those over 16 years old was $30,465 (± $1,204). Approximately 7.8% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under the age of 18 and 6.9% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census 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%.https://www.census.gov/ Economy The top employers in Flagler County are schools, followed by full-service restaurants, medical & hospitals, landscaping services, limited-service restaurants, government offices, supermarkets & grocery stores, hotels & motels, retail superstores and department stores.

Transportation

Airports Flagler Executive Airport is the primary airport within the county. It does not provide commercial air services but does serve private, student and business aviation. Formerly Flagler County Airport, it was renamed April 20, 2015 following $22 million in projects and improvements completed over six years including a new control tower. Construction began in 2025 on a replacement for the 40-year-old General Aviation Terminal, used by the Fixed Base Operator (FBO) and administration offices. The building was budgeted at $11.2 million and expected to open late 2026.

Bridges

The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) has always been a physical barrier to the Atlantic Ocean and beaches for county residents. It is affectionately nicknamed "The Ditch" by locals and boaters because the man-made waterway is typically shallow, narrow, and demands attention. George Moody established a ferry service for two cars in 1914. A turnstile bridge was constructed in October 1920. The wooden structure was so weak that passengers on the school bus were required to disembark and cross separately from the empty bus. In 1951 a drawbridge constructed of steel and concrete and steel replaced the old wood bridge. It remained the only way to cross the ICW until the Hammock Dunes Bridge opened in 1988. The drawbridge was finally replaced by the Flagler Beach Bridge in 1997.

Major roads

(Interstate 95)

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.

Politics