Palm Coast Flagler County

Flagler County is located in northeast Florida adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.  It encompasses the City of Palm Coast, the City of Flagler Beach, the City of Bunnell, the Town of Beverly Beach and the Town of Marineland.  As of the 2000 U.S. census, Flagler County held 21,294 households and a total of 49,832 people.  However, the next census will prove that those numbers have raised exponentially since the census, particularly due to the tremendous growth of the City of Palm Coast, a new community with a rapid job growth and population growth rate.  In fact, a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimates its population to have risen to above 83,000, a 66.7% growth rate which means that it has the most rapid growth-rate of any other county in the United States.

Even though Flagler County doesn’t contain one of the major Florida cities, it is just about an hour south of Jacksonville and about an hour east of Orlando.  Flagler County is one of Florida’s lesser-known but oft-populated tourist destinations.  While it does not contain a major metropolitan city, Flagler County is popular with tourists that want to enjoy the scenic Florida beauty without the traditional packed venues and beaches that other Florida beach towns have.

Flagler Beach has grown from a small fishing village on the east coast of Florida to a bustling community of over 5,000 residents with a healthy tourism industry.  While the city has many of the comforts and accommodations of one with much more residents, it retains the sleepy charm that it held back in the 1920s.  The town is located just six miles away from some of the most pristine beaches in Florida and is considered to be one of the best kept secrets of Florida.  Great fishing, recreation, and sunny Florida living are the trademarks of Flagler Beach.

Palm Coast is fast becoming the jewel of Flagler County. Even though the city was incorporated just a few short years ago, the careful and meticulously planned community is experiencing unparalleled resident and job growth.  This is due in no small part of the strict adherence to regulations put into place that ensures industrial, commercial, and residential development does not disturb the natural Florida scenic beauty.  A large sense of community and safety for its residents as well as the abundance of upper-middle class to upper-class residents have also made this previously small town a draw for new business and residents as well.

The City of Bunnell and the towns of Beverly Beach and Marineland are the remaining incorporated towns of Flagler County, Florida.  Beverly Beach had a total of 312 households and 547 people in 2000, Bunnell had a total of 845 households and 2,122 people in 2000, and Marineland had a total of 3 households and 6 people in 2000.  Marineland is more of a theme park than an actual city and boasts being one of Florida’s first.  It holds the distinction of being the world’s first oceanarium as well.  Though visitors to Marineland were previously able to swim with the dolphins in the 400,000 oceanarium, it was demolished in 2005 and Marineland is now a primarily hands-on educational facility but has plans for condo development on the land where the facilities were previously housed.

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