Islamorada, Village of Islands

Islamorada, Florida
Islamorada, "Village of Islands" is an incorporated village in Monroe County, Florida, on the islands of Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Windley Key and Plantation Key in the Florida Keys.

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 2000 census, the village had a total population of 6,846. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,033.[1].

The name "Islamorada", meaning "purple isle", comes from early Spanish explorers in the area, and means (only by coincidence) "Islam is over there" in Turkish.

Islamorada was hit almost directly by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, causing 423 deaths.

According to the grand jury indictment of a group of paramilitary Christians of West Indian origin,[2], in January 2006 Islamadora was used as a meeting site by four of the group with an undercover FBI agent they believed to be an al-Qaeda representative.

St. James the Fisherman Episcopal Church
St. James the Fisherman Web Page (Anglican) is the parish church of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, located in Islamorada. The church is on Plantation Key in Islamorada, at Mile Marker 87.5. It is in the "Broad Church" Tradition of the Episcopal Church.

The parish was established as St. Andrews-on-the-Keys in Tavernier, Florida, in 1959. Subsequent names were St. Simeon’s-on-the-Keys and St. Adrian’s Episcopal Mission. The church was ultimately named St. James the Fisherman and relocated to Plantation Key in Islamorada, Florida in 1970.

Geography
Islamorada is located at 24°56′9″N, 80°36′49″W1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 18.8 km² (7.2 mi²). 18.4 km² (7.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.93%) is water.

Islamorada is located approximately two hours driving time south of Miami Beach and approximately two hours driving time north of Key West.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,846 people, 3,174 households, and 1,853 families residing in the village. The population density was 371.8/km² (962.5/mi²). There were 5,461 housing units at an average density of 296.6/km² (767.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.84% White, 0.45% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.72% of the population.

There were 3,174 households out of which 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.63.

In the village the population was spread out with 15.5% 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.

Formula Retail
A large part of the reasoning behind the incorporation of the Village was a proposal to place a McDonalds on Upper Matecumbe Key, considered to be "downtown Islamorada". This spurred incorporation and ultimately led to the passing of an ordinance which set strict limitations on the size and type of formula retail and restaurant establishments in the Village. Recently, a Federal judge ruled that the ordinance violated the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution, despite an earlier Federal judge's ruling that found that the ordinance did not violate the Commerce Clause. The ruling could affect the self-proclaimed "small town" character of the Village and may pit developers and outsiders (generally those in favor of formula retail and restaurants) against long time village residents (who incorporated to stop formula establishments).

 

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