2017-18 Fantastic Flagler Visitor & Newcomer Guide 2017-2018 Fantastic Flagler Visitor Newcomer Guide | Page 65

MOVING TO FLAGLER Nominated by Budget Travel Magazine as one of “America’s Coolest Small Towns,” Flagler Beach’s pet-friendly parks and beaches mean the whole family can get away. The town’s vibe is casual and retro with one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants and lodging options that have allowed the community to retain its charm across generations. A Little History: This once-sleepy fishing village was called Ocean City, before becoming Flagler Beach in 1925. The city recently celebrated its 90th birthday. For 50 years, the Flagler Beach Hotel reigned as the community’s social hub until it was demolished in the early 1970s. A majestic three-story building with a fourth floor penthouse ballroom, the grand hotel was a go-to destination for events and illustrious guests including pilot Charles Lindberg. Lindberg stayed there two nights in 1931 after making an unscheduled landing due to bad weather. When he was able to continue his journey from Miami to New York, Lindberg dipped his plane’s wing over the pier to show his gratitude for the hospitality he received. BUNNELL Community: The City of Bunnell was originally founded as “Bunnell Colony” and was officially incorporated as a town in 1913 and as a city in 1924. Between 2005 and 2007, Bunnell annexed more than 92,000 acres of land, increasing its size from four square miles to 141 square miles, making it one of the largest cities in Florida. Bunnell is the Flagler County Seat. One of the oldest towns on Florida’s East Coast, Bunnell hosts special events like Cracker Day, the Flagler County Fair and the Brian Earl Foster Invitational Bull Riding event. A Little History: Bunnell’s roots date back to 1909 when Isaac I. Moody, Jr. and James Frank Lambert purchased 30,000 acres of land from Georgia Senator George Deen and chartered the Bunnell Development Company. The town’s earliest designation was “the Bunnell Stop” on the area’s first rail route, named after Alvah Bunnell’s cypress shingle mill that supplied wood to passing locomotives. Real estate promoters pushed development of the area bringing in prospective buyers by train from Chicago and points north. A community rich in “Old Florida” history, Bunnell is still loyal to its founding values of community, family and farming. FLAGLER COUNTY POPULATION demographics Sources: US Census, www.census.gov; Applied Geographic Solutions, 2017 TOTAL population Male 51,483 Female 55,848 47.97% 52.03% AGE distribution 0-4 4,392 5-9 5,129 4.09% 10-19 11,359 10.58% 4.78% 20-29 10,004 30-39 9,991 9.32% 9.31% 50-59 14,283 60-64 8,496 13.31% 7.92% 40-49 11,598 10.81% 65+ 32,079 29.89% RACE distribution White 87,718 Black 13,309 American Indian 273 81.73% 11.47% 0.25% Asian 2,619 Pacific Island 62 2.44% 0.06% Multirace 2,544 1.68% Hispanic 10,569 2.37% SIZE of Other 1,806 9.85% household 1 Person 9,915 2 Persons 18,962 22.78% 43.56% 4 Persons 4,638 10.65% 5 Persons 2,310 5.31% 3 Persons 6,343 14.57% 6+ Persons 879 2.02% TOTAL households Households 43,529 100% TOTAL NUMBER Total Dwellings 50,511 100% Families 31,059 71.35% of housings Owner-Occupied Dwellings 32,910 75.6% Renter-Occupied Dwellings 10,619 24.4% Housing Units Occupied 43,529 86.18% EDUCATION attainment < Grade 9 2,570 Grade 9-12 5,187 High School 27,614 High School 19,290 Associate Degree 7,490 Bachelor Degree 12,433 3.16% 33.99% 9.22% 6.38% 23.74% 15.3% Graduate Degree 6,664 8.2% Fantastic Flagler Visitor & Newcomer Guide     63