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39-584: Big Pine Key is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Monroe County , Florida , United States, on an island of the same name in the Florida Keys . As of the 2020 census , the town had a total population of 4,521. U.S. 1 (the Overseas Highway ) crosses the key at mile markers 29.5–33, one of the few places on the keys where the road orients north–south (along

78-421: A CDP have no legal status and may not always correspond with the local understanding of the area or community with the same name. However, criteria established for the 2010 census require that a CDP name "be one that is recognized and used in daily communication by the residents of the community" (not "a name developed solely for planning or other purposes") and recommend that a CDP's boundaries be mapped based on

117-478: A branch of the Monroe County Library (with WiFi internet access). Pharmacies are located along US 1, as well as a shoe store, a tropical decor store, and a bait and tackle shop. A small hardware store in the same area sells typical paint, hardware, tools, other goods needed to build/repair items around the home, and a limited selection of parts for boat repair. Several bars and restaurants are along

156-488: A family was $ 47,639. Males had a median income of $ 31,552 versus $ 28,021 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 23,169. About 5.6% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those aged 65 or over. The Blue Hole is an abandoned rock quarry that was used for nearby road fills and Henry Flagler 's Overseas Railroad . The water it contains

195-586: A major threat, averaging between 125 and 150 kills per year, 70% of the annual mortality. The population has been impacted by the fragmentation, destruction and degradation of its habitat, generally due to urbanization. Human feeding of deer has also proven problematic, as the animals become dependent on this food source. Fences have become an obstacle to migration and dispersal. However, the population has made an encouraging rise since 1955, when population estimates ranged as low as 25, and appears to have stabilized in recent years. Still, recent human encroachment into

234-461: A population of at least 10,000. For the 1970 Census , the population threshold for "unincorporated places" in urbanized areas was reduced to 5,000. For the 1980 Census , the designation was changed to "census designated places" and the designation was made available for places inside urbanized areas in New England. For the 1990 Census , the population threshold for CDPs in urbanized areas

273-503: Is a new threat to its remaining habitat on the islands of southern Florida. Beginning in 2023 when assisted migration was newly authorized as a recovery option for endangered species , Key deer was among the animal species mentioned in the press that might have no other option for escaping extinction in its historical range. A November 2023 news article about the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act summed up

312-524: Is an endangered subspecies of the white-tailed deer that lives only in the Florida Keys . It is the smallest extant North American deer species. This deer can be recognized by its characteristic size, smaller than all other white-tailed deer. Adult males (known as bucks) usually weigh 25–34 kg (55–75 lb) and stand about 76 cm (30 in) tall at the shoulder. Adult females (does) usually weigh between 20 and 29 kg (44 and 64 lb) and have an average height of 66 cm (26 in) at

351-475: Is important, as well, because it is often the only reliable source of fresh drinking water (Key deer can tolerate drinking only mildly brackish water). Habitat destruction due to human encroachment causes many deer to feed on non-native ornamental plants , which may only increase the likelihood of human conflict. The Key deer is a subspecies of white-tailed deer which migrated to the Florida Keys from

390-553: Is mostly fresh and is used by various wildlife in the area, such as birds, snakes, alligators and invasive green iguanas . It is part of the National Key Deer Refuge . The primary grocery store is located in a shopping center just north of US 1 . This shopping center contains several restaurants, an outlet store, electronics store, the visitor center for the National Key Deer Refuge, and

429-654: The 1890 Census , in which the Census mixed unincorporated places with incorporated places in its products with "town" or "village" as its label. This made it confusing to determine which of the "towns" were or were not incorporated. The 1900 through 1930 Censuses did not report data for unincorporated places. For the 1940 Census , the Census Bureau compiled a separate report of unofficial, unincorporated communities of 500 or more people. The Census Bureau officially defined this category as "unincorporated places" in

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468-461: The 1950 Census and used that term through the 1970 Census. For the 1950 Census, these types of places were identified only outside " urbanized areas ". In 1960 , the Census Bureau also identified unincorporated places inside urbanized areas (except in New England , whose political geography is based on the New England town , and is distinctly different from other areas of the U.S.), but with

507-562: The 2020 United States census , there were 4,521 people, 2,065 households, and 1,180 families residing in the CDP. As of the census of 2000, 5,032 people, 2,247 households, and 1,420 families resided in the CDP. The population density was 198.9/km (515.3/mi). The 3,153 housing units averaged 124.6/km (322.9/mi). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.83% White, 1.09% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.19% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.72% of

546-735: The Key deer population are found on this island. The Key deer is the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer. The largest bucks are less than a yard high at the shoulders and weigh approximately 80 pounds. The does are 24 to 28 inches at the shoulders and weigh approximately 65 pounds. They have many habitats in the Florida Keys including pine rocklands, hardwood hammocks, mangroves, and freshwater wetlands. Key deer are only found from Big Pine Key to Sugarloaf Key. As Key deer are endangered , many precautions have been taken to preserve as much Key deer habitat as possible: Census-designated place CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as

585-526: The Mexico–United States border , and unincorporated resort and retirement communities and their environs. The boundaries of any CDP may change from decade to decade, and the Census Bureau may de-establish a CDP after a period of study, then re-establish it some decades later. Most unincorporated areas within the United States are not and have not been included in any CDP. The boundaries of

624-439: The Census Bureau considers some towns in New England states, New Jersey and New York as well as townships in some other states as MCDs, even though they are incorporated municipalities in those states. In such states, CDPs may be defined within such towns or spanning the boundaries of multiple towns. There are a number of reasons for the CDP designation: Key deer The Key deer ( Odocoileus virginianus clavium )

663-466: The Florida Key islands, Big Pine Key . Key deer inhabit nearly all habitats within their range, including pine rocklands , hardwood hammocks , mangroves , and freshwater wetlands . The species feeds on over 150 types of plants, but mangroves ( red , white , and black ), silver palm fruit and thatch palm berries make up the most important parts of their diets. Pine rockland habitat

702-516: The U.S. since 1982) to be affecting the Key deer population, necessitating the euthanasia of affected animals. The screw worm is a fly larva that enters an open wound of a live animal and eats the flesh of the animal from within, leading to a gruesome death. The female fly mates once in her life, so the infestation can be battled by introducing sterile male flies to the population, causing the females to die out without laying fertile eggs. Other steps to battle

741-483: The US 1 corridor. The nearest city of note is Marathon about 23 miles (37 km) "north" on US 1. Key West, a major shopping and cultural hub for the area, is about 30 miles (48 km) "south" on US 1. Accommodation is limited, though RV/camping and a small number of motel-style units are available on the far southeast side of the island. The island of Big Pine Key is home to the National Key Deer Refuge. The majority of

780-484: The boundaries for CDPs. The PSAP was to be offered to county and municipal planning agencies during 2008. The boundaries of such places may be defined in cooperation with local or tribal officials, but are not fixed, and do not affect the status of local government or incorporation; the territories thus defined are strictly statistical entities. CDP boundaries may change from one census to the next to reflect changes in settlement patterns. Further, as statistical entities,

819-419: The boundaries of the CDP may not correspond with local understanding of the area with the same name. Recognized communities may be divided into two or more CDPs while on the other hand, two or more communities may be combined into one CDP. A CDP may also cover the unincorporated part of a named community, where the rest lies within an incorporated place. By defining an area as a CDP, that locality then appears in

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858-473: The breeding season. The range of the Key deer originally encompassed all of the lower Florida Keys (where standing water pools exist), but is now limited to a stretch of the Florida Keys from about Sugarloaf Key to Bahia Honda Key . Key deer use all islands during the wet season when drinking water is more generally available, retreating to islands with a perennial supply of fresh water in dry months. By August 2019, most individuals were living on only one of

897-518: The counterparts of incorporated places , such as self-governing cities , towns , and villages , for the purposes of gathering and correlating statistical data. CDPs are populated areas that generally include one officially designated but currently unincorporated community, for which the CDP is named, plus surrounding inhabited countryside of varying dimensions and, occasionally, other, smaller unincorporated communities as well. CDPs include small rural communities, edge cities , colonias located along

936-499: The deer are more active (and harder to avoid) at night. Seeing them at dusk and dawn is not unusual. Breeding occurs all year, but peaks in October and December. Territorial activity is limited to defending a receptive doe from other bucks. Longevity records are 9 years for males and 7 years for females. Adult females form loose matriarchal groups with one or two generations of offspring, while bucks feed and bed together only outside

975-480: The deer. In 2006, a habitat conservation plan was enacted by Monroe County and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which will limit development in primary habitat and provide for additional habitat purchases over the next 15 years. At the end of this period, however, most of the 1,000 acres (4.0 km ) of privately owned habitat land on Big Pine and No Name Keys will still be open for further development. Thus, while

1014-623: The eastern edge of the Key). The highway leads west-southwest 29 miles (47 km) to Key West and east-northeast 21 miles (34 km) to Marathon . Big Pine Key was the location of one of the stations of the Overseas Railroad . According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 10.3 square miles (27 km), of which 0.1 square miles (0.3 km), or 1.04%, is covered by water. As of

1053-474: The fragile habitat and the deer's relatively low rate of reproduction point to an uncertain future for the subspecies. In August 2019 the USFWS recommended that the Key deer be "delisted due to recovery". The species remained listed, but its recovery plan was amended in 2022 to specify the conditions in which delisting or downlisting would be appropriate. The ongoing rise in sea level, owing to climate change ,

1092-788: The geographic extent associated with inhabitants' regular use of the named place. There is no provision, however, that this name recognition be unanimous for all residents, or that all residents use the community for which the CDP is named for services provided therein. There is no mandatory correlation between CDP names or boundaries and those established for other human purposes, such as post office names or zones, political precincts, or school districts. The Census Bureau states that census-designated places are not considered incorporated places and that it includes only census-designated places in its city population list for Hawaii because that state has no incorporated cities. In addition, census city lists from 2007 included Arlington County, Virginia 's CDP in

1131-556: The list with the incorporated places, but since 2010, only the Urban Honolulu CDP, Hawaii, representing the historic core of Honolulu, Hawaii , is shown in the city and town estimates. The Census Bureau reported data for some unincorporated places as early as the first census in 1790 (for example, Louisville, Kentucky , which was not legally incorporated in Kentucky until 1828), though usage continued to develop through

1170-522: The mainland over a land bridge during the Wisconsin glaciation . The earliest known written reference to Key deer comes from the writings of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda , a Spanish sailor shipwrecked in the Florida Keys and captured by Native Americans in the 1550s. Key deer were hunted as a food supply by native tribes, passing sailors, and early settlers. Hunting them was banned in 1939, but widespread poaching and habitat destruction caused

1209-539: The outbreak included injecting deer with antiparasitic drugs, fencing off healthy sections of the population, and tracking a portion of deer with radio collars. The pest was declared as eradicated in April 2017. The outbreak killed 135 deer, roughly an eighth of the herd. Conservation efforts include the establishment of the National Key Deer Refuge, which consists of about 8,500 acres (34 km ) on Big Pine, No Name Key, and several smaller uninhabited islands. Not all of

Big Pine Key, Florida - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-418: The population. Of the 2,247 households, 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 6.8% were not families. About 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size

1287-409: The problem for Key deer this way: "Rising seas created the Key deer. Rapidly rising seas, a symptom of human-caused climate change, are challenging its continued existence and raising tough questions for the people trying to keep the nation's more than 1,300 other threatened and endangered species alive." In September 2016, a screw worm infestation was discovered (the first infestation of its kind in

1326-408: The refuge lands are protected as public lands; despite extensive efforts of the refuge to purchase these private habitat lands for protection in the refuge, about 5,000 acres (20 km ) currently remain in private ownership and can potentially be developed. About 1,000 acres (4.0 km ) of this privately developable land is on Big Pine Key and No Name Key, which are the central population areas for

1365-457: The same category of census data as incorporated places. This distinguishes CDPs from other census classifications, such as minor civil divisions (MCDs), which are in a separate category. The population and demographics of the CDP are included in the data of county subdivisions containing the CDP. Generally, a CDP shall not be defined within the boundaries of what the Census Bureau regards to be an incorporated city, village or borough. However,

1404-645: The shoulders. The deer is a reddish-brown to grey-brown in color. Antlers are grown by males and shed between February and March and regrown by June. When the antlers are growing, they have a white velvet coating. The subspecies otherwise generally resembles other white-tailed deer in appearance. Key deer easily swim between islands . Living close to humans, they have little of the natural fear of humans shown by most of their larger mainland relatives (an example of island tameness ). The deer are often found in residents' yards and along roadsides where plants and flowers grow. This often results in car-to-deer collisions, as

1443-469: The subspecies to plummet to near-extinction by the 1950s. The National Key Deer Refuge , a federally administered National Wildlife Refuge operated by the Wildlife Service , was established in 1957. Recent population estimates put the population between 700 and 800, putting it on the list of endangered species. Road kills from drivers on US 1 , which traverses the deer's small range, are also

1482-400: Was 2.63. In the CDP, the population was distributed as 16.8% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 44,514, and for

1521-481: Was reduced to 2,500. From 1950 through 1990, the Census Bureau specified other population requirements for unincorporated places or CDPs in Alaska , Puerto Rico , island areas, and Native American reservations . Minimum population criteria for CDPs were dropped with the 2000 Census . The Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) allows designated participants to review and suggest modifications to

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