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46-635: Everglades City is a city in Collier County , Florida , United States, of which it was once the county seat. It is part of the Naples – Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is included in the Cape Coral - Fort Myers -Naples Combined Statistical Area . The Gulf Coast Visitor Center for Everglades National Park is located in Everglades City. As of the 2020 US census,

92-526: A four-year residency the next year. After that, Everglade was occasionally visited by itinerant preachers of various denominations. The Episcopal Church established a mission at Immokalee which eventually moved to Everglade when revitalized in the 1930s by Harriet Bedell . In 1922, Barron Collier began buying large areas of land in what was then southern Lee County . In 1923, the Florida legislature created Collier County from Lee County, and they chose

138-660: A major customer on the line in Clewiston and they would also build private branch tracks from the line to their sugar fields. The Atlantic Coast Line would extended the line one last time in 1929 to the Miami Canal in Lake Harbor to connect with the Florida East Coast Railway 's Kissimmee Valley Line. A spur south and east to Okeelanta would also be built. In 1919, construction resumed on

184-418: A mixed train (both passengers and freight) ran six days a week from Palmdale to Immokalee and Everglades City. In 1958, service to Everglades City was discontinued due to diminished traffic and track was removed between there and Copeland. By 1961, track was removed between Copeland and Sunniland. The Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads would merge in 1967, with the merged company being named

230-519: The 2020 United States census , 375,752 people, 140,578 households, and 97,279 families resided in the county. The county's public schools are operated by the District School Board of Collier County . The Collier County Public Library system consists of 10 locations serving the entire county. All locations offer public internet stations, printing, photocopying, free Wi-Fi, and 24/7 drop boxes for book and video returns. According to

276-637: The Cape Coral-Fort Myers (Lee County) MSA and the Clewiston ( Hendry County , Glades County ) Micropolitan Statistical Area ( μSA ), is included in the Cape Coral - Fort Myers -Naples Combined Statistical Area (CSA) . Archaeology at Platt Island in the Big Cypress National Preserve shows humans settled in what is now Collier County more than 2000 years ago. The Calusa people had an extensive presence in

322-456: The Caribbean . It is part of the only region in the 48 contiguous states that falls under that category. More specifically, it generally has a tropical savanna climate ( Köppen climate classification : Aw ), bordering a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification: Am ). As of the 2020 United States census , there were 352 people, 103 households, and 59 families residing in

368-747: The Old Collier County Courthouse , Bank of Everglades Building , and Everglades Laundry (now the Museum of the Everglades). The city's public schools are operated by the District School Board of Collier County . The Collier County Public Library (CCPL) is the public library system that serves Collier County, and the one branch located within Everglades City is the Everglades City Branch Library Archived November 29, 2014, at

414-550: The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad . The Seaboard Coast Line ended up using the former Seaboard Air Line track in the combined network as the main route through the area. The Haines City Branch would then be broken up into smaller branches of the Seaboard line. Track was removed between Waverly and Lake Wales, between Frostproof and Avon Park (with a short piece of the line remaining as a spur), and between

460-541: The Wayback Machine Collier County, Florida Collier County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida . As of the 2020 census , its population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East Naples , where the county offices were moved from Everglades City in 1962. Collier County comprises the Naples – Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) , which, along with

506-706: The main line in Haines City south 47 miles to Sebring. This segment would be complete in June 1912 and served many vegetable and citrus growers. In 1916, the Atlantic Coast Line made plans to extend the branch further south to Immokalee . Construction began that year with track reaching the Caloosahatchee River at Ortona by April 1918. This project also included a branch from Harrisburg, just south of Palmdale , to Moore Haven which

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552-623: The mainland of Collier County. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km), of which 0.9 square miles (2.3 km) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km) (21.01%) is water. Everglades City has a tropical climate , similar to the climate found in much of

598-426: The 102,973 households, 22.7% had children under 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were not families. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.79. The county's population distribution

644-622: The Avon Park spur and Sebring (which eliminated the crossing of the two lines). The Seaboard Coast Line would then operate the north end of the line as their Haines City Subdivision from Haines City to Waverly. Track from Lake Wales to Frostproof became part of the Lake Wales Subdivision. Remaining track south of Sebring to Lake Harbor became the Sebring Subdivision, and track from Harrisburg to Immokalee became

690-513: The Haines City Branch to the west through much of southern Central Florida, and the lines crossed each other just south of Avon Park. By 1949, the line was relatively busy with the Atlantic Coast Line running a daily local passenger train from Haines City to Clewiston. A daily local freight train also ran from Haines City to Lake Harbor, and two additional freight trains ran six days a week from Haines City to Sebring. In addition,

736-527: The Immokalee Subdivision was abandoned in 1989. Despite parts of the Haines City Branch being abandoned, some segments remain in service. At the north end, the line remains within Haines City but is now serves as an industrial spur off of CSX's A Line (the former Atlantic Coast Line main line). The line remains grade separated through downtown Haines City, owing to how busy the line was in its earlier days. From Lake Wales to Frostproof ,

782-677: The Immokalee Subdivision. In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System , creating the CSX Corporation . The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation . By 1982, the company removed track from south of Haines City to Waverly, as well as track from Immokalee to Sunniland. The rest of

828-532: The Secretary of State's office, Republicans comprise a majority of registered voters in Collier County. It is also one of the handful of counties where independents outnumber Democrats among registrants. The county is part of a long-established Republican stronghold in southwestern coastal Florida; the last Democrat to win the county was Adlai Stevenson II in 1952 . The last Democratic governor to carry

874-782: The Trail (it was completed in 1929), Collier pushed construction of what became State Road 29 from Everglades City to Immokalee , providing the town with its first land connection to the rest of the state. In 1928, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad began service to Everglades City, which became the southernmost point the Coast Line ever reached. Service was provided by an extension of the Coast Line's Haines City Branch from Immokalee to Deep Lake , where it connected to Collier's Deep Lake Railroad , an earlier railroad that transported agricultural freight. The railroad

920-496: The area when Europeans arrived. The county was created in 1923 from Lee County . It was named for Barron Collier , a New York City advertising mogul and real estate developer who had moved to Southwest Florida and established himself as a prominent landowner. He agreed to build the Tamiami Trail for what was then Lee County (comprising today's Collier, Hendry, and Lee Counties) in exchange for favorable consideration with

966-461: The banks of Potato Creek (later renamed the Allen River) in 1873. After Allen retired to Key West in 1889, George W. Storter, Jr. became the principal landowner in the area. Storter gained fame for his sugar cane crops. He opened a trading post in 1892, and gained a post office, called " Everglade ", in 1895. Storter also began entertaining northern tourists who came to Everglade by yacht in

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1012-414: The beginning of 2016 netted over one ton of captured snakes, including a Florida record for largest male Burmese python , measuring 16 ft and weighing 140 lb. 26°05′N 81°24′W  /  26.08°N 81.40°W  / 26.08; -81.40 Deep Lake Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad began construction on the Haines City Branch in 1910, with its initial route running from

1058-547: The city was 96.45% White , 0.84% African American , 0.63% Native American , 0.42% Asian , 1.46% from other races , and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.97% of the population. In 2000, there were 230 households, out of which 13.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 3.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. Of all households, 27.0% were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who

1104-419: The city. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 400 people, 106 households, and 80 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2000 , there were 479 people, 230 households, and 154 families residing in the city. The population density was 513.2 inhabitants per square mile (198.1/km). There were 345 housing units at an average density of 369.6 per square mile (142.7/km). The racial makeup of

1150-479: The county has a total area of 2,305 square miles (5,970 km ), of which 307 square miles (800 km ) (13.3%) are covered by water. It is the largest county in Florida by land area and fourth-largest by total area. Virtually the entire southeastern portion of the county lies within the Big Cypress National Preserve . The northernmost portion of Everglades National Park extends into the southern coastal part of

1196-463: The county seat to be in Everglade. During that same year, it only consisted of a dozen families, but some northern sportsmen had established winter homes there. Also in 1923, the community was officially incorporated as the " Town of Everglades " (adding the "s"). The Tamiami Trail , which crossed Collier's domain, passed five miles north of Everglades City. While construction was proceeding on

1242-482: The county was Reubin Askew in 1974 and the last Democratic senator to do so was Bob Graham in 1992; six years later, the county was one of four to back the then-Republican candidate, Charlie Crist . All voter information is as of September 30, 2022 , and provided by Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office. Collier is located in the center of Florida's invasive snake epidemic . A three-month effort at

1288-409: The county was $ 31,195. About 6.6% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. The county continues to experience significant growth and is becoming increasingly diverse. As of the 2010 census, the county's population had increased by 27.9% to 321,520, over the 2000 census. As of the 2010 census, 83.85% of

1334-416: The county. Chokoloskee, Florida is in the county. The total area of this county is nearly one and a half times the size of Rhode Island, which is the smallest state, and is bigger than Rhode Island and Luxembourg combined. Collier County is located at the southern end of Florida's Gulf Coast, and bounded by: As of the census of 2000, 251,377 people, 102,973 households, and 71,257 families resided in

1380-515: The county. The population density was 124 people per square mile (48 people/km ). The 144,536 housing units had an average density of 71 per square mile (27/km ). As of 2000 , its racial makeup was 86.06% White, 4.54% was African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 6.25% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos (of any race) accounted for 19.61%. Primary languages spoken were 75.3% English, 17.8% Spanish, 2.3% French Creole, and 1.2% German. In 2000, of

1426-552: The farthest south the Atlantic Coast Line would ever reach. In 1925, the Atlantic Coast Line would lose its monopoly in communities on the northern half of the Haines City Branch when the Atlantic Coast Line's competitor, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad , built the Florida Western and Northern Railroad through Auburndale , West Lake Wales , Avon Park , and Sebring . The Seaboard line paralleled

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1472-491: The line and grapefruit groves and also used the line to transport pine and cypress logs to a sawmill he operated in Everglades City. After the Atlantic Coast Line acquired the Deep Lake Railroad, they rebuilt it to their standards and extended track south from Immokalee to Deep Lake . The line was completed in 1928 and a passenger depot was built in Everglades City (known then as simply Everglades), which would be

1518-680: The line is still in service and is now operated by the Florida Midland Railroad , a shortline that took over the line in 1987. This segment is now connected to the Auburndale Subdivision via a former Seaboard Air Line track from West Lake Wales to Lake Wales. The short industrial spur in Avon Park is still in service that now branches off the Auburndale Subdivision (former Seaboard line). The remaining track from Sebring to Clewiston and Lake Harbor also remains in service. U.S. Sugar, who has historically been

1564-522: The line south to Everglades City . The Atlantic Coast Line accomplished this extension by purchasing the Deep Lake Railroad from entrepreneur Barron Collier , the namesake of Collier County . The Deep Lake Railroad was originally built in 1913 by Walter Langford and John Roach, who operated a grapefruit grove near Deep Lake. The line was used to transport grapefruit south to Everglades City to be sold and shipped. In 1921, Collier purchased

1610-522: The main route from Ortona south. Track was built from Ortona south across the Caloosahatchee River through Goodno, Sears, and Felda to Immokalee. The first train to Immokalee arrived on October 16, 1921. In later years, the line from Harrisburg to Immokalee was known as the Immokalee Branch on employee timetables. Shortly after service to Immokalee began, the Atlantic Coast Line's President Henry Walters authorized one last extension of

1656-422: The median income for a household in the city was $ 36,667, and the median income for a family was $ 38,929. Males had a median income of $ 32,083 versus $ 22,222 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 20,535. About 6.1% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or older. Historic buildings in Everglades City include

1702-627: The population was 352, down from 400 in the 2010 US census. The area around Chokoloskee Bay, including the site of Everglades City, was occupied for thousands of years by Native Americans of the Glades culture , who were absorbed by the Calusa shortly before the arrival of Europeans in the New World , but by the time Florida was transferred from Spain to the United States in 1821, the area

1748-506: The population was non-Hispanic Whites, 25.9% was Latino or Hispanic, 6.6% was African American, and 1.1% was Asian. As of the 2010 census, the greatest source of population growth in the county since the 2000 census came from the Latino or Hispanic population, which grew from 49,296 (19.6%) to 83,177 (25.9% ). In terms of ancestry, 37.9% were English , 9.9% were Irish , 9.1% were "American" , 3.2% were Italian and 3.1% were German . As of

1794-592: The state legislature changed the city's name to the " City of Everglades City ". The approximate coordinates for the City of Everglades City is located at 25°51′32″N 81°23′5″W  /  25.85889°N 81.38472°W  / 25.85889; -81.38472 . Everglades City is at the mouth of the Barron River , on Chokoloskee Bay. Chokoloskee Bay is approximately ten miles (16 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide, and runs southeast to northwest along

1840-409: The state legislature to have a county named for him. After Collier County was named, Collier was quoted as saying: "When I first came here on holiday with Juliet, I never expected that I would buy a whole region of it, nor did I expect to pay for the new Tamiami Trail, or half the things I've done. But I really didn't expect to have a whole county named after me." According to the U.S. Census Bureau ,

1886-521: The winter to hunt and fish. His house eventually grew into the Rod and Gun Club, visited by United States Presidents and other notables. The first school in Everglade was organized in 1893. The school moved into a new building in 1895, but the building was destroyed by a tornado later in the year. The next school building was washed away by the 1910 hurricane . A Methodist circuit rider began visiting Everglade in 1888, and another Methodist minister began

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1932-467: Was 19.9% under 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 44.1 years, higher that the U.S. average. For every 100 females, there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 99.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 48,289, and for a family was $ 54,816. Males had a median income of $ 32,639 versus $ 26,371 for females. The per capita income for

1978-447: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.50. In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 11.9% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 34.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.0 males. In 2000,

2024-601: Was completed around the same time. Harrisburg was named after the Harris track-laying machine used to construct the line. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad would then charter the Moore Haven & Clewiston Railway to extend the Moore Haven Branch southeast a short distance to Clewiston , which would be complete in 1921. The Southern Sugar Corporation (which became the U.S. Sugar Corporation in 1931) would be

2070-424: Was removed in 1957. In 1953, the " Town of Everglades " became the " City of Everglades ". In 1960, the strong winds and coastal flooding of Hurricane Donna combined to destroy 153 homes in Collier County, as well as inflict major damage on 409 more, and damage an additional 1,049. Everglades was hard hit, and two years later, Florida's legislature moved the county seat to East Naples, Florida . In 1965,

2116-608: Was uninhabited. A legend says that Seminoles planted potatoes along what is now the Barron River during the Seminole Wars , in the vicinity of the present Everglades City. American settlement began after the Civil War , when Union sympathizers who had farmed on Cape Sable to supply Key West during the war moved up the west coast of the peninsula. The first permanent settler was William Smith Allen, who arrived on

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