Collier County Florida   Located in South West Florida

Collier County Cities

Land area (rank): 1,994 square miles (1)
Population 1993 (rank): 174,644 (20)
Population density 1993 (rank): 88 persons per square mile (33)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 76.9% (5)

Physical Characteristics

Collier County is in southwest Florida and is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, and by Lee, Hendry, Broward, Monroe, and Dade counties. The county has 113 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 67.8 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 82.4 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 51.40 inches.

History

Collier County was established from a portion of Lee County in 1923 and named for advertising tycoon Barron G. Collier, one of South Florida's leading developers.

Population

In 1993, nearly 90% of Collier County's population was in unincorporated areas along the Gulf coast. The largest city in the county is Naples with a 1993 population of 19,881. The county seat is the unincorporated area of East Naples, which had a 1990 population of 22,951, nearly double its 1980 population. Other areas that developed rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s include Golden Gate, Marco, East Naples, Naples Park, and North Naples. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Collier County as the Naples Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 94% of Collier County's population was white and 6% was nonwhite. In 1990, 13.6% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 92.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 14.1 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 9.4 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 9.7 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 71.6% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 4.4%. In 1990, 79.0% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 22.3% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Edison Community College (Lee County); International College of Naples; Walden University-Florida Center, Naples; new state university scheduled to open in neighboring Lee County in 1997.

Economy

The per capita income in Collier County for 1993 was $27,257 (5th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $34,001. In 1989, 6.4% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 11.0% of personal income in Collier County was derived from transfer payments. In the retail trade sector, eating and drinking establishments and food stores employed the greatest numbers of persons. Hotels and motels and medical and other health services employed the greatest numbers in the services sector. In 1992 there were 254 farms in the county, totalling 301,977 acres (24% of land in the county). Cattle are still raised in the county, but it has also become a major vegetable growing region. In 1991, 1,860,256 pounds of fish and 812,435 pounds of shellfish were landed in Collier County.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $121,400
Median monthly rent 1990: $495
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 10.8
Housing starts 1992: 3,612
Housing starts 1993: 2.984

In 1992 the price level index for Collier County was 102.27 (6th highest in the state).

Local Government

For the year ending September 30, 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 3.6729, and the total taxable value of property was $15,313,053,072. Taxable sales totalled $2247.30 million in 1992 and $2422.90 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $22,232 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Collier County's revenues totalled $230,682 thousand ($1427.5 per capita) and its expenditures $231,197 thousand ($1430.7 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 56.9% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these 26.6% were registered Democrat and 65.4% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 53.4% of the votes were cast for Bush, 26.1% for Clinton, and 20.2% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Swamp Buggy Races, February and October, Shark Tournament, July and August, Naples; Collier County Museum, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Jungle Larry's Zoological Park at Caribbean Gardens, the Plaza Site, Big Cypress National Preserve, Ted Smallwood Store, Chokoloskee Island, Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Depot and Museum.