Marco Island is a small sea island, or

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from ...

, on the Gulf Coast of the United States located 20 miles (32 km) south of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

in Collier County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Marco Island is an affluent beach and boating resort island with a small-town character. Two access bridges maintain a gated community atmosphere. The island is home to the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort and Hilton Marco Island Resort, a golf club, a yacht club, a country club, several parks, and nature areas. The six-mile crescent beach on Marco Island is among the widest in Florida and features bright white, sugar sand, and bountiful shelling opportunities. Strict beach regulations help keep the island free of litter, noise, glass, and fires. There are two public access locations with parking and amenities (Tigertail and South Beach), a private beach complex for residents (Residents' Beach), and a private parking area for residents (Sarazen Park at South Beach), and two other public access points (with no amenities). Access to offshore island beaches, such as Keewaydin, are conveniently accessed by boat or tour. Marco Island is a principal city of the

–Marco Island

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. The population was 15,760 at the 2020 censusbr>
The population more than doubles in size during the winter season. Marco Island is the largest

within Southwest Florida's Ten Thousand Islands area extending southerly to

Cape Sable Cape Sable is the southernmost point of the United States mainland and mainland Florida. It is located in southwestern Florida, in Monroe County, and is part of the Everglades National Park. The cape is a peninsula issuing from the southeast ...

. Parts of the island have some scenic, high elevations relative to the generally flat south Florida landscape. The island has a tropical climate; specifically a tropical wet and dry or savanna type (''Aw'' under the Köppen system). It is known for its distinct wet and dry seasons, with most of the rainfall falling between the months of June and October.

History

The history of Marco Island can be traced as far back as 500 CE when the Calusa people inhabited the island as well as the rest of

southwest Florida Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy. Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are generally ...

. A number of Calusa artifacts were discovered on

Key Marco Key Marco was an archaeological site ( 8CR48) consisting of a large shell works island next to Marco Island, Florida. A small pond on Key Marco, now known as the "Court of the Pile Dwellers" (8CR49),8CR48 designates the entire Key Marco site, ...

(an island then adjacent to, and since attached to Marco Island) in 1896 by anthropologist

Frank Hamilton Cushing Frank Hamilton Cushing (July 22, 1857 in North East Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania – April 10, 1900 in Washington, D.C.) was an American anthropologist and ethnologist. He made pioneering studies of the Zuni Indians of New Mexico by enter ...

as part of the Pepper-Hearst Expedition. The most notable artifact discovered was the carved wooden "Key Marco Cat," one of the most enigmatic artifacts of indigenous North Americans, which is now on display at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. The artifact is featured on a 1989 postage stamp. When Spanish explorers came to the island in the mid-1500s, they gave the island the name ''La Isla de San Marcos'' after

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

writer St. Mark. Early development of the island began in the late 1800s after the arrival of William Thomas Collier and his family. Collier founded the village of Marco on the island in 1870, and in 1896 Collier's son, William D. "Capt. Bill" Collier, opened a hotel on the island, known today as the Olde Marco Inn.

Clam digging Clam digging is a North American term for a common way to harvest clams (edible infaunal bivalve mollusks) from below the surface of the tidal sand flats or mud flats where they live. It is done both recreationally (for enjoyment or as a so ...

became a major industry on Marco Island and throughout the Ten Thousand Islands in the early 1900s. The Burnham Clam Cannery began operation near Caxambas Pass in 1903 and operated until 1929. The Doxsee Clam Cannery also operated from 1911 to 1947. Ferry service began to the island in 1912, which operated between Marco Island and the Isles of Capri. A road on the mainland linked the ferry landing with East Naples (just west of State Road 951). A small piece of this road still exists today and is known as Barefoot Williams Road. Barron G. Collier (whom Collier County is named after, and of no relation to William T. Collier) purchased a large amount of land on Marco Island in 1922, and in 1927 the island incorporated as Collier City. Collier City was abolished in 1957. James Harvey Doxsee Sr. served as Collier City's only mayor. Also in 1927, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad began service to the island after extending their route from

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

and

. The railroad ran to the island along the present route of State Road 951. Rail service was discontinued in 1944. The first vehicle bridge to the island was a small wooden

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

built in 1938 near Goodland on the southeast side of the island. Remnants of this bridge can be seen today next to the current Goodland Bridge (built in 1975). The island's ferry service was discontinued after the original Goodland Bridge opened. Significant development of Marco Island took place in the 1960s that made it into the tourist destination it is known as today. The Mackle brothers of the Deltona Corporation led the development of the island after purchasing large amounts of land there for $7 million. As a result of development, the

S.S. Jolley Bridge S.S. Jolley Bridge (also known as Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge) is a bridge located in Collier County, Florida connecting Marco Island with the mainland in Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, l ...

opened for traffic in 1969. Marco Island was reincorporated as a city on August 28, 1997. On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on the island. On September 29, 2022, Hurricane Ian submerged the entire island after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane.

Geography

Marco Island is located in southwestern Collier County, along the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (46.73%) is water.

Climate

Marco Island has a

tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...

which borders on a humid subtropical climate since the mean temperature in the coldest month, January, is which is barely over the threshold for a tropical climate.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 15,760 people, 8,379 households, and 5,714 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 16,413 people, 7,517 households, and 17,134 housing units in the city. The population density was . There were 14,826 housing units at an average density of 1,402.1 per square mile (12.14 square miles). The racial makeup of the city was 95.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% American Indian, 1.1% Asian and 7.1%

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

. There were 7,517 households, out of which 9.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21. The median income for a household in the city was $73,373, and the per capita income was $52,089. 2.1% of the population were below the poverty level.

Political affiliation

Marco Island generally supports the Republican Party, as the city is both represented in the House by Republican

Byron Donalds Byron Lowell Donalds (born October 28, 1978) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 19th congressional district since 2021. His district serves most of the heart of Southwest Florida, including ...

and voted in favor of Republican incumbent

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

during the 2020 election at margins varying from 62% to 73% over Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The region, however, voted more so in favor of the Democratic Party than it did during the 2016 election.

Education

The

District School Board of Collier County The Collier County Public Schools (or District School Board of Collier County) is a school district in Collier County, Florida. The district has schools in four cities throughout the county: Everglades City, Immokalee, Marco Island, and Naples. ...

operates the following schools serving Marco Island: * Marco Island Academy High School * Marco Island Charter Middle School *

Tommie Barfield Tommie (Tommy) Camilla Stephens Barfield (1888 – 1949) was instrumental in the education system of Collier County, Florida, as its first School Superintendent. Tommie Barfield Elementary School, at which her Great Floridian plaque is located, wa ...

Elementary School Private schools: * Island Montessori Academy * Marketplace Mission Learning Center

Transportation

The

Marco Island Executive Airport Marco Island Executive Airport , also known as Marco Island Airport, is a public airport located in Naples, Collier County, Florida, northeast of the central business district of Marco Island. This airport is publicly owned by Collier County. T ...

(MRK) provides air service to the area. It is located four miles (6.4 km) northeast of the central business district of Marco Island. The airport, however, is exclusive to general aviation, and the closest regularly-scheduled commercial service to the area flies through Southwest Florida International Airport. Marco Island is served by Collier Area Transit's Route #21 and Route #121 (Express: Immokalee to Marco Island)

Notable people

* John Boehner * Michael Collins, astronaut * William J. Cullerton, World War II flying ace * Leighton Meester

References

External links

*
''Marco Island Living'' magazine
{{authority control Articles containing video clips Cities in Collier County, Florida Cities in Florida Former census-designated places in Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico