Big Coppitt Key is an island in Monroe County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States, in the lower

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami a ...

. The name is said to be a derivation of the old English word "coppice", meaning thicket. According to A.D. Bache, in the notes for his coast survey conducted in 1861, this key was the location of Happy Jack's plantation in 1855.

Geography

Big Coppitt Key is located at (24.597677, -81.656546). U.S. 1 (the

Overseas Highway The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Ra ...

) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 9.5-11, between East Rockland Key and the

Saddlebunch Keys The Saddlebunch Keys are a series of mangrove islands about east of Key West, Florida. The keys are scattered between Lower Sugarloaf Key and Shark Key. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. ...

About the island

There are several businesses on Big Coppitt Key. There is also a Monroe County Fire/Rescue Station located on the island. Law enforcement services are handled by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. There are three churches located on Big Coppitt Key. The key features three parks, including one with a playground and another with a basketball court, in the avenues section. A cemetery is located at Avenue A and 4th Street. In 2005,

Hurricane Wilma Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin and the second-most intense tropical cyclone in the Western Hemisphere, both based on barometric pressure, after Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Wilma's rapid intensifi ...

caused catastrophic damage to the island; many structures were either destroyed or rendered almost uninhabitable due to flood damage. More recently, in 2017,

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria, Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered ...

caused similarly catastrophic damage; most homes were left uninhabitable due to severe wind and water damage. However, damage to the island's world-famous Bobalu's Southern Cafe was light because of proper preparation. They boarded up their windows and took in their outdoor furniture and signs, saving the landmark.

Big Coppitt Key, Florida

Big Coppitt Key is the name of a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

and

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

that occupies Big Coppitt Key and the neighboring islands of

Geiger Key Geiger Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys about east of Key West. It is located to the south of, and bridged to, Big Coppitt Key via Boca Chica Road ( County Road 941) at about mile marker 11 on U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway). It has ...

and Shark Key. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 2,869. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 37.38%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,869 people, 1,082 households, and 617 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,595 people, 1,108 households, and 681 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,332 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.91%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.08%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.81% Native American, 1.46% Asian, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.04% from other races, and 2.62% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 16.76% of the population. There were 1,108 households, out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.77. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 19.3% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 119.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $45,194, and the median income for a family was $49,783. Males had a median income of $31,915 versus $27,721 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $24,022. About 6.1% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

File:Florida - Big Coppitt Key - NARA - 23936549 (cropped).jpg, Aerial view, 1940 File:Florida - Big Coppitt Key - NARA - 23936551 (cropped).jpg, Aerial view, 1940 File:Florida - Big Coppitt Key - NARA - 23936553 (cropped).jpg, Aerial view, 1940

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida Islands of Monroe County, Florida Islands of the Florida Keys Islands of Florida