The county was created in 1923 fromLee County. It was named forBarron Collier, a New York City advertising mogul and real estate developer who had moved toSouthwest Florida and established himself as a prominent landowner. He agreed to build theTamiami Trail for what was then Lee County (comprising today's Collier, Hendry, and Lee Counties) in exchange for favorable consideration with 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."[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,305 square miles (5,970 km2), of which 307 square miles (800 km2) (13.3%) are covered by water.[7] 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 theBig Cypress National Preserve. The northernmost portion ofEverglades National Park extends into the southern coastal part of 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, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
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 the population was non-Hispanic Whites, 25.9% was Latino or Hispanic, 6.6% was African American, and 1.1% was Asian.[24] 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% wereEnglish, 9.9% wereIrish, 9.1% were"American", 3.2% wereItalian and 3.1% wereGerman.[25]
As of thecensus[26] of 2000, 251,377 people, 102,973 households, and 71,257 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 124 people per square mile (48 people/km2). The 144,536 housing units had an average density of 71 per square mile (27/km2).
As of 2000[update], itsracial 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 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 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. Theper capita income for the county was $31,195. About 6.6% of families and 10.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
A map of racial demographics in Collier County, Florida by Census tract.
Legend
Non-Hispanic White
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
>90%
Hispanic
40–50%
50–60%
70–80%
80–90%
Black or African American
40–50%
As of the2020 United States census, 375,752 people, 140,578 households, and 97,279 families resided in the county.
TheCollier 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.[27]
According to 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. It was one of the first parts of Florida to break from a "Solid South" voting pattern. The last Democrat to win the county wasAdlai Stevenson II in1952,[28] and no Democrat has managed even 40 percent of the county's vote sinceLyndon Johnson in1964. The last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to carry the county wasReubin Askew in 1974 and the last Democratic senatorial candidate to do so wasBob Graham in 1992; six years later, the county was one of four to back Graham's Republican challenger,Charlie Crist.
All voter information is as of September 30, 2022[update], and provided by Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office.[29]
Collier is located in the center of Florida'sinvasive snake epidemic. A three-month effort at the beginning of 2016 netted over one ton of captured snakes, including a Florida record for the largest maleBurmese python, measuring 16 ft and weighing 140 lb.[32][33][34]
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