Merrit Island

Merritt Island isn’t actually an island, but a peninsula. However, you won’t hear residents call it anything other than an island. The strip of land was bisected by a canal in the mid 1800s, effectively making it a real island, until it was bridged many years later. Merritt Island is 47.2 square miles in area with 29.7 of those on the water. The southern part of the island is primarily residential with some commercial and light industrial areas. The island is home to over 40,000 residents, many whom have river or canal frontage and access to the waterways. The island is linked by causeways to the barrier island.

The unincorporated town of Merritt Island is located on Florida’s largest island about 50 miles east of Orlando. It is home to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, a 140,000-acre nature sanctuary. In the 1930s a Merritt Island resident pulled out a citrus grove and planted mangoes. 80 years later the family now has 240 trees with 40 varieties of mango. Take a drive down South Tropical Trail when they’re in season and buy them fresh!

Homes for Sale Feature Canal Frontage

Merritt Island is 47.2 square miles in area with 29.7 of those on the water. The southern part of the island is primarily residential with some commercial and light industrial areas. The island is home to over 40,000 residents, many whom have river or canal frontage and access to the waterways. The island is linked by causeways to the barrier island.

To explore what homes are currently on the market please use our SEARCH BREVARD MLS LISTINGS and select the city Merritt Island. You can narrow your search by price, size and features. Ellingson Properties has experience with Merritt Island neighborhoods, condo complexes, etc... if you are interested in learning about Merritt Island communities, scroll down and click on Explore Merritt Island Subdivisions.

History

Merritt Island’s name came from a nobleman named Merritt whom was given a land grant by the King of Spain to a nobleman named Merritt.The Ais Indians were the first known inhabitants of Merritt Island. Burial mounds can still be found all over the island. Village sites of ancient Native Americans date back to 800-900 A.D. Many lost communities in North Merritt Island were occupied by freed slaves who established homesteads and small towns in the post Civil War Era. The Kennedy Space Center sits on some of these lands and remnants of their existence, including cemeteries, remain today.

The late Adam Kissiah, a Merritt Island man and former NASA engineer, invented the electronic digital hearing aid in the 1970s and later patented it. The invention went on to become what is now known as the Cochlear Implant. The invention is a surgically implanted device that provide hearing sensation to persons with sever to profound hearing loss.

Merritt Island was once home to vast orange groves and pineapples. Pineapples were grown here before citrus and Merritt Island was among the first places in Florida to grow and harvest them. When freezes hit the island in the late 1800s, it wiped out most of the pineapple crop. It was then the focus shifted more heavily to oranges. In the 1930s a Merritt Island resident pulled out a citrus grove and planted mangoes. 80 years later the family now has 240 trees with 40 varieties of mango. Take a drive down South Tropical Trail when they’re in season and buy them fresh!

The oldest house in Brevard County is located on North Merritt Island. The home was built in 1875 and was originally located in Eau Gallie. It was moved to Merritt Island in 1879. The 600 square foot structure. It still stands today at the Pine Island Conservation Area.