Ave Maria, Florida | |
---|---|
Location within Florida | |
Coordinates: 26°20′12″N81°26′12″W / 26.33667°N 81.43667°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Florida |
County | Collier |
Government | |
• Type | Stewardship Community District |
Area | |
• Total | 10.424 sq mi (27.00 km2) |
Elevation | 18 ft (6 m) |
Population (2020) [3] | |
• Total | 6,242 |
• Density | 598.6/sq mi (231.1/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP Code | 34142 |
Area code | 239 |
FIPS code | 12-47625 [4] |
GNIS feature ID | 0287528 [5] |
Website | Official website |
Ave Maria, Florida, United States, is a planned community and census-designated place located in Collier County, Florida, [6] consisting of approximately 5,000 acres (2,023 ha). [7] The population was 6,242 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Naples-Marco Island, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The community was founded in 2005 by Ave Maria Development, a partnership of Barron Collier Companies and the Ave Maria Foundation led by Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza and Ave Maria University. It is known for its walkable design, outdoor recreation, and Town Center. Early in the development, Monaghan made controversial statements [8] about plans to enforce Catholic culture in the town at the time that it was founded; plans that have been largely abandoned.
Ave Maria was founded in 2005 by Ave Maria Development, a partnership consisting of Barron Collier Companies and the Ave Maria Foundation led by Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza and Ave Maria University. The development of the town was made possible when the Florida legislature created the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District, a limited local government whose purpose is to provide community infrastructure. [9] The town was the first to develop under the Rural Lands Stewardship Area (RLSA) program. [10]
Tom Monaghan's stated goal was for the town to be especially attractive for Catholics to move to. Many of the street names are Catholic in nature, and the center of town is anchored by a large Catholic Church. During a 2007 interview, [11] Monaghan "insists [Ave Maria town] is open to everyone, not just Catholics''. Fellowship Church is a Baptist Church in Ave Maria that was founded in 2017. [12]
In a 2007 interview with CNN, Ave Maria founder Tom Monaghan stated that his 10-year plan for Ave Maria to have 11,000 homes, 25,000 residents and 5,000 students at Ave Maria University. He wanted to build a community where "a particular amount of Catholics, particularly serious Catholics, would want to live around a really high-quality Catholic University." [13]
Ave Maria was ranked 18th in the United States for planned community home sales the US in 2022. [14]
In June 2023, Collier County commissioners approved the expansion of Ave Maria by 1,000 acres. [10] This brought the town’s size to 5,000 acres, which is the largest allowed under the county rules. [10] The Ave Maria university campus is not included in this acreage. [10] The new land will be used mainly for single family homes, as well as a new town center and additional retail sites. [10]
Ave Maria is located in Collier County and residents attend Collier County public or private schools, some of which are located within the town. [15]
Ave Maria University opened on a temporary campus in 2003. Construction of the permanent campus began in 2005, and students were first welcomed in 2007. [16] Ave Maria University is home to the Mother Teresa Museum. [17]
Ave Maria has condominiums, attached villas, and single family homes, with plans for a 300-unit apartment complex announced in 2023. [10] [23] The four builders in the town are CC Homes, Del Webb Naples, Lennar, and Pulte Homes. [23]
Ave Maria is 36 miles northeast of downtown Naples, Florida, and part of Collier County. The town's elevation is 18 feet. [2] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.424sq mi (27.01km2). [24]
Ave Maria has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw).[ citation needed ]
The temperature rarely rises to 100 °F (38 °C) or lowers to the freezing mark. [25] Rainfall averages just over 23.13 inches per year, strongly concentrated during the rainy season (June to September) with its frequent showers and thunderstorms; on average, these four months deliver 80 percent of annual rainfall. [25] From October to May, the average monthly rainfall is less than 4.5 inches. [25] The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 66 °F (18.9 °C) in January to 83 °F (28.3°C) in August, with the annual mean being 74.5 °F (23.6 °C). [25]
Ave Maria's location in southern Florida shares the same subtropical wetland ecosystem as the Florida Everglades. [26] It is home to a biodiversity of birds such as wood storks, anhinga, heron and hawks. Alligators may be encountered near fresh water. [27] Visitors have access to a number of nearby nature centers, including the undeveloped wetlands of Camp Keais Strand, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Everglades, and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Blair Audubon Center. [28] The surrounding wetlands region of Southwest Florida is a habitat for mansonia mosquitoes, creating a "troublesome" pest problem for humans, according to the Collier Mosquito Control District (CMCD). [29] Ave Maria and the surrounding area is sprayed regularly by CMCD aircraft with the pesticide Naled to control mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus. [30] [31] In 2022, Ave Maria's tapwater supply was praised as the best-tasting water in Florida. [32] Four water toxicity tests in 2007 and 2008 showed carcinogenic trihalomethanes above the legal limit for contaminants. [33]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 6,242 | — | |
U.S. Decennial Census [34] |
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (NH) | 3,505 | 56.15% |
Black or African American (NH) | 583 | 9.34% |
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 19 | 0.30% |
Asian (NH) | 155 | 2.48% |
Pacific Islander (NH) | 0 | 0.00% |
Some Other Race (NH) | 47 | 0.75% |
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 154 | 2.47% |
Hispanic or Latino | 1,779 | 28.50% |
Total | 6,242 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,242 people, 2,227 households, and 806 families residing in the CDP. [36]
Ave Maria is home to over 60 businesses, a water park, recreational parks, an indoor marketplace with local vendors, an amphitheater, dog park, trails, playgrounds, bocce and tennis courts, and a fitness center. [37] [38] The main Ave Maria Town Center has an open-air walkable design and covers 100,000 square feet. [39]
The face of the church displays sculptor Márton Váró's 30-foot-tall (9 m) sculpture of the Annunciation, depicting the Archangel Gabriel greeting the Virgin Mary with the words "Ave Maria" (Hail Mary). [40] [41] [42] It took Váró three years to complete the sculpture. [43] Váró's "Good Shepherd" sculpture is featured inside the church; it was also carved in marble from Cave Michelangelo in Carrara, Italy. [44]
The church is part of the Diocese of Venice, and serves as the parish for local residents, students, and visitors. [45] [46] One of the building’s most distinctive characteristics is its steel structure, much of which is exposed internally and externally. [43] [47] In 2008, the parish received an Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel award from the American Institute of Steel Construction. [48] [49] A reward was also given by the American Institute of Architects [40]. Tours of the church are available to the public. [50]
Collier County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, its population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East Naples, where the county offices were moved from Everglades City in 1962.
Hendry County is a county in the Florida Heartland region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,619, a 1.2% increase from 39,140 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is LaBelle.
Everglades City is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States, of which it was once the county seat. It is part of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers-Naples Combined Statistical Area. The Gulf Coast Visitor Center for Everglades National Park is located in Everglades City. As of the 2020 US census, the population was 352, down from 400 in the 2010 US census.
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,115, down from 19,539 at the 2010 census. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island metropolitan area, which had a population of about 375,752 as of 2020. Naples' USPS City population includes most of the communities in Collier County with the notable exceptions of Immokalee, Marco Island, Ave Maria, Everglades City, and a few others, and thus Naples' USPS City population is approximately 333,083.
Bonita Springs is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 53,644 at the 2020 census, up from 43,914 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, on the state's southwest coast.
Flamingo is the southernmost headquarters of Everglades National Park, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. Flamingo is one of the two end points of the 99-mile (159-km) Wilderness Waterway, and the southern end of the only road through the park from Florida City. It began as a small coastal settlement on the eastern end of Cape Sable on the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, facing Florida Bay. The actual town of Flamingo was located approximately 4+1⁄2 miles west of the current Flamingo campground area. All that remains of the former town are a few remnants of building foundations, and it is considered a ghost town.
The Tamiami Trail is the southernmost 284 miles (457 km) of U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) from State Road 60 (SR 60) in Tampa to US 1 in Miami. A portion of the road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90 (SR 90).
Thomas Stephen Monaghan is an American entrepreneur who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He also owns the Domino's Farms Office Park, located in the Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan, which he first started building during 1984. He also owned the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 1992.
Barron Gift Collier was an American advertising entrepreneur who became the largest landowner and developer in the U.S. state of Florida, as well as the owner of a chain of hotels, bus lines, several banks, and newspapers, and of a telephone company and a steamship line.
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.
State Road 29 is a state highway that runs north–south through Southwest Florida. It begins in Carnstown and runs north to a point just south of Palmdale. A rural road, it runs mostly through uninhabited farmland in its northern half, and along wetlands in its southern half. The route previously continued south of Carnestown to Everglades City and Chokoloskee, which has since become County Road 29.
Ave Maria School of Law is a private Roman Catholic law school in Naples, Florida. It was founded in 1999 and is accredited by the American Bar Association.
Ave Maria University (AMU) is a private Roman Catholic university in Ave Maria, Florida. It existed formerly as Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which was founded in 1998 and reestablished in 2007 along with an interim Naples, Florida campus created in 2003. The school was founded by philanthropist and entrepreneur, Tom Monaghan. In 2021, the enrollment was 1,245 students. In 2016 its student body was 80% Catholic.
Miles City is an unincorporated community in Collier County, Florida, United States, located near the intersection of the Alligator Alley portion of Interstate 75 and State Road 29. The community is part of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name came from Miles Collier, son of area land owner Barron Collier.
The Collier County Public Schools 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. The district employees approximately 3,200 teachers, 49% of whom have advanced degrees. The district includes 58 schools: 29 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, 8 high schools, along with 7 charter schools, two technical schools educating adult or dually-enrolled high school students, and 5 alternative schools. The district has an 'A' overall grade.
The Everglades Laundry is a historic site at 105 West Broadway in Everglades City, Florida.
The Old Collier County Courthouse is a historic two-story concrete and stucco courthouse building located in Everglades City, Florida. Designed in the Classical Revival style.
Márton Váró is a Hungarian sculptor, recognized for his monumental public art.
Big Cypress is a future planned town in Collier County, Florida. The project, originally called Rural Lands West, is being developed by Collier Enterprises and will consist of three villages, Rivergrass, Longwater, and Bellmar.
Media related to Ave Maria, Florida at Wikimedia Commons