Dunedin, Florida

Dunedin (IPA pronunciation: ) is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The name comes from the Scots Gaelic Dùn Èideann meaning Edinburgh. The population was 35,691 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 36,632.^{^*}

Sister city to Stirling, Scotland, Dunedin has maintained and embraced its Scottish roots, and evidence if this heritage can be seen everywhere. Once a year, Scottish clans descend upon the city for the Dunedin Highland Games. The sound of bagpipes is commonly heard throughout the city. Both Dunedin High School and Dunedin Middle School have pipe and drum marching bands, known as the Scottish Highlander Band and adult members make up The City of Dunedin Pipe and Drum Corps. Dunedin is the spring training home of the Toronto Blue Jays, as well as the class-A Minor League Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League.

Dunedin is home to several beautiful beaches, including Dunedin Causeway, Honeymoon Island, and Caladesi Island State Park, which is consistently rated among the best beaches in the world. Dunedin is one of the few open waterfront communities from Sarasota to Cedar Key where buildings do not obscure the view.

The quaint, but thriving downtown business district has become a model for many other west-central Florida cities. The Pinellas Trail, a 39-mile long bicycle and pedestrian trail that traverses all of Pinellas County, intersects downtown Dunedin. On any given day, it is common for more bicycles to pass through downtown than cars.

In addition to the Highlander Games, Dunedin hosts many other annual festivals. The most popular among these is Dunedin's Mardi Gras celebration, during which by thousands of visitors descend on the small town.

Geography

Dunedin is located at (28.025395, -82.775348).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 73.1 km² (28.2 mi²). 26.9 km² (10.4 mi²) of it is land and 46.2 km² (17.8 mi²) of it (63.20%) is water.

Dunedin borders Clearwater, Florida to the south, and Palm Harbor, Florida to the north.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,691 people, 17,258 households, and 9,543 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,327.6/km² (3,438.1/mi²). There were 19,952 housing units at an average density of 742.1/km² (1,922.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.88% White, 2.00% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.11% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.34% of the population.

There were 17,258 households out of which 18.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.63.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.6% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 29.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,813, and the median income for a family was $47,620. Males had a median income of $31,876 versus $27,072 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,460. About 4.8% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

History

Scottish families originally settled the City of Dunedin in 1899. Two Scotsmen, J.O. Douglas and James Sumerville named the settlement Dunedin, the original name of Edinburgh, their hometown in Scotland.

Dunedin was the home of sailboat designer John G. Hanna, who designed the Tahiti ketch.

Other places with the same name

Dunedin, New Zealand

The name Edinburgh has also been given to places elsewhere in the world:

External links

City of Dunedin

Schiller International University