Gilchrist County, Florida

History

Gilchrist County was created in 1925, making it the youngest county in Florida. It was named for Albert W. Gilchrist, Governor of Florida from 1909 to 1913.

Historic buildings

Historic buildings in Gilchrist County include:

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 355 square miles (920 km²), of which 350 square miles (910 km²) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km²) (1.6%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Florida by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,437 people, 5,021 households, and 3,715 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 5,906 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.52% White, 7.00% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. 2.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,021 households out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 14.20% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 112.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,328, and the median income for a family was $34,485. Males had a median income of $27,359 versus $21,946 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,985. About 10.90% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Trenton State Farmer's Market is located on State Road 47, north of Trenton.

Voter registration

According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans maintain a plurality of registered voters in Gilchrist County.

Library

The Gilchrist County Public library is part of the Three Rivers Regional Library System, which also serves Dixie, Lafayette, and Taylor counties.

Cities

Town

Census-designated place

Notable person

Easton Corbin, country music singer