Duval County, Florida

Duval County, Florida
Location in the state of Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded	August 12, 1822
Seat	Jacksonville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	918.24 sq mi (2,378 km²) 773.67 sq mi (2,004 km²) 144.57 sq mi (374 km²), 15.74%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	864,263 1,117/sq mi (431.1/km²)
Website	coj.net

Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263.^[1] Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968.^[2] Duval County was established in 1822, and is named for William Pope DuVal, Governor of Florida Territory from 1822 to 1834.

History

This area had been settled by varying cultures of indigenous peoples for thousands of years before European contact. Within the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, archeologists have excavated remains of some of the oldest pottery in the United States, dating to 2500 BCE. Prior to European contact, the area was inhabited by the Mocama, a Timucuan-speaking group who lived throughout the coastal areas of northern Florida.^[3] At the time Europeans arrived, much of what is now Duval County was controlled by the Saturiwa, one of the most powerful tribes in the region. The area that became Duval County was home to the 16th-century French colony of Fort Caroline, and saw increased European settlement in the 18th century with the establishment of Cowford, later renamed Jacksonville.

Duval County was created in 1822 from St. Johns County. It was named for William Pope DuVal, Governor of Florida Territory from 1822 to 1834. When Duval County was created, it covered a massive area, from the Suwannee River on the west to the Atlantic Ocean on the east, north of a line from the mouth of the Suwannee River to Jacksonville on the St. Johns River. Alachua and Nassau counties were created out of parts of Duval County in 1824. Clay County was created from part of Duval County in 1858. Part of St. Johns County south and east of the lower reaches of the St. Johns River was transferred to Duval County in the 1840s.^[4]

On October 1, 1968, the government of Duval County was consolidated with the government of the city of Jacksonville, although the Duval County cities of Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach are not included in the corporate limits of Jacksonville, and maintain their own municipal governments.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 918.24 square miles (2,378.2 km²), of which 773.67 square miles (2,003.8 km²) (or 84.26%) is land and 144.57 square miles (374.4 km²) (or 15.74%) is water, much of it in the Atlantic Ocean.^[5] The topography is coastal plain; however there are some rolling hills.

Cities and towns

• Atlantic Beach
• Baldwin
• Jacksonville
• Jacksonville Beach
• Neptune Beach

National protected areas

• Fort Caroline National Memorial
• Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve

Adjacent counties

• Nassau County - north
• St. Johns County - southeast
• Clay County - southwest
• Baker County - west

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	1,970		—
1840	4,156		111.0%
1850	4,539		9.2%
1860	5,074		11.8%
1870	11,921		134.9%
1880	19,431		63.0%
1890	26,800		37.9%
1900	39,733		48.3%
1910	75,163		89.2%
1920	113,540		51.1%
1930	155,503		37.0%
1940	210,143		35.1%
1950	304,029		44.7%
1960	455,411		49.8%
1970	528,865		16.1%
1980	571,003		8.0%
1990	672,971		17.9%
2000	778,879		15.7%
2010	864,263		11.0%

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 778,879 people, 303,747 households, and 201,688 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,007 people per square mile (389/km²). There were 329,778 housing units at an average density of 426 per square mile (165/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 65.80% White, 27.83% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 2.71% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. 4.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 90.7% spoke English, 4.1% Spanish and 1.0% Tagalog as their first language.

There were 303,747 households out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% were married couples living together, 15.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.60% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.30% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,703, and the median income for a family was $47,689. Males had a median income of $32,954 versus $26,015 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,753. About 9.20% of families and 11.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.40% of those under age 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

According to the Supervisor of Elections website, for the 2008 general election there were 536,584 registered voters in Duval County, of which 417,599 cast ballots for a voter turnout of 77.83%.^[7]

Presidential elections results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Other
2008	50.5%	48.6%	0.9%	[7]
2004	57.8%	41.6%	0.6%	[8]
2000	57.5%	40.7%	1.8%	[9]
1996	50.0%	44.2%	5.8%	[10]
1992	49.5%	36.9%	13.9%	[11]
1988	62.8%	36.7%	0.5%	[12]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Duval County, Florida

References

1. ^ http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ Matt Soergel, "Archaeologists help distinguish Mocama group", Morris News Service, 25 October 2009, accessed 11 May 2010
4. ^ Fernald, Edward A., Ed. (1981) Atlas of Florida. The Florida State University Foundation, Inc. ISBN 0-9606708-0-7 P.131
   Alachua County Maps
   Nassau County Maps
   [http://fcit.usf.edu/Florida/maps/county/clay/clay.htm Clay County Maps
5. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
6. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Duval County 2008 General Election
8. ^ Duval County 2004 General Election - URL retrieved February 12, 2007
9. ^ ElectionResults_2000-11-7.pdf Duval County 2000 General Election] - PDF retrieved February 12, 2007
10. ^ Duval County, Florida 1996 Presidential Election Results - URL retrieved February 12, 2007
11. ^ Duval County, Florida 1992 Presidential Election Results - URL retrieved February 12, 2007
12. ^ Duval County, Florida 1988 Presidential Election Results - URL retrieved February 12, 2007

External links

Government links

• City of Jacksonville official website of City of Jacksonville/Duval County

Elected constitutional offices

• Duval County Property Appraiser
• Duval County Supervisor of Elections
• Duval County Tax Collector
• Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
• Duval County Clerk of the Courts

Special districts

• Duval County Public Schools
• Duval County Soil & Water Conservation District
• St. Johns River Water Management District

Judicial branch

• Duval County Clerk of Courts
• Public Defender, 4th Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Duval, Clay, and Nassau Counties
• Office of the State Attorney, 4th Judicial Circuit of Florida
• Circuit and County Court, 4th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism

• Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention and Visitors' Bureau

Coordinates: 30°20′N 81°39′W / 30.33°N 81.65°W / 30.33; -81.65