- Jefferson County, Florida
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Jefferson County, Florida 
Seal
Location in the state of Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.Founded 20 January 1827 Seat Monticello Area
- Total
- Land
- Water
636.65 sq mi (1,649 km²)
597.74 sq mi (1,548 km²)
38.91 sq mi (101 km²), 6.11%Population
- (2010)
- Density
14,761
25/sq mi (9.53/km²)Website www.co.jefferson.fl.us 
Jefferson County Courthouse in Monticello
Entering Jefferson County on US 19 from Thomas County, Georgia
Old Lloyd Railroad Depot, now the area's post officeJefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 12,902. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 14,490 [1]. Its county seat is Monticello, Florida[1].
Jefferson County is part of the Tallahassee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Jefferson County was created in 1827. It was named for Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, who served from 1801 to 1809. Monticello is a racially diverse town (see Demographics).
Forts of Jefferson County
- Fort Roger Jones (1839), Aucilla (Ocilla Ferry), north of US 90.[2]
- Fort Noel (1839–1842), south of Lamont on the Aucilla River, six miles (10 km) northwest of Fort Pleasant in Taylor County. Also known as Fort Number Three (M).
- Camp Carter (1838), near Waukeenah.
- Fort Welaunee (1838), a settlers' fort on the Welaunee Plantation near Wacissa. Fort Gamble (1839–1843) was later established here.
- Fort Aucilla (1843), two miles (3 km) south-east of Fort Gamble, southwest of Lamont, between the Aucilla and Wacissa Rivers. Also spelled Ocilla.
- Fort Wacissa (1838), a settlers' fort located south of Wacissa on the Wacissa River, west of Cabbage Grove.
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 636.65 square miles (1,648.9 km2), of which 597.74 square miles (1,548.1 km2) (or 93.89%) is land and 38.91 square miles (100.8 km2) (or 6.11%) is water.[3]
Jefferson County is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Jefferson County is the only county in Florida which borders both the state of Georgia and the Gulf of Mexico
Adjacent counties
- Thomas County, Georgia - north
- Brooks County, Georgia - northeast
- Madison County, Florida - east
- Taylor County, Florida - southeast
- Wakulla County, Florida - southwest
- Leon County, Florida - west
National protected area
Waterbodies
Demographics
Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1840 5,713 — 1850 7,718 35.1% 1860 9,876 28.0% 1870 13,398 35.7% 1880 16,065 19.9% 1890 15,757 −1.9% 1900 16,195 2.8% 1910 17,210 6.3% 1920 14,502 −15.7% 1930 13,408 −7.5% 1940 12,032 −10.3% 1950 10,413 −13.5% 1960 9,543 −8.4% 1970 8,778 −8.0% 1980 10,703 21.9% 1990 11,296 5.5% 2000 12,902 14.2% 2010 14,761 14.4% [4][5][6] As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 12,902 people, 4,695 households, and 3,305 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 5,251 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 59.27% White, 38.34% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. 2.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,695 households out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 15.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county the population was spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 104.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,998, and the median income for a family was $40,407. Males had a median income of $26,271 versus $25,748 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,006. About 13.30% of families and 17.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.70% of those under age 18 and 17.00% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Jefferson County is one of only a handful of counties in the Florida Panhandle that politically favors the Democratic Party.
Presidential elections results Year Republican Democratic Other 2008 47.6% 51.2% 1.2% 2004 44.1% 55.3% 0.6% 2000 43.9% 53.9% 2.2% Schools
Jefferson County High SchoolThe Jefferson County School District is the only one in Florida operating under a declared financial emergency due to budget deficits.[8] On April 23, 2009, the Florida Department of Education took over financial oversight of the district. [9]
Municipalities
Incorporated
- City of Monticello
Unincorporated
- Alma
- Ashville
- Aucilla
- Capps
- Casa Blanco
- Cody
- Dills
- Drifton
- Fanlew
- Festus
- Fincher
- Jarrott
- Lamont
- Limestone
- Lloyd
- Lois
- Montivilla
- Nash
- Thomas City
- Wacissa
- Waukeenah
See also
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ IRC Library:Fort Roger Jones
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/fl190090.txt
- ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_QTPL&prodType=table
- ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Tallahassee Democrat: State to take over Jefferson County School District's weak finances
- ^ Tallahassee Democrat: Parents and teachers react to Jefferson County Schools' dire finances
External links
Government links
- Jefferson County Home Page
- Jefferson County Economic Development Council
- Jefferson County Tourist Development Council
- Chamber of Commerce
Constitutional Offices
- Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners
- Jefferson County Supervisor of Elections
- Jefferson County Property Appraiser
- Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
- Jefferson County Tax Collector
Jefferson County Schools
- Public School System
- Private School System
Judicial Branch
- Jefferson County Clerk of Courts
- Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla counties
- Office of the State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida
- Circuit and County Court for the 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida
Special Districts
Thomas County, Georgia Brooks County, Georgia Leon County 
Madison County 
Jefferson County, Florida 
Wakulla County Gulf of Mexico Taylor County Municipalities and communities of Jefferson County, Florida City 
Unincorporated
communitiesCategories:- Florida counties
- Jefferson County, Florida
- Tallahassee metropolitan area
- 1827 establishments in the United States
- Populated places established in 1827
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