Liberty County, Florida

Liberty County, Florida
Location in the state of Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 15, 1855
Seat	Bristol
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	843.16 sq mi (2,184 km²) 835.87 sq mi (2,165 km²) 7.29 sq mi (19 km²), 0.86%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	8,365 10/sq mi (3.86/km²)
Website	www.libertyclerk.com

Liberty County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its population was estimated in 2005 as 7,733. Its most populous incorporated area and county seat is Bristol.

The county is the least populous and least-densely populated of all of Florida's counties, although in the 2000 Census it had only one less person than the second least-populated county, Lafayette. The Apalachicola National Forest occupies half the county.

History

Liberty County was created in 1855. It is named for the popular American ideal of liberty.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 843.16 square miles (2,183.8 km²), of which 835.87 square miles (2,164.9 km²) (or 99.14%) is land and 7.29 square miles (18.9 km²) (or 0.86%) is water.^[1] The county is bordered on the west by the Apalachicola River.

Adjacent counties

• Gadsden County, Florida - northeast
• Wakulla County, Florida - east
• Leon County, Florida - east
• Franklin County, Florida - south
• Gulf County, Florida - southwest
• Calhoun County, Florida - west
• Jackson County, Florida - northwest

National protected area

• Apalachicola National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	1,457		—
1870	1,050		−27.9%
1880	1,362		29.7%
1890	1,452		6.6%
1900	2,956		103.6%
1910	4,700		59.0%
1920	5,006		6.5%
1930	4,067		−18.8%
1940	3,752		−7.7%
1950	3,182		−15.2%
1960	3,138		−1.4%
1970	3,379		7.7%
1980	4,260		26.1%
1990	5,569		30.7%
2000	7,021		26.1%
2010	8,365		19.1%
[2][3][4]

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 7,021 people, 2,222 households, and 1,553 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 3,156 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.41% White, 18.43% Black or African American, 1.81% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 2.08% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 4.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,222 households out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.80% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.60% 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 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.80% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 37.70% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 144.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 159.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,840, and the median income for a family was $34,244. Males had a median income of $22,078 versus $22,661 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,225. About 16.80% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.30% of those under age 18 and 24.30% of those age 65 or over.

Municipalities

Incorporated

1. City of Bristol

Unincorporated

1. Estiffanulga
2. Hosford
3. Orange
4. Rock Bluff
5. Sumatra
6. Telogia
7. Wilma
8. Woods

Politics

Presidential elections results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Other
2008	71.2%	27.2%	1.6%
2004	63.8%	35.4%	0.8%
2000	54.6%	42.2%	3.2%

Liberty County is run by a board of five county commissioners, each elected at-large. The following is a list of the commissioners with the number representative of his/her district:^[6]

1. Albert Butcher
2. Dexter Barber
3. Jim Johnson
4. Davis Stoutamire
5. Edward "Kevin" Williams

The remaining elected officials are the constitutional officers and the school board members.

• Clerk of the court: Robert Hill
• Sheriff: Donnie Conyers
• Property Appraiser: Patricia Whitfield
• Tax Collector: Marie Goodman
• Supervisor of Elections: Marcia Wood
• Superintendent of Schools: Sue Summers

See also

• Dry counties
• Liberty County High School
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Liberty County, Florida

References

1. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
2. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/fl190090.txt
3. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_QTPL&prodType=table
4. ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
6. ^ http://libertyelections.com/elected_county.cfm

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

• Liberty County Board of County Commissioners
• Liberty County Supervisor of Elections
• Liberty County Property Appraiser
• Liberty County Election's Office
• Liberty Liberty County Tax Collector
• Liberty County Emergency Management

Special districts

• Liberty County School Board
• Liberty County High School
• Northwest Florida Water Management District

Judicial branch

• Liberty 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

Tourism links

• Liberty County Chamber of Commerce

Coordinates: 30°14′N 84°53′W / 30.23°N 84.89°W / 30.23; -84.89