Gadsden County, Florida

county in Florida, United States of America

Gadsden County is a county in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, 43,826 people lived there.[1] Its county seat is Quincy, Florida.[2] Gadsden County is the only majority African American county in Florida. Gadsden County is home to only one public high school - Gadsden County High School, located on Highway 90 east of Quincy.

Gadsden County
Gadsden County Courthouse
Gadsden County Courthouse
Official seal of Gadsden County
Map of Florida highlighting Gadsden County
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°35′N 84°37′W / 30.58°N 84.61°W / 30.58; -84.61
Country United States
State Florida
FoundedJune 24, 1823
Named forJames Gadsden
SeatQuincy
Largest cityQuincy
Area
 • Total529 sq mi (1,370 km2)
 • Land516 sq mi (1,340 km2)
 • Water12 sq mi (30 km2)  2.3%
Population
 • Total43,826
 • Density83/sq mi (32/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Websitewww.gadsdengov.net

The county is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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Gadsden County was created in 1823. It was named for James Gadsden of South Carolina. He was Andrew Jackson's aide-de-camp in Florida in 1818.

There were once only two high schools that blacks in Gadsden County could attend: Carter-Parramore (which is now a middle school) and Stevens High Schools.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 529 square miles (1,370 km2), of which 516 square miles (1,340 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (2.3%) is water.[3]

Gadsden County is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gadsden County is in the Eastern Time Zone. Its western border with Jackson County forms the boundary in this area between the Eastern and Central Time Zones.

Counties nearby

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Education

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Level of Education
Level Gadsden Co. Florida U.S.

College/Associate Degree 21.9% 28.8% 27.4%
Bachelor's Degree 8.0% 14.3% 15.5%
Master's or Ph. D. 4.9% 8.1% 8.9%
Total 34.8% 51.2% 51.8%

Politics

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Gadsden County is known for being a stronghold of the Democratic Party in north Florida, along with Leon County and Jefferson County to its east, and Alachua County to its southeast.

United States presidential election results for Gadsden County, Florida[4]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 7,465 31.42% 16,153 67.98% 144 0.61%
2016 6,728 30.29% 15,020 67.62% 466 2.10%
2012 6,630 29.43% 15,770 70.01% 125 0.55%
2008 6,811 30.22% 15,582 69.14% 145 0.64%
2004 6,253 29.80% 14,629 69.72% 102 0.49%
2000 4,770 32.38% 9,736 66.09% 225 1.53%
1996 3,817 26.88% 9,407 66.25% 975 6.87%
1992 3,975 27.62% 8,486 58.96% 1,933 13.43%
1988 5,992 47.64% 6,372 50.66% 213 1.69%
1984 5,807 43.95% 7,403 56.03% 2 0.02%
1980 3,718 30.41% 8,222 67.26% 285 2.33%
1976 3,531 33.85% 6,798 65.17% 102 0.98%
1972 5,995 61.01% 3,829 38.97% 2 0.02%
1968 1,337 14.76% 3,274 36.15% 4,446 49.09%
1964 5,207 53.33% 4,556 46.67% 0 0.00%
1960 2,010 46.18% 2,343 53.82% 0 0.00%
1956 1,321 36.87% 2,262 63.13% 0 0.00%
1952 1,835 40.41% 2,706 59.59% 0 0.00%
1948 376 13.42% 1,427 50.93% 999 35.65%
1944 462 15.22% 2,574 84.78% 0 0.00%
1940 417 11.47% 3,218 88.53% 0 0.00%
1936 198 7.15% 2,572 92.85% 0 0.00%
1932 105 5.33% 1,865 94.67% 0 0.00%
1928 346 22.31% 1,184 76.34% 21 1.35%
1924 47 5.86% 681 84.91% 74 9.23%
1920 38 1.91% 1,922 96.68% 28 1.41%
1916 57 5.53% 875 84.95% 98 9.51%
1912 75 9.73% 609 78.99% 87 11.28%
1908 89 12.06% 563 76.29% 86 11.65%
1904 54 10.07% 471 87.87% 11 2.05%

People

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Gadsden County is the state's only county with an African American majority population. At the 2020 census, 43,826 people lived in the county. There were 16,806 households and 2,073 people who did not live in households. The population density was 84.9 people per square mile (32.8/km²). The median age was 43.4 years (41.7 for males, 45.1 for females).

Of the total population, 21.0% were under 18 years old, 59.0% were 18 to 64, and 20.0% were 65 or over. Males made up 48.7% and females made up 51.3% of the people. The population was 53.2% Black (non-Latino), 32.2% White (non-Latino), 11.6% Hispanic or Latino, and 2.2% Two or more races (non-Latino). Less than 1% of the people were from other races.

Of the 16,806 households, 11,239 (66.9%) were families, 4,883 (29.1%) had children under 18, 6,521 (38.8%) had a married couple, and 4,772 (28.4%) had one person living alone. The average household size was 2.5 people. There were 18,929 housing units, and 88.8% had people living in them all year. Of these households, 72.6% were owner-occupied, while 27.4% were renters.[5][6]

As of 2022, the median (middle) yearly income for a household was about $45,721, and the median income for a family was about $56,527.[7] The per capita income was about $23,898.[8] About 17.6% of families[9] and 25.5% of all people in Gadsden County lived below the poverty line. This includes 41.2% of children under 18 years old and 13.3% of people over 65 years old.[10]

Cities and towns

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 "QuickFacts: Gadsden County, Florida". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  4. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  5. "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  6. "P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  7. "S1901: Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  8. "S1902: Mean Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  9. "S1702: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months of Families". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  10. "S1701: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  • Gadsden: a Florida County in Word and Picture, by Miles Kenan Womack, Jr.

Other websites

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Government links/Constitutional offices

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Special districts

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Judicial branch

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30°35′N 84°37′W / 30.58°N 84.61°W / 30.58; -84.61