Columbia County, Florida
Columbia County | |
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UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 3rd |
Website | www |
Columbia County is a
Columbia County comprises the Lake City, FL
History
After Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, pioneer and immigrant settlers from the United States formed their own settlement adjacent to a Seminole village called Alligator Village, and called it Alligator.[3] Following the 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek, the residents of Alligator village relocated to the banks of Peace Creek in the newly established Seminole reservation, leaving Alligator Town on its own.
When Columbia County was formed in 1832 from Duval and Alachua counties, Alligator Town was designated as the seat of the county government. It was renamed as
In November 1858 a railroad was completed connecting Jacksonville to Alligator, which opened the town to more commerce and passenger traffic. Alligator Town was incorporated and its name changed to Lake City in 1859; M. Whit Smith was elected as the town's first mayor.[5] According to an urban legend, the name was changed because the mayor's wife Martha Jane, who had recently moved to the town, refused to hang her lace curtains in a town named Alligator.[6]
During the
Union forces engaged the Confederates at the Battle of Olustee on February 20, 1864, near the Olustee Station. It was the only major battle in Florida during the war. Union casualties were 1,861 men killed, wounded or missing; Confederate casualties were 946 killed, wounded or missing. The Confederate dead were buried in Lake City.[8] In 1928 a memorial for the Battle of Olustee was established in downtown Lake City.
Lake City's first newspaper was published in 1874, called the Lake City Reporter. Charles H. Thompson, an African American minister, represented Columbia County in the Florida House of Representatives and served as a county commissioner in 1874 and 1875.[9] In 1876 the Bigelow Building was completed; it later was adapted for use as the City Hall. The first fire department was established in 1883 to complement the police department. In 1891 Lake City became the first city in Florida to have electric lights from a local power and light company.
White violence rose against blacks in the late 19th century in a regionwide effort to establish and maintain
Among these murders was the mass lynching on May 21, 1911, of six black men who were taken from the jail by a white mob in Lake City. They were being held on charges of murdering one white sawmill worker and wounding another in Leon County, after whites had attacked them at a private house following an earlier altercation between two men.[11] A group of a dozen white men, reportedly from Tallahassee, tricked the white youth guarding the jail by posing as officials and gained release of the suspects. They took the men outside town and shot them repeatedly to death.[12][11]
Geography
According to the
Columbia County is coterminous with the Lake City, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA). The μSA was first defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in 2003. It was added to the Gainesville-Lake City, Florida Combined Statistical Area in 2020.[14]
Adjacent counties
- Echols County, Georgia - north
- Clinch County, Georgia - northeast
- Baker County - east
- Union County - southeast
- Alachua County - south
- Gilchrist County - southwest
- Suwannee County - west
- Hamilton County - northwest
National protected area
- Osceola National Forest (part)
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1840 | 2,102 | — | |
1850 | 4,808 | 128.7% | |
1860 | 4,646 | −3.4% | |
1870 | 7,335 | 57.9% | |
1880 | 9,589 | 30.7% | |
1890 | 12,877 | 34.3% | |
1900 | 17,094 | 32.7% | |
1910 | 17,689 | 3.5% | |
1920 | 14,290 | −19.2% | |
1930 | 14,638 | 2.4% | |
1940 | 16,859 | 15.2% | |
1950 | 18,216 | 8.0% | |
1960 | 20,077 | 10.2% | |
1970 | 25,250 | 25.8% | |
1980 | 35,399 | 40.2% | |
1990 | 42,613 | 20.4% | |
2000 | 56,513 | 32.6% | |
2010 | 67,531 | 19.5% | |
2020 | 69,698 | 3.2% | |
2023 (est.) | 73,063 | [15] | 4.8% |
U.S. Decennial Census[16] 1790-1960[17] 1900-1990[18] 1990-2000[19] 2010-2015[20] 2020[1] |
Race | Pop 2010[23] | Pop 2020[24] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White (NH)
|
50,475 | 49,096 | 74.74% | 70.44% |
Black or African American (NH)
|
11,663 | 11,441 | 17.27% | 16.42% |
Alaska Native (NH)
|
316 | 236 | 0.47% | 0.34% |
Asian (NH) | 611 | 867 | 0.9% | 1.24% |
Pacific Islander (NH) | 36 | 27 | 0.05% | 0.04% |
Some Other Race (NH) | 94 | 295 | 0.14% | 0.42% |
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 1,060 | 2,673 | 1.57% | 3.84% |
Hispanic or Latino | 3,276 | 5,063 | 4.85% | 7.26% |
Total | 67,531 | 69,698 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 69,698 people, 25,205 households, and 15,740 families residing in the county.
As of the
There were 20,925 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.70% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was
Politics
Voter registration
According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are the majority of registered voters in Columbia County.
Columbia County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2022[26] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Political Party | Total Voters | Percentage | |||
Republican | 22,477 | 52.05% | |||
Democratic | 12,176 | 28.20% | |||
Independent | 7,921 | 18.34% | |||
Third Parties | 608 | 1.41% | |||
Total | 43,182 | 100% |
Statewide elections
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 23,836 | 72.03% | 8,914 | 26.94% | 342 | 1.03% |
2016 | 20,368 | 70.57% | 7,601 | 26.33% | 895 | 3.10% |
2012 | 18,429 | 67.69% | 8,462 | 31.08% | 336 | 1.23% |
2008 | 18,670 | 66.17% | 9,171 | 32.50% | 374 | 1.33% |
2004 | 16,758 | 67.06% | 8,031 | 32.14% | 202 | 0.81% |
2000 | 10,968 | 59.24% | 7,049 | 38.07% | 497 | 2.68% |
1996 | 7,588 | 46.48% | 6,691 | 40.98% | 2,047 | 12.54% |
1992 | 6,492 | 43.41% | 5,528 | 36.97% | 2,934 | 19.62% |
1988 | 7,761 | 65.13% | 4,073 | 34.18% | 82 | 0.69% |
1984 | 8,814 | 67.41% | 4,261 | 32.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
1980 | 5,643 | 48.45% | 5,680 | 48.76% | 325 | 2.79% |
1976 | 3,947 | 36.66% | 6,683 | 62.08% | 136 | 1.26% |
1972 | 6,723 | 80.16% | 1,664 | 19.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
1968 | 1,553 | 21.13% | 1,750 | 23.81% | 4,046 | 55.06% |
1964 | 4,145 | 56.06% | 3,249 | 43.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 2,094 | 36.17% | 3,695 | 63.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 1,841 | 36.19% | 3,246 | 63.81% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 2,041 | 38.73% | 3,229 | 61.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 553 | 16.60% | 1,797 | 53.93% | 982 | 29.47% |
1944 | 537 | 17.88% | 2,467 | 82.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 443 | 13.30% | 2,888 | 86.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 196 | 6.58% | 2,783 | 93.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
1932 | 174 | 6.51% | 2,497 | 93.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 418 | 24.36% | 1,276 | 74.36% | 22 | 1.28% |
1924 | 85 | 8.94% | 776 | 81.60% | 90 | 9.46% |
1920 | 162 | 10.50% | 1,248 | 80.88% | 133 | 8.62% |
1916 | 226 | 19.06% | 861 | 72.60% | 99 | 8.35% |
1912 | 66 | 9.85% | 520 | 77.61% | 84 | 12.54% |
1908 | 279 | 31.28% | 465 | 52.13% | 148 | 16.59% |
1904 | 317 | 32.09% | 595 | 60.22% | 76 | 7.69% |
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties
|
---|---|---|---|
2022
|
79.19% 18,790 | 20.18% 4,789 | 0.62% 148 |
2018
|
70.14% 17,426 | 28.60% 7,105 | 1.25% 312 |
2014
|
63.15% 11,604 | 31.63% 5,812 | 5.22% 958 |
2010
|
58.66% 11,089 | 37.39% 7,068 | 3.95% 748 |
2006
|
59.74% 9,313 | 36.97% 5,763 | 3.29% 514 |
2002
|
58.50% 9,554 | 40.43% 6,603 | 1.07% 174 |
1998
|
61.27% 7,698 | 38.71% 4,863 | 0.02% 3 |
1994
|
58.35% 7,408 | 41.65% 5,288 |
Education
The Columbia County School District operates public schools.
Library
The Columbia County Public Library consists of 3 branches.
- Main Branch
- West Branch
- Fort White Branch
Transportation
Airports
Columbia County's main airport is Lake City Municipal Airport. Private airports also exist throughout the county.
Major roads
- I-10 (Interstate 10) is the main west-to-east interstate highway in the county, and serves as the unofficial dividing line between northern and southern Columbia County. It contains three interchanges within the county; the first being I-75 in Springville (Exits 296 A-B), and the other two in Five Points, north of Lake City, US 41 (Exit 301), and US 441(Exit 303). Beyond this point I-10 runs through Osceola National Forest.
- I-75 (Interstate 75) is the southeast-to-northwest interstate highway in the county, which enters from Alachua County at bridges over the Santa Fe River. It has four interchanges in the county with US 41/441 in Ellisville (Exit 414), SR 47 (Exit 423), US 90 in Lake City (Exit 427) and I-10 in Springville (Exits 435 A-B).
- US 27 is another southeast-to-northwest road in southwestern Columbia County, that enters from a bridge over the Santa Fe River, runs through Fort White, and leaves at another bridge over the Ichetucknee River at Ichetucknee Springs State Park.
- US 41 runs north from High Springs in a concurrency with US 441 until just before it reaches Lake City, Then the two routes run parallel to each other until US 41 branches off to the northwest on its way to Hamilton County, Valdosta, Georgia, and points north.
- US 90 was the main west-to-east highway in the county, until it was surpassed by I-10. It enters the county from Wellborn in Suwannee County, and directly enters Lake City. East of the city, it runs along the southern edge of Osceola National Forest and serves as the address of two major prisons before crossing the Baker County Line and entering a portion of the forest itself.
- US 441 runs north from High Springs in a concurrency with US 41 until just before it reaches Lake City, Then the two routes run parallel to each other, but unlike US 41, US 441 stays in Columbia County and runs straight north and south until it crosses the Georgia State Line.
- SR 2 is located on the far northeast corner of the county, and has no significant intersections in the county.
- SR 47 is a northeast-to-southwest road that spans from Trenton in Gilchrist County to US 41 in Lake City. North of there it becomes a hidden state road along US 41 until it reaches US Truck Route 90, then turns east, only to turn north again onto US 441 where it remains for the duration until it crosses the Florida-Georgia State Line.
- SR 100 runs northwest to southeast from Hamilton County in an overlap with southbound US 41, until it reaches US 90 in Lake City, where it runs east in an overlap with that route before branching off on its own in Watertown, then runs southeast towards the Union County Line.
- SR 238 runs west to east in Ellisville and only exists for one and a half miles in the county, but still serves as an important route to Lake Butler in Union County.
- SR 247 is a northeast to southwest road that spans from Branford in Suwannee County, and terminates at US 90 in western Lake City, just east of US 90's interchange with I-75.
Railroads
Columbia County has at least three existing railroad lines. The primary one is a
Communities
City
Town
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b "QuickFacts - Columbia County, Florida". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Taylor, George (February 21, 2009). "Alligator Town Marker". George Lansing Taylor Collection Main Gallery. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ^ Publications of the Florida Historical Society. Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 30.
- ^ "Lake City Florida. Celebrating 150 Years. A Guide to the Sesquicentennial Celebration." Lake City, FL, 2009, pg. 21.
- ^ Williams, Morris (March 8, 2008). "Lake City's 150th birthday — time for a celebration". Lake City Reporter. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "Events Leading up to the Battle of Olustee". battleofolustee.org. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ^ "Olustee Battlefield". Florida Public Archaeology Network. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ Florida's Black Public Officials by Canter Brown Jr. page 131
- ^ Lynching in America/ Supplement: Lynchings by County[permanent dead link], 3rd Edition, 2017, p. 3
- ^ a b Bill Bond, "[NAACP] Report On Lynchings Details Hideous Chapter In History" Archived March 21, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Orlando Sentinel, January 25, 1987; accessed March 20, 2018
- ^ "Mob Fury Upon Six Negroes", The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee), May 22, 1911; accessed March 20, 2018
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Metro Area History 1950–2020". U.S. Census Bureau. March 2020. Row 2680. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
- ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/data-statistics/voter-registration-statistics/voter-registration-reports/voter-registration-by-county-and-party}[permanent dead link]
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
- ^ Official Guide of the Railways, June 1966, Seaboard Air Line section
External links
Government links/Constitutional offices
- Columbia County Government / Board of County Commissioners
- Columbia County Supervisor of Elections
- Columbia County Property Appraiser
- Columbia County Tax Collector
- Columbia County Sheriff's Office
- Columbia County Tourism
Special districts
- Columbia County Public Schools
- Columbia County Public Libraries
- Suwannee River Florida Water Management District
- Columbia Amateur Radio Society since 1958
Judicial branch
- Columbia County Clerk of Courts
- Public Defender, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor Counties
- Office of the State Attorney, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida
- Circuit and County Court, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida
Tourism links
- Lake City Weather dot Com Get LIVE Weather Reports here.
- Columbia County Tourism Development Council