Levy County, Florida
Levy County | |
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UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 3rd |
Website | www |
Levy County is a county located on the Gulf coast in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,915.[1] Its county seat is Bronson.[2]
History
Levy County was created in 1845, after the
Levy provided for long-term development in the state by constructing the first railroad across Florida, the Florida Railroad, linking the deep-water ports of Fernandina (Port of Fernandina) on the Atlantic Ocean and Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico.
The original county seat of Levy County was located in a neighborhood locally known as Sodom. This concerned the county commission so much that in April 1854 they changed the name to “Mount Pleasant”. The name was changed again in January 1856 to "Levyville".[4] An act of the State of Florida legislature ordered the county commissioners to let the county residents vote on the location of the county seat. In 1869, a vote was held to decide the location for the county seat. Bronson was selected by popular vote. County officials sited illegal votes cast in every precinct, so a new election was set to take place in 30 days. The Board of County Commissioners would later reverse their previous decision and let the vote stand. The process to build a new courthouse at Bronson began along with the removal of the courthouse at Levyville.
In 1874, the county seat was moved to Bronson, originally known as “Chunky Pond”, and was named after an early settler, Isaac Bronson.[5]
The
Geography
According to the
Adjacent counties
- Dixie County — west
- Gilchrist County — north
- Alachua County — northeast
- Marion County — east
- Citrus County — south
National protected areas
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 465 | — | |
1860 | 1,781 | 283.0% | |
1870 | 2,018 | 13.3% | |
1880 | 5,767 | 185.8% | |
1890 | 6,586 | 14.2% | |
1900 | 8,603 | 30.6% | |
1910 | 10,361 | 20.4% | |
1920 | 9,921 | −4.2% | |
1930 | 12,456 | 25.6% | |
1940 | 12,550 | 0.8% | |
1950 | 10,637 | −15.2% | |
1960 | 10,364 | −2.6% | |
1970 | 12,756 | 23.1% | |
1980 | 19,870 | 55.8% | |
1990 | 25,923 | 30.5% | |
2000 | 34,450 | 32.9% | |
2010 | 40,801 | 18.4% | |
2020 | 42,915 | 5.2% | |
2023 (est.) | 46,545 | [8] | 8.5% |
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2015[1] 2019[13] |
Race | Pop 2010[16] | Pop 2020[17] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White (NH)
|
32,958 | 32,874 | 80.78% | 76.6% |
Black or African American (NH)
|
3,756 | 3,597 | 9.21% | 8.38% |
Alaska Native (NH)
|
129 | 122 | 0.32% | 0.28% |
Asian (NH) | 228 | 292 | 0.56% | 0.68% |
Pacific Islander (NH) | 14 | 11 | 0.03% | 0.03% |
Some Other Race (NH) | 48 | 170 | 0.12% | 0.4% |
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 621 | 1,769 | 1.52% | 4.12% |
Hispanic or Latino | 3,047 | 4,080 | 7.47% | 9.51% |
Total | 40,801 | 42,915 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 42,915 people, 16,971 households, and 10,747 families residing in the county.
As of the
There were 13,867 households, out of which 27.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.40% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 26.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,959, and the median income for a family was $30,899. Males had a median income of $26,029 versus $20,252 for females. The
Proposed nuclear power plant
On April 7, 2008,
Progress expects to apply for a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) in the summer of 2008, according to a spokeswoman. Southern Company and SCANA, of whom each own an interest in the plant, would not reveal cost estimates, but Progress has said its plant will cost $14 billion,[19] with an additional $3 billion required for transmission infrastructure.[20]
Applying for a COL does not commit the utilities to construct the plant, but it is part of the licensing process, say officials of all the utilities. The application starts a 40-month review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, meaning that approval could come in August 2011.
In late July, 2013 the company said it had scrapped its plan to build the plant.[21]
Politics
Voter registration
According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans comprise a plurality of registered voters in Levy County.
Levy County Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of March 22, 2019[22] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Political party | Total voters | Percentage | |||
Republican | 13,293 | 47.5% | |||
Democratic | 9,039 | 32.3% | |||
other party affiliation | 5,626 | 20.1% | |||
Total | 27,958 | 100% |
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 16,749 | 72.24% | 6,205 | 26.76% | 231 | 1.00% |
2016 | 13,775 | 70.64% | 5,101 | 26.16% | 623 | 3.20% |
2012 | 12,054 | 65.31% | 6,119 | 33.15% | 284 | 1.54% |
2008 | 11,754 | 62.56% | 6,711 | 35.72% | 324 | 1.72% |
2004 | 10,410 | 62.52% | 6,074 | 36.48% | 168 | 1.01% |
2000 | 6,863 | 53.91% | 5,398 | 42.40% | 469 | 3.68% |
1996 | 4,299 | 38.85% | 4,938 | 44.63% | 1,828 | 16.52% |
1992 | 3,796 | 34.71% | 4,330 | 39.59% | 2,810 | 25.69% |
1988 | 5,253 | 59.75% | 3,434 | 39.06% | 104 | 1.18% |
1984 | 5,561 | 64.19% | 3,103 | 35.81% | 0 | 0.00% |
1980 | 3,210 | 42.26% | 4,170 | 54.90% | 216 | 2.84% |
1976 | 1,965 | 31.87% | 4,025 | 65.28% | 176 | 2.85% |
1972 | 3,273 | 79.12% | 862 | 20.84% | 2 | 0.05% |
1968 | 745 | 18.81% | 767 | 19.36% | 2,449 | 61.83% |
1964 | 1,580 | 44.31% | 1,986 | 55.69% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 996 | 33.21% | 2,003 | 66.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 934 | 33.90% | 1,821 | 66.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 1,066 | 34.66% | 2,010 | 65.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 225 | 11.12% | 1,128 | 55.76% | 670 | 33.12% |
1944 | 225 | 9.65% | 2,107 | 90.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 266 | 9.52% | 2,527 | 90.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 183 | 8.37% | 2,003 | 91.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
1932 | 123 | 7.05% | 1,621 | 92.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 711 | 46.23% | 797 | 51.82% | 30 | 1.95% |
1924 | 214 | 26.23% | 524 | 64.22% | 78 | 9.56% |
1920 | 377 | 29.50% | 882 | 69.01% | 19 | 1.49% |
1916 | 216 | 22.29% | 712 | 73.48% | 41 | 4.23% |
1912 | 74 | 13.91% | 375 | 70.49% | 83 | 15.60% |
1908 | 189 | 27.19% | 411 | 59.14% | 95 | 13.67% |
1904 | 151 | 24.59% | 426 | 69.38% | 37 | 6.03% |
Education
Public schools
School Board of Levy County operates public schools.
Public libraries
The current Levy County Library Director[when?] is Jeanine Turner.
The Levy County Public Library System has five branches:
- Bronson Public Library
600 Gilbert Street Bronson, FL 32621 Phone: (352) 486-2015
- Cedar Key Public Library
460 Second Street Cedar Key, FL 32625 Phone: (352) 543-5777
- Luther Callaway Public Library
104 NE 3rd Street Chiefland, FL 32626 Phone: (352) 493-2758
- Williston Public Library
10 SE 1st Street Williston, FL 32696 Phone: (352) 528-2313
- A.F. Knotts Public Library
11 56th Street Yankeetown, FL 34498 Phone: (352) 447-4212[24]
Transportation
Airports
Public transit
Levy County Transit has public buses but doesn't have routes available online.[25][26]
Railroads
Levy County has only one
Major roads
- SR 55) is the main local road through western Levy County, running south to north.
- US 27 runs northwest to southeast from Marion County and joins US 41 in Williston on its way to High Springs.
.- SR 45) is the main local road through eastern Levy County, running south to north. Until the north end of the concurrency with SR 121 in Williston, the road is also shared by the DeSoto Trail.
- .
- SR 24 is an east to west highway through the central part of the county from Cedar Key into Alachua County. A county-suffixed alternate route can be found in Bronson.
- U.S. Route 21 in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
- Alternate US 27in Chiefland. A county extension of the road exists north of the eastern terminus with US 19/98/ALT 27 leading to CR 339 in Newton.
- CR 345is a combined county and state road spanning from Rosewood to Chiefland.
- CR 40 runs mostly east and west through southern Levy County. It spans from the Gulf of Mexico in Yankeetown winding along the Withlacoochee River, on the way to Dunnellon and Rainbow Lakes Estates in Marion County, where it eventually becomes State Road 40. The segment between the Gulf of Mexico and US 19-98 is officially named Follow That Dream Boulevard, after the 1962 Elvis Presleymovie.
- CR 326 runs mostly east and west through southeastern Levy County as a bi-county extension of State Road 326. It spans from a dead end at the Waccasassa River in Gulf Hammock winding northeast through US 19-98 until it reaches CR 343 where it turns east. After running through Goethe State Forest it intersects CR 337 in Morris Junction, and then SR 121. By the time it reaches eastern Levy County it has a brief multiplex with southbound US 41 where both serve as the southern terminus of CR 323, only for CR 326 to turn east again as it eventually crosses the Levy-Marion County line, on the way to Ocala and Silver Springs. The segment between I-75 (Exit 358) and SR 40 becomes a state road.
- CR 345, then runs southeast toward SR 24 at Otter Creek. From there it is hidden along local streets that merge with US 19–98, which completely overshadows it until the at-grade interchange with SR 121 in Lebanon Junction, where it is exposed again running through the southern segment of Goethe State Forest, and later crosses the Levy-Marion Countyline, where it overlaps CR 40 all the way to Dunnellon.
- CR 337 is a tri-county road that runs south and north through central Levy County, as well as southwestern Alachua and eastern Gilchrist counties. It spans from CR 336 in Goethe State Forest and runs primarily along the eastern outskirts of the forest occasionally entering some forest land. North of the forest area, it enters the city of Bronson, where it intersects US Alternate 27, SR 24 and CR 32. Further north of the city limits it crosses the Levy-Alachua Countyline.
Communities
# | Incorporated Community | Designation | Population |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Williston | City | 2,710 |
2 | Chiefland | City | 2,180 |
3 | Inglis | Town | 1,320 |
4 | Bronson | Town | 1,119 |
5 | Fanning Springs# | City | 1,009 |
6 | Cedar Key | City | 610 |
7 | Yankeetown | City | 495 |
8 | Otter Creek | City | 131 |
(#) Partially in Gilchrist County
# | Census-designated places | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Williston Highlands | 2,275 |
2 | Manatee Road | 2,244 |
3 | East Bronson | 1,945 |
4 | Andrews | 798 |
5 | East Williston | 695 |
6 | Raleigh | 373 |
7 | Morriston | 164 |
Other unincorporated communities
- Ellzey
- Fowlers Bluff
- Gulf Hammock
- Lebanon Station
- Rosewood
- Sumner
- Turkeytown
- Usher
- Wakahoota
Ghost communities
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Publications of the Florida Historical Society. Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 32.
- ^ "Search for yesterday".
- ^ https://www.votelevy.com/Portals/Levy/documents/Florida%20and%20The%20Birth%20of%20Levy%20County.pdf
- ^ Jay Boyar (February 19, 1997). "The Making of Rosewood". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "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 14, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ "QuickFacts. Florida counties". Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ reuters.com
- ^ [https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Florida+PSC+Approves+Progress+Energy%27s+Plans+for+New+Nuclear+Power...-a0181424366 Florida PSC Approves Progress Energy's Plans for New Nuclear Power Units units/?printmode=1
- ^ Florida Power & Light asks to continue to collect for Turkey Point expansion, by Mary Ellen Klas and Herald Times, 6 August 2013
- ^ "Voter Registration - Current by County - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State". Archived from the original on October 24, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ "Levy County Library System". Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Rural Transit Agencies". FDOT. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "Welcome to Levy County, FL". www.levycounty.org. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
External links
Newspapers and media
- "HardisonInk.com" Daily online news website for Levy, Dixie and Gilchrist counties.
- Levy County Journal No longer in business. Publisher died.
- LCJ archives maintained by University of Florida
- Cedar Key Beacon
- Chiefland Citizen
- Williston Pioneer
Government links/Constitutional offices
- Levy County official website
- Levy County Supervisor of Elections
- Levy County Property Appraiser
- Levy County Sheriff's Office
- Levy County Tax Collector
Special districts
- Levy County School Board
- Suwannee River Water Management District
- Southwest Florida Water Management District
Judicial branch
- Levy County Clerk of Courts
- Office of the State Attorney, 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, and Union counties
- Circuit and County Court for the 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida