Columbia County, Florida
| Columbia County, Florida | |
 Location in the state of Florida |
|
 Florida's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | February 4, 1832 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Lake City |
| Largest city | Lake City |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
801.04 sq mi (2,075 km²) 797.05 sq mi (2,064 km²) 3.99 sq mi (10 km²), 0.50% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
67,531 85/sq mi (32.71/km²) |
| Website | www.columbiacountyfla.com |
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 56,513. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 64,040 [1]. Its county seat is Lake City, Florida[1].
The Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Columbia County.
Contents |
History [edit]
Columbia County was created in 1832. For the origin of its name, see Columbia.
In 1958, the Columbia Amateur Radio Society was formed. This was a group of amateur radio operators that enjoyed the ability to communicate all over the world. This radio club still exists today.[2]
Demographics [edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 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% | |
| [3][4][5] | |||
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 56,513 people, 20,925 households, and 14,919 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile (27/km²). There were 23,579 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.72% White, 17.03% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 2.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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 $30,881, and the median income for a family was $35,927. Males had a median income of $27,353 versus $21,738 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,598. About 11.40% of families and 15.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.10% of those under age 18 and 13.60% of those age 65 or over.
Geography [edit]
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 801.04 square miles (2,074.7 km2), of which 797.05 square miles (2,064.4 km2) (or 99.50%) is land and 3.99 square miles (10.3 km2) (or 0.50%) is water.[7]
Adjacent counties [edit]
- 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 [edit]
- Osceola National Forest (part)
Cities and towns [edit]
Incorporated [edit]
- Town of Fort White
- City of Lake City
Unincorporated [edit]
- Five Points
- Watertown
- Lulu
- Newco
- Columbia City
Politics [edit]
Like the rest of North Central Florida, Columbia County votes more Republican in presidential elections, but can support Democrats for state and local offices if they are conservative.[8]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 66.1% | 32.5% | 1.4% |
| 2004 | 67.1% | 32.1% | 0.8% |
| 2000 | 59.2% | 38.1% | 2.7% |
| 1996 | 46.5% | 41.0% | 12.5% |
| 1992 | 43.4% | 37.0% | 23.0% |
| 1988 | 65.1% | 34.2% | 0.7% |
Education [edit]
The Columbia County School District operates public schools.
Transportation [edit]
Airports [edit]
Columbia County's main airport is Lake City Municipal Airport. Private airports also exist throughout the county.
Major roads [edit]
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 state; 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.
Interstate 75 is the southwest-to-northeast 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 entets 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.
Truck US 90 is the southern truck detour route for US 90 around Lake City.
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.
State Road 2 is located on the far northeast corner of the county, and has no intersections whatsoever.
State Road 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.
State Road 100
State Road 238
State Road 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 [edit]
Columbia County has at least three existing railroad lines. The primary one is a CSX line formerly owned by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad that served Amtrak's Sunset Limited until it was truncated to New Orleans in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. Lake City (Amtrak station) was Columbia County's only active railroad station until that point. Another one is owned by the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway, and runs along US 41 from Lake City through Hamilton County. A third line runs along SR 100 into Union County.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ In 1958, the Columbia Amateur Radio Society was formed.
- ^ 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. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ Columbia County, Florida Supervisor of Elections website: 2008 Election Results
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Columbia County, Florida |
Government links/Constitutional offices [edit]
- 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 [edit]
- Columbia County Public Schools
- Suwannee River Florida Water Management District
- Columbia Amateur Radio Society since 1958
Judicial branch [edit]
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- 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 [edit]
- Lake City Weather dot Com Get LIVE Weather Reports here.
- Columbia County Tourism Development Council
- Suwannee Online
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Hamilton County | Echols County, Georgia | Clinch County, Georgia | |
| Suwannee County |  |
Baker County | ||
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| Gilchrist County | Alachua County | Union County |
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