Editing Century, Florida (section)

==Geography==
The approximate coordinates for the Town of Century is located on the [[Florida Panhandle]] at {{Coord|30|58|40|N|87|15|41|W|type:city}} (30.977648, –87.261500).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|8.7|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|8.4|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.3|km2|disp=flip}}, or 3.69%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US1211362| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212175152/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US1211362| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Century town, Florida| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=April 2, 2013}}</ref>

Century is located in the western highlands of Florida. This physiographic province of the northern [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]] region is made up of sand, silt, and clay hills. These highlands are deeply incised by creeks and rivers. Century is located on the western edge of the [[Escambia River]] floodplain. A small portion of the town (the eastern side) is within the floodplain itself. Most of the community, however, is located above the floodplain on level to gently sloping hillsides.

Century's roadway network is highly irregular. It does not conform to the state of Florida's section, township and range survey system, for two reasons. The first is because Spanish land grants were issued along the Escambia River in the 16th and 17th centuries. These boundaries established a unique survey system that contorted east-to-west survey boundaries once Florida became a state and a state survey system was adopted, at which time previously existing survey systems were "grandfathered" in. The second reason for an irregular roadway and property boundary system is due to the community originally being built around the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] (now the [[CSX]] railway). Automobile highways were eventually constructed, and closely paralleled the railway. [[U.S. Route 29 in Florida|U.S. Route 29]] (US 29), a more modern highway, was constructed and moved many of the commercial operations west of the small original core of the community (now mostly located within the [[Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company Residential Historic District]]).

US 29 is used by residents of Escambia County to reach points north. [[Alabama State Route 113]] leads north from the state line to [[Interstate 65]] and provides the area with a route to [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]] and [[Atlanta]]. From a southbound perspective, Century is en route between these major cities and the coastal beaches at [[Pensacola Beach, Florida|Pensacola Beach]] and [[Perdido Key, Florida|Perdido Key]] in Florida.

Century is the western terminus of [[Florida State Road 4|State Road 4]], which leads east to the communities of [[Jay, Florida|Jay]], [[Munson, Florida|Munson]], [[Baker, Florida|Baker]], and [[Milligan, Florida|Milligan]].

Fresh water supplies are abundant, with water being withdrawn as groundwater from the local sand and gravel aquifer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://capp.water.usgs.gov/gwa/ch_g/G-text3.html|title = HA 730-G Sand and gravel aquifer text}}</ref>

In 1970, oil was discovered in the nearby community of Jay. Oil was also discovered near the town of Century, especially to its northeast. Oil became important to the local economy during the last quarter of the 20th century.

On March 17 1970 , Chiles began the walk starting in Century, a small town in Escambia County along the Alabama state line. He initially headed east along [[Florida State Road 4|State Road 4]], toward Tallahassee.

Gravel and sand is mined in open pits in and near Century. These natural mineral deposits are essential to supporting the construction industries in nearby Pensacola and [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], especially for use as [[aggregate (composite)|aggregate]] materials in concrete.

[[Lumber|Timber]] and [[pulpwood]] are other valuable natural commodities of the area. Nearby papermills at [[Cantonment, Florida|Cantontment]], and [[Brewton, Alabama]], provide a market for cut pulpwood.  Timber processing is conducted by another industry about {{convert|10|miles}} south of Century.