Bay County, Florida
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Bay County is a county on the Emerald Coast in Northwest Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 175,216.<ref name="2020 Census" /> Its county seat is Panama City.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Bay County is included in the Panama City, Florida metropolitan area.
History
[edit]Template:Unreferenced section On February 12, 1913, representatives from five towns on St. Andrews Bay met in Panama City to select a name for a proposed new county. The name Bay was selected because it was satisfactory to the majority of the citizens and descriptive of the territory that would be included. On July 1, 1913, the Legislature created Bay County from portions of Washington, Calhoun and Walton counties.
Panama City was where Gideon v. Wainwright, a 1963 US Supreme Court decision that gave all persons accused of a crime the right to an attorney paid for by the government, originated.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
[edit]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Bay County is included in the Panama City, Florida metropolitan area along with Washington County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Washington County - north
- Jackson County - northeast
- Calhoun County - east
- Gulf County - southeast
- Walton County - west
National protected area
[edit]- Apalachicola National Forest (part)
Demographics
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 122,708 | 133,790 | 128,348 | 82.79% | 79.24% | 73.25% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 15,526 | 17,844 | 17,549 | 10.48% | 10.57% | 10.02% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 1,096 | 1,033 | 795 | 0.74% | 0.61% | 0.45% |
| Asian (NH) | 2,534 | 3,298 | 4,068 | 1.71% | 1.95% | 2.32% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 111 | 140 | 194 | 0.07% | 0.08% | 0.11% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 164 | 223 | 720 | 0.11% | 0.13% | 0.41% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 2,487 | 4,417 | 9,696 | 1.68% | 2.62% | 5.53% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,591 | 8,107 | 13,846 | 2.42% | 4.80% | 7.90% |
| Total | 148,217 | 168,852 | 175,216 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 175,216 people, 73,536 households, and 47,432 families residing in the county.
As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 148,217 people, 59,597 households, and 40,466 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 78,435 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 84.17% White, 10.64% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 2.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 59,597 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,092, and the median income for a family was $42,729. Males had a median income of $30,116 versus $21,676 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,700. About 9.80% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.
Government
[edit]Elected Officials
[edit]| Bay County Government | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sheriff | Tommy Ford <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Republican |
| Tax Collector | Chuck Perdue | Republican |
| Clerk of the Court | Bill Kinsaul | Republican |
| Supervisor of Elections | Mark Anderson | Republican |
| Superintendent of Schools | Mark McQueen (appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis) | Republican |
| Property Appraiser | Dan Sowell | Republican |
Board of Commissioners
[edit]5 members, elected from districts (zero Democrats, five Republicans)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| District | Commissioner | Party | Positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tommy Hamm | Republican | Chair of the County Commission |
| 2 | Robert Carroll | Republican | |
| 3 | Bill Dozier | Republican | |
| 4 | Doug Moore | Republican | Vice Chair of the County Commission |
| 5 | Clair Pease | Republican |
Politics
[edit]Bay County is highly conservative, along with the Florida panhandle as a whole. The Republican presidential candidate has carried the county in every election since 1976, often by large margins.
Voter registration
[edit]According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are a majority of the registered voters in Bay County.
| Bay County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment Template:As of<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political Party | Total Voters | Percentage | |||
| Template:Party color cell | Republican | 66,358 | 53.51% | ||
| Template:Party color cell | Democratic | 27,605 | 22.26% | ||
| Template:Party color cell | Independent | 27,524 | 22.20% | ||
| Template:Party color cell | Other Parties | 2,508 | 2.02% | ||
| Total | 123,995 | 100% | |||
Statewide elections
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| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 78.38% 52,590 | 21.00% 14,091 | 0.61% 412 |
| 2018 | 72.17% 45,709 | 26.46% 16,757 | 1.37% 865 |
| 2014 | 71.79% 40,956 | 22.77% 12,990 | 5.44% 3,104 |
| 2010 | 66.39% 36,512 | 28.53% 15,689 | 5.08% 2,796 |
| 2006 | 65.26% 31,382 | 30.78% 14,802 | 3.96% 1,907 |
| 2002 | 70.02% 34,107 | 29.27% 14,258 | 0.71% 344 |
| 1998 | 69.01% 26,759 | 30.99% 12,017 | 0.00% 2 |
| 1994 | 56.87% 23,498 | 43.12% 17,816 | 0.01% 2 |
Education
[edit]Bay District Schools operates public schools serving all portions of the county except Mexico Beach, which is served by Gulf County Schools.<ref>"Bay District Schools High School Attendance Zones Template:Webarchive." Bay District Schools. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref><ref>"Bay District Schools Middle School Attendance Zones Template:Webarchive." Bay District Schools. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref><ref>"Bay District Schools Elementary School Attendance Zones Template:Webarchive." Bay District Schools. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref>
Schools in Bay County
[edit]Pre-K – 12 schools
[edit]Deane Bozeman School
North Bay Haven Charter Academy
Palm Bay Preparatory Academy
Rising Leaders Academy
PreK-8 Schools
[edit]Breakfast Point Academy
Bay Haven Charter Academy
University Academy
High schools
[edit]- Zoned
J. R. Arnold High School (Panama City Beach)
Bay High School (Panama City)
A. Crawford Mosley High School (Lynn Haven)
Rutherford High School (Springfield)
- Optional
A.D. Harris High School (Panama City)
Haney Technical High School (Panama City)
New Horizons Learning Center (Lynn Haven)
Rosenwald High School (Panama City)
Middle schools
[edit]Jinks Middle School
Merritt Brown Middle School
Mowat Middle School
Surfside Middle School (Panama City Beach)
Elementary schools
[edit]Callaway Elementary School
Cedar Grove Elementary School
Deer Point Elementary School
Hiland Park Elementary School
Hutchison Beach Elementary School (Panama City Beach)
Lucille Moore Elementary School
Lynn Haven Elementary School
M. Cherry Street Elementary School
Millville Elementary School
Northside Elementary School
Oakland Terrace Elementary School
Parker Elementary School
Patronis Elementary School (Panama City Beach)
Patterson Elementary School
Southport Elementary School
St. Andrew Elementary School
Tommy Smith Elementary School
Tyndall Elementary School
Waller Elementary School
West Bay Elementary School
Public transportation
[edit]Major highways
[edit]Template:See also Bay County does not have any interstate connections; the nearest connection is with I-10 at US-231 near Cottondale.
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Airports
[edit]The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opened for commercial flights in 2010. It connects the region to several major airports in the South and Midwest.
Public surface transportation
[edit]The county operates the Bayway (formerly Bay Town Trolley), which runs several routes in and around Panama City. The county also have a greyhound in Panama City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Library
[edit]Bay County is part of the Northwest Regional Library System<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (NWRLS), which also serves Gulf and Liberty Counties. The Bay County Public Library is the headquarters library for the system. The Bay County Board of Commissioners is the system's governing authority and single administrative unit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Locations:
- Bay County Public Library
- Panama City Beach Public Library
- Parker Public Library
- Springfield Public Library
- Gulf County Public Library
- Charles Whitehead Public Library
- Harrell Memorial Library of Liberty County
- Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library
- Bay County Law Library (at the Bay County Public Library)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Communities
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Cities
[edit]Census-designated places
[edit]Unincorporated communities
[edit]- Bayou George
- Cedar Grove
- Fountain
- Glenwood
- Millville
- Sand Hills
- Santa Monica
- Southport
- Sunnyside
- Vicksburg
- Youngstown
Former Census-designated places
[edit]See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]Government links/Constitutional offices
[edit]- Bay County Board of County Commissioners
- Bay County Supervisor of Elections
- Bay County Property Appraiser
- Bay County Sheriff's Office
- Bay County Tax Collector Template:Webarchive
Special districts
[edit]- Bay District Schools
- Beach Mosquito Control District
- Northwest Florida Water Management District
- Panama City-Bay County Airport and Industrial District
Judicial branch
[edit]- Bay County Clerk of Courts
- Circuit and County Court for the 14th Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties
Tourism links
[edit]News media
[edit]Template:Geographic Location Template:Bay County, Florida Template:Geography of Florida Template:North Florida