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Gadsden County, Florida

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Gadsden County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,826.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Quincy.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Gadsden County is included in the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. As part of the broader Black Belt region within the Deep South, Gadsden County is the only majority African-American county in Florida.

History

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Gadsden County was created in 1823.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was named for James Gadsden<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> of South Carolina, who served as Andrew Jackson's aide-de-camp in Florida in 1818. Gadsden County is historically known for its tobacco crop which is obsolete today.

Geography

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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 (2.3%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Gadsden County is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gadsden County is in the Eastern Time Zone. Its western border with Jackson County forms the boundary in this area between the Eastern and Central Time Zones.

Adjacent counties

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Demographics

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Template:US Census population

2020 census

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Gadsden County, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> % 2000 % 2010 Template:Partial
White alone (NH) 16,174 15,335 14,093 35.87% 33.06% 32.16%
Black or African American alone (NH) 25,632 25,881 23,326 56.85% 55.79% 53.22%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 87 93 71 0.19% 0.20% 0.16%
Asian alone (NH) 105 221 147 0.23% 0.48% 0.34%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 9 7 4 0.02% 0.02% 0.01%
Other race alone (NH) 24 39 120 0.05% 0.08% 0.27%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 274 394 972 0.61% 0.85% 2.22%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2,782 4,419 5,093 6.17% 9.53% 11.62%
Total 45,087 46,389 43,826 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
File:2023 Racial Demographics in Gadsden County by Census Tract.svg
A map of racial demographics of Gadsden County, Florida by Census tractTemplate:Collapsible list

Gadsden County is unique in Florida in that it is the state's only county with an African American majority population.

The 2020 United States census counted 43,826 people, 16,806 households, and 11,239 families in Gadsden County, Florida.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=:0 /> The population density was 84.9 per square mile (32.8/kmTemplate:Sup). There were 18,929 housing units at an average density of 36.7 per square mile (14.2/kmTemplate:Sup).<ref name=:0>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup was 34.08% (14,936) white or European American (32.16% non-Hispanic white), 53.47% (23,435) black or African-American, 0.46% (201) Native American or Alaska Native, 0.34% (148) Asian, 0.03% (13) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 6.51% (2,851) from other races, and 5.12% (2,242) from two or more races.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hispanic or Latino of any race was 11.62% (5,093) of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 16,806 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18; 38.8% were married couples living together; 36.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 28.4% of households consisted of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name=:0 /> The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.0.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 13.8% of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

21.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males.<ref name=:0 /> For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 107.8 males.<ref name=:0 />

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $41,135 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,461). The median family income was $50,020 (+/- $3,429).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Males had a median income of $32,760 (+/- $2,256) versus $27,905 (+/- $1,732) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $29,793 (+/- $1,393).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Approximately, 15.2% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those ages 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2010 Census

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As of the 2010 United States census, there were 46,389 people living in the county. 56.0% were Black or African American, 35.9% White, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 5.9% of some other race and 1.3% of two or more races. 9.5% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 45,087 people, 15,867 households, and 11,424 families living in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 17,703 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 57.14% Black or African American, 38.70% White, 0.23% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.76% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 6.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,867 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.50% were married couples living together, 22.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,248, and the median income for a family was $36,238. Males had a median income of $27,159 versus $21,721 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,499. About 16.40% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.50% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

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File:Max D. Walker School Administration Building.jpg
Max D. Walker School Administration Building, the Gadsden County School District headquarters

Rosenwald schools were established in Gadsden County.

The Gadsden County School District, the only school district,<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> operates public schools.

Gadsden County is home to one public high school, Gadsden County High School (formerly East Gadsden High School), formed in 2017 by the merger of East Gadsden High and the high school portion of West Gadsden High School; the West Gadsden High building was converted to West Gadsden Middle.<ref name=Notpopular>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> West Gadsden was formed by the merger of the former Chattahoochee High and Greensboro High and was located on the western outskirts of Quincy near Greensboro. East Gadsden, formed by the merger of James A. Shanks High and Havana Northside High, was located on Hwy. 90 east of Quincy.

Robert F. Munroe Day School and Tallavanna Christian School are private schools in the county that were founded as segregation academies.<ref>Glenda Alice Rabby, The Pain and the Promise: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Tallahassee, Florida, Athens, Ga., University of Georgia Press, 1999, Template:ISBN, p. 255.</ref>

Libraries

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The Gadsden County Public Library System has 3 branches.

  • William A. McGill Library
  • Havana Branch
  • Chattahoochee Branch

Politics

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Due to its majority-black population, Gadsden County is the most reliably Democratic county in Florida. It is also the strongest Democratic county in Florida, giving Democrats higher margins than even in highly populated urban counties like Broward, despite having a population of 43,826.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> No Democratic gubernatorial or presidential candidate has received less than 60% of the vote in the county since 1992, even for those who lost in landslides statewide.

In the 2022 gubernatorial election, it was one of only five counties in the state to vote for Democratic nominee Charlie Crist over incumbent Republican governor Ron DeSantis, and it was the only one to give Crist more than 60% of the vote. Crist lost statewide by 19.4%. Similarly, in the 2024 presidential election it was the only county to give Kamala Harris over 60% of the vote, and one of only six counties won by Harris. Harris lost statewide by 13%.

According to the secretary of state's office, Democrats maintain a massive majority of registered voters in Gadsden County. As of May 23, 2022, the county has the highest percentage of registered Democrats of all counties in Florida. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was Richard Nixon in his landslide 1972 victory.<ref>Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016</ref> As a measure of how strongly Democratic the county is, Gadsden was the solitary Florida county to vote against Reagan in 1984<ref>David Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; 1984 Presidential General Election Data Graphs – Florida by County</ref> and George Bush in 1988, even as both won in statewide landslides.

Gadsden County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2024<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Political Party Total Voters Percentage
Template:Party color cell Democratic 18,300 69.05%
Template:Party color cell Republican 5,641 21.29%
Template:Party color cell Independent 2,825 10.66%
Template:Party color cell Third Parties 413 1.56%
Total 26,501 100.00%

Statewide elections

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Previous gubernatorial elections results
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2022 37.36% 6,511 62.00% 10,805 0.64% 110
2018 30.91% 6,200 68.36% 13,712 0.72% 146
2014 27.27% 4,798 70.62% 12,425 2.11% 371
2010 25.90% 4,324 72.27% 12,067 1.83% 307
2006 32.45% 4,557 66.25% 9,303 1.29% 182
2002 25.83% 3,948 73.46% 11,228 0.71% 109
1998 35.66% 4,028 64.34% 7,269
1994 30.63% 3,422 69.37% 7,751

Template:Clear County commissioners

  • Eric Hinson (District 1)
  • Anthony Viegbesie, PhD (District 2)
  • Kimblin NeSmith, J.D. (District 3)
  • Brenda Holt (District 4)
  • Ronterious Green (District 5)

Local elected officials

  • Sheriff: Morris A. Young
  • Supervisor of Elections: Shirley Green Knight
  • Tax Collector: W. Dale Summerford
  • Property Appraiser: Reginald Cunningham
  • Superintendent of Schools: Elijah Key<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

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Airports

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Major roads

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Template:See also

File:Gadsden County FL sign entering from Georgia.jpg
The sign for Gadsden County while entering Florida from Georgia
  • File:I-10.svg Interstate 10 is the main west-to-east interstate highway in the county, and serves as the unofficial dividing line between northern and southern Gadsden County. It contains four interchanges within the county; CR 270A (Exit 166), SR 12 (Exit 174), SR 267 (Exit 181), and US 90 (Exit 192).
  • File:US 90.svg US 90 was the main west-to-east highway in the county prior to the construction of I-10 in the late 1960s. It runs from the Victory Bridge in Chattahoochee in the northwest, and then southeast through Gretna, Douglas City, and Quincy before finally leaving the county east of Midway into Leon County.
  • File:US 27.svg US 27 is the sole south-to-north U.S. highway running through the northeastern part of the county.
  • File:Florida 12.svg State Road 12 is a west-to-east state highway running from Liberty County in the southwest to Havana in the northeast. It also contains a county extension into Leon County.
  • File:Florida 65.svg State Road 65
  • File:Florida 159.svg State Road 159 is a short south to north road connecting US 27 to SR 12 in Havana, with a county extension northwest to Georgia State Route 309 at the Georgia State Line.
  • File:Florida 267.svg State Road 267

Railroads

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Gadsden County has at least four existing railroad lines, three of which are owned by CSX. The first two CSX lines being P&A Subdivision, a line formerly owned by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and the other is the Tallahassee Subdivision, a former Seaboard Air Line Railroad line. These two lines meet in Chatahoochee and served Amtrak's Sunset Limited until it was truncated to New Orleans in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. A third line is the Apalachicola Northern Railroad, a line that spans as far south as Port St. Joe. The line enters from Liberty County, then crosses SR 12 in Greensboro, runs under I-10, follows CR 268 in Hardaway, and then turns west into Chatahoochee. The fourth line is the third CSX Line, the Bainbridge Subdivision, which runs along the west side of US 27 from Leon County by way of a bridge over the Ochlockonee River to the Georgia State Line. While some spurs still exist, other lines within the county were abandoned.

Public transportation

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Public Transportation is provided by Big Bend Transit, which operates 3 bus routes in the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Unincorporated areas

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File:St. John Elementary School.jpg
The former St. John Elementary School
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See also

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References

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Template:Reflist

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Template:Commons category

Government links/Constitutional offices

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Special districts

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Judicial branch

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Template:Geographic Location Template:Gadsden County, Florida Template:Geography of Florida Template:North Florida Template:Authority control Template:Coord

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