Jefferson County, Florida

Coordinates: 30°25′N 83°54′W / 30.42°N 83.90°W / 30.42; -83.90
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jefferson County
County
Jefferson County Courthouse in Monticello
Jefferson County Courthouse in Monticello
Official seal of Jefferson County
Seal
Map of Florida highlighting Jefferson County
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°25′N 83°54′W / 30.42°N 83.9°W / 30.42; -83.9
Country United States
State Florida
FoundedJanuary 20, 1827
Named forThomas Jefferson
SeatMonticello
Largest cityMonticello
Area
 • Total637 sq mi (1,650 km2)
 • Land598 sq mi (1,550 km2)
 • Water38 sq mi (100 km2)  6.0%
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total14,510
 • Density23/sq mi (9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Websitewww.jeffersoncountyfl.gov

Jefferson County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2020, the population is 14,510.[1] Its county seat is Monticello, Florida.[2]

Jefferson County is part of the Tallahassee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History[change | change source]

Old Lloyd Railroad Depot, now the area's post office

Jefferson County was created in 1827. It was named for Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, who served from 1801 to 1809. Monticello is a racially diverse town (see People).

Forts of Jefferson County[change | change source]

Jefferson County has many old forts that were used by early settlers and the military.

  • Fort Roger Jones (1839), Aucilla (Ocilla Ferry), north of US 90.[3]
  • Fort Noel (1839 - 1842), south of Lamont on the Aucilla River, six miles (10 km) northwest of Fort Pleasant in Taylor County. Also known as Fort Number Three (M).
  • Camp Carter (1838), near Waukeenah.
  • Fort Welaunee (1838), a settlers' fort on the Welaunee Plantation near Wacissa. Fort Gamble (1839 - 1843) was later established here.
  • Fort Aucilla (1843), two miles (3 km) south-east of Fort Gamble, southwest of Lamont, between the Aucilla and Wacissa Rivers. Also spelled Ocilla.
  • Fort Wacissa (1838), a settlers' fort located south of Wacissa on the Wacissa River, west of Cabbage Grove.

Land[change | change source]

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 636.65 square miles (1,648.9 km2), of which 597.74 square miles (1,548.1 km2) (or 93.89%) is land and 38.91 square miles (100.8 km2) (or 6.11%) is water.[4]

Jefferson County is the only county in Florida which borders both the state of Georgia and the Gulf of Mexico.

Counties nearby[change | change source]

Entering Jefferson County on US 19 from Thomas County, Georgia

National protected area[change | change source]

  • St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Waterbodies[change | change source]

  • Aucilla River
  • Lake Miccosukee
  • Wacissa River

People[change | change source]

At the 2020 census, 14,510 people lived in the county. There were 5,816 households and 1,013 people who did not live in households. The population density was 24.3 people per square mile (9.4/km²). The median age was 49.8 years (47.6 for males, 52.0 for females).

Of the total population, 16.9% were under 18 years old, 58.3% were 18 to 64, and 24.7% were 65 or over. Males made up 51.6% and females made up 48.4% of the people. The population was 60.1% White (non-Latino), 31.7% Black (non-Latino), 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, and 2.8% Two or more races (non-Latino). Less than 1% of the people were from other races.

Of the 5,816 households, 3,762 (64.7%) were families, 1,370 (23.6%) had children under 18, 2,686 (46.2%) had a married couple, and 1,754 (30.2%) had one person living alone. The average household size was 2.3 people. There were 6,690 housing units, and 86.9% had people living in them all year. Of these households, 77.2% were owner-occupied, while 22.8% were renters.[5][6]

As of 2022, the median (middle) yearly income for a household was about $51,573, and the median income for a family was about $69,690.[7] The per capita income was about $29,189.[8] About 12.4% of families[9] and 18.3% of all people in Jefferson County lived below the poverty line. This includes 31.0% of children under 18 years old and 12.5% of people over 65 years old.[10]

Government and politics[change | change source]

Jefferson County was one of only a handful of counties in the Florida Panhandle that politically favored the Democratic Party. However, Republican Donald Trump won the county in 2016 and 2020.

United States presidential election results for Jefferson County, Florida[11]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 4,479 52.89% 3,897 46.02% 92 1.09%
2016 3,930 51.11% 3,541 46.05% 218 2.84%
2012 3,808 48.70% 3,945 50.45% 67 0.86%
2008 3,797 47.59% 4,088 51.24% 93 1.17%
2004 3,298 44.10% 4,135 55.30% 45 0.60%
2000 2,478 43.91% 3,041 53.89% 124 2.20%
1996 1,851 38.49% 2,544 52.90% 414 8.61%
1992 1,506 32.19% 2,271 48.55% 901 19.26%
1988 2,326 52.89% 2,055 46.73% 17 0.39%
1984 2,244 52.16% 2,057 47.81% 1 0.02%
1980 1,623 39.19% 2,367 57.16% 151 3.65%
1976 1,361 36.30% 2,310 61.62% 78 2.08%
1972 2,108 66.04% 1,049 32.86% 35 1.10%
1968 459 14.84% 1,066 34.48% 1,567 50.68%
1964 1,684 52.82% 1,504 47.18% 0 0.00%
1960 600 34.70% 1,129 65.30% 0 0.00%
1956 540 31.02% 1,201 68.98% 0 0.00%
1952 665 36.22% 1,171 63.78% 0 0.00%
1948 153 11.56% 700 52.91% 470 35.53%
1944 188 14.93% 1,071 85.07% 0 0.00%
1940 215 13.21% 1,412 86.79% 0 0.00%
1936 127 9.27% 1,243 90.73% 0 0.00%
1932 81 5.40% 1,418 94.60% 0 0.00%
1928 235 20.22% 919 79.09% 8 0.69%
1924 66 9.69% 566 83.11% 49 7.20%
1920 239 22.85% 754 72.08% 53 5.07%
1916 104 13.70% 646 85.11% 9 1.19%
1912 47 8.45% 459 82.55% 50 8.99%
1908 149 18.81% 565 71.34% 78 9.85%
1904 123 20.20% 471 77.34% 15 2.46%
1900 143 16.55% 711 82.29% 10 1.16%
1896 242 11.07% 1,909 87.29% 36 1.65%
1892 0 0.00% 1,533 100.00% 0 0.00%
1884 1,525 67.21% 744 32.79% 0 0.00%

Schools[change | change source]

Jefferson County High School

The Jefferson County School District is the only one in Florida operating under a declared financial emergency due to budget deficits.[12] On April 23, 2009, the Florida Department of Education took over financial oversight of the district.[13]

Cities and towns[change | change source]

Incorporated[change | change source]

Unincorporated[change | change source]

  • Alma
  • Ashville
  • Aucilla
  • Capps
  • Casa Blanco
  • Cody
  • Dills
  • Drifton
  • Fanlew
  • Festus
  • Fincher
  • Jarrott
  • Lamont
  • Limestone
  • Lloyd
  • Lois
  • Montivilla
  • Nash
  • Thomas City
  • Wacissa
  • Waukeenah

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "QuickFacts: Jefferson County, Florida". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ "IRC Library:Fort Roger Jones". Archived from the original on 2013-03-16. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  4. ↑ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
  5. ↑ "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  6. ↑ "P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  7. ↑ "S1901: Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  8. ↑ "S1902: Mean Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  9. ↑ "S1702: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months of Families". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  10. ↑ "S1701: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  11. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  12. ↑ Tallahassee Democrat: State to take over Jefferson County School District's weak finances
  13. ↑ Tallahassee Democrat: Parents and teachers react to Jefferson County Schools' dire finances

Other websites[change | change source]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jefferson County, Florida.

Government websites[change | change source]

Constitutional Offices[change | change source]

Jefferson County Schools[change | change source]

Judicial Branch[change | change source]

Special Districts[change | change source]

30°25′N 83°54′W / 30.42°N 83.90°W / 30.42; -83.90

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