Bradford County Florida   Located in North Florida

Bradford County Cities

Land area (rank): 293 square miles (65)
Population 1993 (rank): 23,312 (49)
Population density 1993 (rank): 80 persons per square mile (36)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 12.5% (57)

Physical Characteristics

Bradford County is southwest of Jacksonville, northeast of Gainesville, and is bordered by Alachua, Union, Baker, Clay, and Putnam counties. The county has 7 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 55.9 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.4 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 49.40 inches.

History

Bradford County was established as New River County in 1858 from portions of Columbia and Alachua counties. It was renamed in 1861 in honor of Captain Richard Bradford, the first Florida officer killed in the Civil War. Population. In 1993 nearly three-quarters of Bradford County's population was in unincorporated areas. The largest city is Starke with a 1993 population of 5,097. Lawtey, Hampton, and Booker all had populations less than 1,000 in 1993. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Bradford County and Alachua County as the Gainesville Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 78% of Bradford County's population was white and 22% was nonwhite. In 1990, 1.9% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 50.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate for the county was 13.4 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 10.4 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 3.3 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 40.2% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate for the county was 5.4%. In 1990, 65.0% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 8.1% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Santa Fe Community College (Alachua County).

Economy

The per capita income in Bradford County for 1993 was $13,944 (51st highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $24,625. In 1989, 12.0% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 23.1% of personal income in Bradford County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992, the greatest numbers of persons in Bradford County were employed in the government, retail trade, and services sectors. Florida State Prison, Starke, is a major employer of county residents. In the retail trade sector, eating and drinking establishments and food stores employed the greatest numbers of persons. Lumber and wood products firms accounted for the most employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1991, 26,963 thousand board feet of softwood logs and 139,822 cords of softwood for pulp were produced in the county. In 1992 there were 315 farms in Bradford County, totalling 36,263 acres (19% of land in the county). Leading agricultural products include poultry, corn, hay, and vegetables.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $49,300
Median monthly rent 1990: $223
Mobile homes as a % of total housing 1990: 29.7
Housing starts (1992): 53
Housing starts (1993): 68

In 1992 the price level index for Bradford County was 92.92 (43rd highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 7.3770, and the total taxable value of property was $331,807,425. Taxable sales totalled $106.40 million in 1992 and $99.80 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $2,770 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Bradford County's revenues totalled $8,879 thousand ($390.3 per capita) and its expenditures $8,856 thousand ($389.3 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 57.4% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 86.6% were registered Democrat and 10.7% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election, 44.0% of the votes were cast for Bush, 36.5% for Clinton, and 18.9% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Call Street Historic District, Old Bradford County Courthouse, Starke; Bradford County Fair, April.