Gilchrist County Florida   Located in North Florida

Gilchrist County Cities

Land area (rank): 354 square miles (51)
Population 1993 (rank): 10,722 (63)
Population density 1993 (rank): 30 persons per square mile (51)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 67.6% (8)

Physical Characteristics

Gilchrist County is west of Gainesville and is bordered by Lafayette, Dixie, Levy, Alachua, Suwannee, and Columbia counties. The county has 2 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 56.2 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.2 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 54.76 inches.

History

Gilchrist County was the last county formed in Florida. In 1925 it was established from a portion of Alachua County and named for Albert Waller Gilchrist, the state's twentieth governor (1909-1913).

Population

Nearly 90% of Gilchrist County's population is in unincorporated areas. In 1993 the county's most populous incorporated place, the city of Trenton, had a population of 1,310. Fanning Springs (part) and Bell each had populations under 300 in 1993. Wetlands bisect the county and are found adjacent to rivers along its northern and western boundaries. In 1993, 91% of Gilchrist County's population was white and 9% was nonwhite. In 1990, 1.6% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 90.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate for the county was 12.9 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 11.2 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 0.0 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 71.2% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 6.6%. In 1990, 63.0% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 7.4% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Lake City Community College (Columbia County).

Economy

The per capita income for 1993 in Gilchrist County was $13,080 (59th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $20,632. In 1989, 13.5% of the families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 23.5% of the personal income in Gilchrist County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Gilchrist County were employed in the government, services, and agricultural sectors. Lancaster Correctional Institution is the largest state government employer. In the service sector, hotels and motels had the greatest number of reported employees, and food stores had the greatest number in the retail trade sector. In 1992 there were 329 farms in the county, totalling 70,987 acres (31% of land in the county). Hog raising and watermelon farming are major agricultural activities in the county. In 1991, 21,444 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 73,929 cords of softwood for pulp, and 1,769 cords of hardwood for pulp were harvested in the county.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $45,900
Median monthly rent 1990: $198
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 49.0
Housing starts 1992: 41
Housing starts 1993: 59

In 1992 the price level index for Gilchrist County was 92.43 (53rd highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 10.000, and the total taxable value of property was $160,655,604. Taxable sales totalled $28.40 million in 1992 and $23.70 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $961 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Gilchrist County's revenues totalled $5,918 thousand ($592.8 per capita) and its expenditures $5,764 ($577.3 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 70.7% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 87.5% were registered Democrat and 10.7% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 37.6% of the votes were cast for Clinton, 34.7% for Bush, and 27.1% for Perot.

Events of Interest

Suwannee River Fair and Livestock Show, Fanning Springs, March.