Hamilton County Florida   Located in North Florida

Hamilton County Cities

Land area (rank): 517 square miles (59)
Population 1993 (rank): 11,604 (61)
Population density 1993 (rank): 23 persons per square mile (58)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 24.8% (44)

Physical Characteristics

Hamilton County is in north Florida on the Georgia border. It is bordered on the east and south by the Suwannee River and on the west by the Withlacoochee River. The county has 2 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 53.7 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.1 degrees F.The average annual rainfall is 49.51 inches.

History

Hamilton County was established from a portion of Escambia County in 1827 and named for Alexander Hamilton, first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. The Florida Folklife Program is housed at the Stephen Foster Memorial in White Springs, where each year in May the Florida Folk Festival is held.

Population

Much of the land in Hamilton County is in commercial forests or wetlands. In 1993, 70% of the population was in unincorporated areas. The incorporated place with the greatest population is the city of Jasper, which had a 1993 population of 2,084. Jennings and White Springs each had populations less than 1,000 in 1993. In 1993, 60% of Hamilton County's population was white and 40% was nonwhite. In 1990, 2.7% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 68.5% was due to net migration. The 1993 birth rate for the county was 14.9 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 9.2 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, 55.3% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 6.2%. In 1990, 58.4% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 7.0% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by North Florida Junior College (Madison County) and Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Ga.

Economy

The per capita income in Hamilton County for 1993 was $11,004 (64th highest in the state). The 1989 median household income was $18,709. In 1989, 24.7% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 25.8% of personal income in Hamilton county was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Hamilton County were employed in the government, retail trade, and service sectors. Auto dealers and food stores employed the most persons in the retail trade sector, and medical and other health services employed the most persons in the services sector. In 1987 there were 224 farms in Hamilton County, totalling 69,405 acres (21% of land in the county). Corn, soybeans, and tobacco are major crops. Hogs and pigs are also produced in the county. In 1991, 9,025 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 105,825 cords of softwood for pulp, 426 thousand board feet of hardwood logs, and 8,284 cords of hardwood for pulp were harvested.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $36,300
Median monthly rent 1990: $143
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 36.9
Housing starts 1992: 30
Housing starts 1993: 19

In 1992 the price level index for Hamilton County was 89.45 (65th highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 10.000, and the total taxable value of property was $481,034,320. Taxable sales totalled $40.80 million in 1992 and $36.70 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $16,542 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Hamilton County's revenues totalled $19,058 thousand ($1,733.1 per capita) and its expenditures $16,909 thousand ($1,537.7 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 70.3% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 95.7% were registered Democrat and 3.9% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 43.5% of the votes were cast for Clinton, 37.6% for Bush, and 18.7% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Florida Folk Festival, May, Jeannie Auditions and Ball, October, Rural Folklife Days, November, White Springs; Hamilton County Fair and Festival in the Park, Jasper, October; Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center, White Springs.