Liberty County Florida   Located in North West Florida

Liberty County Cities

Land area (rank): 837 square miles (23)
Population 1993 (rank): 5,720 (66)
Population density 1993 (rank): 7 persons per square mile (67)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 30.7% (32)

Physical Characteristics

Liberty County is in northwest Florida and is bordered by Calhoun, Gulf, Franklin, Wakulla, Leon, and Gadsden counties. The county has 6 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 53.1 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.5 degrees F . The average annual rainfall is 58.94 inches.

History

Liberty County was established from Gadsden County in 1855 and named for the concept of "liberty."

Population

Most of Liberty County is part of the Apalachicola National Forest. In 1993, 83% of Liberty County's population was in unincorporated areas. Bristol, the only incorporated place in the county, had a 1993 population of 959. In 1993, 81% of Liberty County's population was white and 19% was nonwhite. In 1990, 1.9% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 85.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 13.6 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 6.9 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 13.0 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 39.7% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 0.3%. In 1990, 56.7% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 7.3% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Chipola Junior College (Jackson County).

Economy

The per capita income in Liberty County for 1993 was $13,881 (52nd highest in the state). The median family income in 1989 was $22,253. In 1989, 13.7% of households had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 31.7% of personal income in Liberty County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Liberty County were employed in the government, services, and manufacturing sectors. In the services sector the major employers were social services. Lumber and wood products firms accounted for the most employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1992 there were 71 farms in Liberty County, totalling 11,738 acres (2% of land in the county). Corn is the county's major agricultural product. In 1991, 8,987 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 714 thousand board feet of hardwood logs, 55,898 cords of softwood for pulp, and 3,693 cords of hardwood for pulp were produced.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $39,600
Median monthly rent 1990: $158
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 40.6
Housing starts 1992: 17
Housing starts 1993: 17

In 1992 the price level index for Liberty County was 93.29 (41st highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 10.000, and the total taxable value of property was $81,926,959. Taxable sales totalled $18.20 million in 1992 and $10.50 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $693 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Liberty County's revenues totalled $4,968 thousand ($884.0 per capita) and its expenditures $5,079 thousand ($903.7 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 78.3% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these 97.3% were registered Democrat and 2.5% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 43.7% of the votes were cast for Bush, 31.8% for Clinton, and 24.0% for Perot.

Places of Interest

Torreya State Park, vicinity of Bristol.