Bay County Florida   Located in North West Florida

Bay County Cities

Land area (rank): 758 square miles (29)
Population 1993 (rank): 134,059 (24)
Population density 1993 (rank): 177 persons per square mile (24)
Growth 1980Ð1990: 29.9% (37)

Physical Characteristics

Bay County is in the western portion of the Panhandle and is adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico and a series of bays. It is bordered on the west by Walton County, on the east by Calhoun and Gulf counties, and on the north by Washington and Jackson counties. The county has 124 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 53.2 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.9 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 57.86 inches.

History

Bay County was established from Washington County in 1913 and named for St. Andrews Bay, which borders the county. During World War II Panama City developed as a shipbuilding and industrial center.

Population

Much of Bay County's population is along the Gulf and bays in Panama City and nearby communities. The most populous city in the county is Panama City, followed by Callaway, Lynn Haven, and Springfield. Panama City Beach is a popular summer tourist spot. The unincorporated areas of Laguna Beach, Lower Grand Lagoon, and Upper Grand Lagoon developed rapidly during the 1980s. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Bay County as the Panama City Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 86% of Bay County's population was white and 14% was nonwhite. In 1990, 1.8% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 66.9% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate for the county was 16.3 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 8.3 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 12.2 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive lung disease.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 68.7% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate for the county was 3.0%. In 1990, 74.7% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 15.7% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Gulf Coast Community College, Panama City; Florida State University, Panama City Campus.

Economy

The per capita income in Bay County for 1993 was $16,818 (29th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $24,684. In 1989, 11.2% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 21.7% of personal income in Bay County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Bay County were employed in the retail trade, government, and services sectors. Leading employers are eating and drinking establishments and hotels and motels. Tyndall Air Force Base and the Naval Coastal Systems Center employed the most persons in the government sector. Transportation equipment, printing and publishing, and lumber and wood products firms accounted for the most employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1991, 21,109 thousand board feet of softwood logs and 38,424 cords of softwood for pulp were produced in the county. In 1992 there were 63 farms in Bay County, totalling 9,135 acres (2% of land in the county). Nearly two-thirds of the farm acreage is devoted to cattle and hogs and pigs. In 1991, 3,643,562 pounds of fish and 549,621 pounds of shellfish were landed in Bay County.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $61,600
Median monthly rent 1990: $289
Mobile homes as a % of total housing 1990: 16.8
Housing starts (1992): 1235
Housing starts (1993): 1200

In 1992, the price level index for Bay County was 94.76 (31st highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 5.6320, and the total taxable value of land was $3,883,566,349. Taxable sales totalled $1327.50 million in 1992 and $1413.90 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $24,721 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Bay County's revenues totalled $99,050 thousand ($770.4 per capita) and its expenditures $102,186 thousand ($794.8 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 61.2% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these 64.0% were registered Democrat and 30.0% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 50.0% of the votes were cast for Bush, 28.1% for Clinton, and 21.3% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Invitational Billfish Tournament, Panama City, July; Indian Summer Seafood Festival, Panama City Beach, October; Gulf World, Miracle Strip Amusement Park, Museum of Man in the Sea, Shipwreck Island Water Park, Panama City Beach; Junior Museum of Bay County, Panama City.