Calhoun County Florida   Located in North West Florida

Calhoun County Cities

Land area (rank): 568 square miles (51)
Population 1993 (rank): 11,479 (63)
Population density 1993 (rank): 20 persons per square mile (61)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 18.5% (52)

Physical Characteristics

Calhoun County is in northwest Florida and is bordered by Bay, Jackson, Liberty, and Gulf 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

Calhoun County was established from a portion of Escambia County in 1838. The county was named for John C. Calhoun, Senator from South Carolina and an outspoken advocate of the doctrine of states' rights.

Population

In 1993 nearly three-quarters of Calhoun County's population was in unincorporated areas. Much of the southwestern portion of the county is a wildlife management area. The incorporated place with the greatest population is Blountstown, which had a population of 2,388 in 1993. The only other incorporated area in the county is the town of Altha, which had a 1993 population of 536. In 1993, 84% of Calhoun County's population was white and 16% was nonwhite. In 1990, 1.1% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 79.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate for the county was 11.6 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 12.0 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 7.6 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, 74.5% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate for the county was 3.7%. In 1990, 55.9% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 8.2% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Chipola Junior College ( Jackson County).

Economy

The per capita income in Calhoun County for 1993 was $10,390 (65th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $18,615. In 1989, 15.2% of households had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 30.7% of personal income in Calhoun County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Calhoun County were employed in the services, government, and retail trade sectors. Lumber and wood products firms accounted for the most employment in the manufacturing sector. Food stores and eating and drinking establishments employed the most people in the retail trade sector. In 1992 there were 132 farms in the county, totalling 43,314 acres (12% of land in the county). Soybeans are Calhoun County's major crop, and the county is among the five leading soybean producers in the state. In 1991, 7,700 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 97,918 cords of softwood, and 12,034 cords of hardwood for pulp were produced in the county.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $33,200
Median monthly rent 1990: $149
Mobile homes as a % of total housing 1990: 29.5
Housing starts 1992: 44
Housing starts 1993: 45

In 1992 the price level index for Calhoun County was 91.39 (58th highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 10.0000, and the total taxable value of property was $150,304,769. Taxable sales totalled $44.90 million in 1992 and $39.30 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $1,140 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Calhoun County's revenues totalled $7,110 thousand ($633.9 per capita) and its expenditures $6,966 thousand ($621.1 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 69.6% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 95.4% were registered Democrat and 4.0% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election, 37.6% of the votes were cast for Bush, 36.4% for Clinton, and 25.7% for Perot.

Places of Interest

Old Calhoun County Courthouse, Blountstown.