Gadsden County Florida   Located in North West Florida

Gadsden County Cities

Land area (rank): 518 square miles (58)
Population 1993 (rank): 43,239 (40)
Population density 1993 (rank): 83 persons per square mile (35)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): -1.4% (66)

Physical Characteristics

Gadsden County is in northwest Florida and is bordered by Georgia and by Jackson, Liberty, and Leon counties. The county has 11 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 53.7 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 80.4 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 56.02 inches.

History

Gadsden County was established in 1823 and named for James Gadsden (1788-1858), native of South Carolina and aide-de-camp to Andrew Jackson during his 1818 campaign in Florida. The county was settled by slave owners from other southern states and became famous for its tobacco.

Population

In 1993, 60% of Gadsden County's population was in unincorporated areas. The incorporated places with the greatest populations in 1993 were Quincy (7,551), Chattahoochee (4,380), Gretna (2,064), and Havana (1,784). The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Gadsden County with Leon County as the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 42% of Gadsden County's population was white and 58% was nonwhite. In 1990, 2.3% of the population was Hispanic. Between 1980 and 1990, the population of Gadsden County decreased because of negative net migration ( more people left than moved to the county). The 1992 birth rate for the county was 19.2 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 10.0 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 13.6 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 17.5% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 10.2%. In 1990, 59.9% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 11.2% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Tallahassee Community College (Leon County) and branch campus in Quincy.

Economy

The per capita income for 1993 in Gadsden County was $14,119 (49th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $19,985. In 1989, 22.0% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 24.4% of personal income in Gadsden County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Gadsden County were employed in the government, agricultural, and retail trade sectors. Major state employers in Gadsden County are Florida State Hospital and River Junction Correctional Institution in Chattahoochee, the HRS District Office in Quincy, and the headquarters of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. Furniture and fixtures, apparel and textile products, and stone, clay, and glass production firms accounted for the most employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1992 there were 333 farms in Gadsden County, totalling 57,853 acres (17% of land in the county). The main crops produced in the county are pole beans, squash, sweet corn, hay, and tomatoes. Gadsden County has been the leading producer of Fuller's Earth or attapulgite clay since the 1890s. Fuller's Earth is used in the refining of oil, in the clean-up of hazardous waste and as kitty litter and bedding for pets and other animals. Each year approximately 100 to 150 acres are mined for Fuller's Earth in the county. In 1991, 11,777 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 50,064 cords of softwood for pulp, 5,315 thousand board feet of hardwood logs, and 20,885 cords of hardwood for pulp were produced.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $39,500
Median monthly rent 1990: $168
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 26.9
Housing starts 1992: 152
Housing starts 1993: 197

In 1992 the price level index for Gadsden County was 92.61(50th highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993 the ad valorem millage rate was 10.000, and the total taxable value of property was $490,351,810. Taxable sales totalled $145.00 million in 1992 and $146.10 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $7,892 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Gadsden County's revenues totalled $20,652 thousand ($489.5 per capita) and its expenditures $21,176 thousand ($501.9 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 62.3% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 92.6% were registered Democrat and 6.0% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 59.0% of the votes were cast for Clinton, 27.6% for Bush, and 13.0% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Old Time Havana Day, May; Quincyfest, October; Quincy Historic District.