Jackson County Florida   Located in North West Florida

Jackson County Cities

Land area (rank): 942 square miles (19)
Population 1993 (rank): 44,386 (39)
Population density 1993 (rank): 47 persons per square mile (44)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 5.7% (62)

Physical Characteristics

Jackson County is in northwest Florida and is bordered by Holmes, Washington, Calhoun, Gadsden, and Bay counties as well as the states of Georgia and Alabama. Jackson is the only county in Florida to border two states. The county has 13 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 52.6 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.0 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 54.69 inches.

History

Jackson County was established from Escambia County in 1822 and named for Andrew Jackson, governor of the territories of East and West Florida and later president of the U.S. Marianna was the site of a battle in 1864, during which old men and young boys fought against the invasion of Federal forces.

Population

In 1993, 65% of Jackson County's population lived in unincorporated areas. Of the 11 incorporated places in the county, Marianna, with a 1993 population of 6,249, was the largest, followed by Graceville, with a 1993 population of 2,675, Sneads (1,854 persons), and Malone (1,583 persons). Alford, Bascom, Campbellton, Cottondale, Greenwood, Grand Ridge, and Jacob City all had populations under 1,000 in 1993. In 1993, 73% of Jackson County's population was white and 27% was nonwhite. In 1990, 2.4% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 44.4% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 13.5 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 10.7 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 7.1 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 64.2% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 3.5%. In 1990, 61.6% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 10.9% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Chipola Junior College, Marianna; Florida Baptist Theological College, Graceville.

Economy

The per capita income in Jackson County for 1993 was $13,985 (50th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $19,471. In 1989, 17.3% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 28.8% of personal income in Jackson County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Jackson County were employed in the government, retail trade, and manufacturing sectors. Major state government employers are various HRS offices, Arthur G. Dozier School, and Marianna Community Correction Center. The major employers in the retail trade sector were automobile dealers and service stations and eating and drinking establishments. Lumber and wood products firms accounted for the most employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1992 there were 808 farms in Jackson County, totalling 244,185 acres (41% of land in the county). The county is the state's leading producer of soybeans and peanuts. In 1991, 18,259 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 76,476 cords of softwood for pulp, and 34,280 cords of hardwood for pulp (2nd highest in the state) were produced.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $41,400
Median monthly rent 1990: $165
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 25.1
Housing starts 1992: 170
Housing starts 1993: 154

In 1992 the price level index for Jackson County was 88.92 (67th highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 9.000, and the total taxable value of property was $564,209,109. Taxable sales totalled $244.90 million in 1992 and $255.90 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $22,387 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Jackson County's revenues totalled $23,461 thousand ($564.3 per capita) and its expenditures $23,532 thousand ($566.0 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 59.7% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 87.5% were registered Democrat and 11.2% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election, 45.8% of the votes were cast for Bush, 37.4% for Clinton, and 16.7% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Florida Caverns State Park, Marianna; The 1840 House, Ltd. and the Gallery, Marianna; Jackson County Fair, Marianna, October.