Marion County Florida   Located in North Florida

Marion County Cities

Land area (rank): 1,610 square miles (5)
Population 1993 (rank): 212, 025 (17)
Population density 1993 (rank): 132 persons per square mile (30)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 59.1% (12)

Physical Characteristics

Marion County is south of Gainesville and is bordered by Citrus, Sumter, Lake, Volusia, Putnam, Alachua, and Levy counties. The county has 52 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 58.6 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 80.9 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 51.94 inches.

History

Marion County was established from portions of Alachua and Mosquito counties in 1844 and named for General Francis Marion, "Swamp Fox" of the Revolutionary War.

Population

In 1993, 77% of Marion County's population was in unincorporated areas. The Ocala National Forest covers most of the eastern portion of the county. The incorporated place with the greatest population is Ocala, which had a 1993 population of 42,400. The other incorporated places-Dunellon, Belleview, Mclntosh, and Reddick-each had populations under 3,500 in 1993. Unincorporated Silver Springs Shores had a 1990 population of 6,421. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Marion County as the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 86% of Marion County's population was white and 14% was nonwhite. In 1990, 3.0% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 92.6% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 12.3 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 11.3 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 5.9 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 63.2% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 5.5%. In 1990, 69.6% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 11.5% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Central Florida Community College, Ocala.

Economy

The per capita income in Marion County for 1993 was $15,329 (38th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $22,452. In 1989,10.8% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 23.9% of personal income in Marion County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Marion County were employed in the retail trade, services, and government sectors. The leading employers in the retail trade sector were eating and drinking establishments and food stores. Lumber and wood products, transportation equipment, and furniture and fixtures firms accounted for the greatest employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1992 there were 1,654 farms in Marion County, totalling 296,242 acres (54% of land in the county). Marion County is famous for its thoroughbred horse farms. Hay and cattle are also major agricultural products in the county. In 1991 Marion County was the leading producer of softwood logs (107,562 thousand board feet) and the 4th largest producer of softwood for pulp (164,968 cords).

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $61,800
Median monthly rent 1990: $297
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 30.8
Housing starts 1992: 2,167
Housing starts 1993: 2,241

In 1992 the price level index for Marion County was 93.99 (37th highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 5.9000, and the total taxable value of property was $4,987,364,042. Taxable sales totalled $1552.80 million in 1992 and $1681.10 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $33,466 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Marion County's revenues totalled $132,020 thousand ($659.1 per capita) and its expenditures $118,750 thousand ($592.8 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 66.4% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 50.4% were registered Democrat and 41.8% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 40.7% of the votes were cast for Bush, 35.4% for Clinton, and 23.6% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Ocala Week, Ocala, October; Florida's Withlacoochee River Bluegrass Jamboree, Dunnellon, November; Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala; Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, Ocala; Silver Springs and Wild Waters, McIntosh Historic District, Ocala Historic District.