Putnam County Florida   Located in North Florida

Putnam County Cities

Land area (rank): 733 square miles (32)
Population 1993 (rank): 67,625 (36)
Population density 1993 (rank): 92 persons per square mile (32)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 28.7% (40)

Physical Characteristics

Putnam County is east of Gainesville and north of Ocala, and is bordered by Flagler, Volusia, Marion, Alachua, Bradford, Clay, and St. Johns counties. The county has 94 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 58.6 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.7 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 50.74 inches.

History

Putnam County was established from St. Johns and Alachua counties in 1849 and named for Benjamin Alexander Putnam (1801-69), lawyer, soldier, judge, member of the state legislature, and first president of the Florida Historical Society.

Population

In 1993 approximately three-fourths of Putnam County's population was in unincorporated areas. Between 1970 and 1980, the population in unincorporated areas of Putnam County more than doubled. The incorporated place with the greatest population is Palatka, which had a 1993 population of 10,447 persons. Each of the other incorporated places in the county-Crescent City, Interlachen, Pomona Park, and Welaka-had a population under 2,000 in 1987. The unincorporated area of East Palatka had a 1990 population of 1,989. In 1993, 81% of Putnam County's population was white, and 19% was nonwhite. In 1990, 2.6% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 85.4% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 14.9 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 12.6 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 15.0 per 1,000. In 1993 the leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 73.0% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 8.4%. In 1990, 64.3% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 8.3% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. St. Johns River Community College, Palatka.

Economy

The per capita income in Putnam County for 1993 was $13,087 (57th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $20,155. In 1989, 14.8% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 27.7% of personal income in Putnam County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Putnam County were employed in the manufacturing, government, and retail trade sectors. Paper, lumber, and wood products firms accounted for the greatest employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1992 there were 400 farms in Putnam County, totalling 105,621 acres (23% of land in the county). Putnam County is among the state's leading producers of potatoes. In 1991, 29,015 board feet of softwood logs, 74,132 cords of softwood for pulp, 227 thousand board feet of hardwood logs, and 5,771 cords of hardwood for pulp were produced. In 1991, 42,927 pounds of fish and 138,027 pounds of shellfish were landed.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $49,900
Median monthly rent 1990: $222
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 42.8%
Housing starts 1992: 215
Housing starts 1993: 213

In 1992 the price level index for Putnam County was 92.49 (51 st highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 8.1680, and the total taxable value of property was $1,971,616,686. Taxable sales totalled $297.40 million in 1992 and $320.20 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $10,334 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Putnam County's revenues totalled $47,173 thousand ($714.7 per capita) and its expenditures $48,920 thousand ($741.2 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 79.8% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 72.3% were registered Democrat and 22.6% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 41.7% of the votes were cast for Clinton, 34.7% for Bush, and 23.3% for Perot.

Places of Interest

Palatka North Historic District, Palatka South Historic District.