Gadsden County, Florida

Gadsden County is a county in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2000 census, 45,087 people lived there. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 46,428 people. Its county seat is Quincy, Florida. Gadsden County is the only majority African American county in Florida. Gadsden county is home to two high schools - West Gadsden High School (a combination of former Chattahoochee High and Greensboro High) on the western edge of Quincy near Greensboro, and East Gadsden High School (a combination of former James A. Shanks High and Havana Northside High) located on Highway 90 East of Quincy.

The county is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Gadsden County was created in 1823. It was named for James Gadsden of South Carolina. He was Andrew Jackson's aide-de-camp in Florida in 1818.

There were once only two high schools that blacks in Gadsden County could attend: Carter-Parramore (which is now a middle school) and Stevens High Schools.

Land
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 528.49 sqmi, of which 516.13 sqmi (or 97.66%) is land and 12.35 sqmi (or 2.34%) is water.

Gadsden County is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gadsden County is in the Eastern Time Zone. Its western border with Jackson County forms the boundary in this area between the Eastern and Central Time Zones.

Counties nearby

 * Decatur County, Georgia - north
 * Seminole County, Georgia - north
 * Grady County, Georgia - northeast
 * Leon County, Florida - east
 * Liberty County, Florida - southwest
 * Calhoun County, Florida - southwest
 * Jackson County, Florida - northwest

Politics
Gadsden County is known for being a stronghold of the Democratic Party in north Florida, along with Leon County and Jefferson County to its east, and Alachua County to its southeast.

People
Gadsden County is the state's only county with an African American majority population. As of the census of 2000, there were 45,087 people, 15,867 households, and 11,424 families living in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile (34/km²). There were 17,703 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 57.14% Black or African American, 38.70% White, 0.23% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.76% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 6.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,867 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.50% were married couples living together, 22.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of people living alone and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.40% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,248, and the median income for a family was $36,238. Males had a median income of $27,159 versus $21,721 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,499. About 16.40% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.50% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

 * City of Chattahoochee
 * Town of Greensboro
 * City of Gretna
 * Town of Havana
 * City of Midway
 * City of Quincy

Government links/Constitutional offices

 * Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners
 * Gadsden County Supervisor of Elections
 * Gadsden County Property Appraiser
 * Gadsden County Sheriff's Office
 * Gadsden County Tax Collector

Special districts

 * Gadsden County Schools
 * Northwest Florida Water Management District

Judicial branch

 * Gadsden County Clerk of Courts
 * Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla counties
 * Office of the State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida
 * Circuit and County Court for the 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

 * Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce
 * The Original Florida Tourism Task Force
 * Official Gadsden County Tourism website