Bradford County, Florida

Bradford County, Florida
Location in the state of Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 31, 1858
Seat	Starke
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	300.04 sq mi (777 km²) 293.13 sq mi (759 km²) 6.91 sq mi (18 km²), 2.30%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	28,520 97/sq mi (37.57/km²)
Website	www.bradford-co-fla.org/

Bradford County Courthouse in Starke

Bradford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 26,088. The 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimate for the county was 28,118 [1]. Its county seat is Starke, Florida^[1]. Bradford County is the home of the Florida State Prison as well as several other state correctional facilities.

History

New River County was created in 1858. It was renamed Bradford County in 1861. It was named for Captain Richard Bradford, who fought in the American Civil War and was killed in the Battle of Santa Rosa Island. Union County was carved out of Bradford in 1921.^[2]

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 300.04 square miles (777.1 km²), of which 293.13 square miles (759.2 km²) (or 97.70%) is land and 6.91 square miles (17.9 km²) (or 2.30%) is water.^[3]

Adjacent counties

• Baker County, Florida - north
• Clay County, Florida - east
• Putnam County, Florida - southeast
• Alachua County, Florida - south
• Union County, Florida - west
• Duval County, Florida - Northeast

National protected area

• Osceola National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	3,820		—
1870	3,671		−3.9%
1880	6,112		66.5%
1890	7,516		23.0%
1900	10,295		37.0%
1910	14,090		36.9%
1920	12,503		−11.3%
1930	9,405		−24.8%
1940	8,717		−7.3%
1950	11,457		31.4%
1960	12,446		8.6%
1970	14,625		17.5%
1980	20,023		36.9%
1990	22,515		12.4%
2000	26,088		15.9%
2010	28,520		9.3%
[4][5][6]

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 26,088 people, 8,497 households, and 6,194 families residing in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile (34/km²). There were 9,605 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.28% White, 20.79% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. 2.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,497 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 13.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.90% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 127.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,140, and the median income for a family was $39,123. Males had a median income of $29,494 versus $20,745 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,226. About 11.10% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 17.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Florida Department of Corrections operates several correctional facilities in unincorporated areas. The facilities include Florida State Prison,^[8] Florida State Prison – West Unit,^[9] and New River Correctional Institution^[10] Florida State Prison houses one of Florida's two male death rows and the State of Florida execution chamber.^[11]

Municipalities

Incorporated

1. Town of Brooker
2. City of Hampton
3. City of Lawtey
4. City of Starke

Politics

Like much of rural northern Florida, Bradford County votes heavily Republican in presidential and congressional races, although still occasionally supporting Conservative Democrats in local and state contests.

Presidential elections results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Other
2008	69.5%	29.3%	1.2%
2004	69.6%	29.9%	0.5%
2000	62.4%	35.4%	2.2%
1996	49.0%	40.7%	10.3%
1992	44.0%	36.5%	20.2%
1988	63.6%	36.0%	0.4%

See also

Florida portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bradford County, Florida

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ Florida's Historic Courthouses - Bradford County
3. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
4. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/fl190090.txt
5. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_QTPL&prodType=table
6. ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
7. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
8. ^ "Florida State Prison." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
9. ^ "Florida State Prison – West Unit." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
10. ^ "New River Correctional Institution." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
11. ^ "Death Row Fact Sheet." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.

External links

• County website
• Bradford County Telegraph
• Bradford County Schools
• Bradford County Supervisor of Elections

Coordinates: 29°57′N 82°10′W / 29.95°N 82.17°W / 29.95; -82.17