Gilchrist County, Florida


Gilchrist County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Florida. Organized in 1925 from the western part of Alachua, it is the last county to be formed in the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,864. The county seat is Trenton.
Gilchrist County is included in the Gainesville, Florida Gainesville, [Florida metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area].

History

Gilchrist County was created in 1925, the last county organized in Florida. It was originally set to be named Melon County due to watermelons being one of the main exports from the area; however, the death of Albert W. Gilchrist, Governor of Florida from 1909 to 1913, prompted its renaming to Gilchrist County instead.
It was formed by residents of what was then western Alachua County, as they believed they were not getting adequate representation on the county commission. With the poor roads of the time, they felt it took too long to get to the county seat of Gainesville. They disagreed about a proposed law that would require fencing in cattle in the rural area. They also believed that they would be better off by getting their own share of racetrack revenues, which the state distributed by county.
Much of the county was farmland and timberland when formed, and it is largely rural. Several natural springs are adjacent to the Santa Fe River, including Ginnie Springs, Hart Springs, and Gilchrist Blue Springs, the last of which became a Florida state park in 2017.

Historic buildings

Historic buildings in Gilchrist County include:
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Florida by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 17,864 people, 6,551 households, and 4,463 families residing in the county. The median age was 44.2 years, with 20.7% of residents under the age of 18 and 21.2% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 105.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 84.9% White, 4.5% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.3% from some other race, and 6.5% from two or more races. Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 7.5% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The 2020 census also reported 7,493 housing units, of which 12.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 84.4% were owner-occupied and 15.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.
Among the 6,551 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.2% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,437 people, 5,021 households, and 3,715 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 5,906 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 90.52% White, 7.00% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. 2.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In terms of ancestry, 16.9% were English, 13.9% were Irish, 13.7% were American, and 11.4% were German.
There were 5,021 households, out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 14.20% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,328, and the median income for a family was $34,485. Males had a median income of $27,359 versus $21,946 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,985. About 10.90% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Trenton State Farmer's Market is located on State Road 47, north of Trenton.

Politics

Voter registration

According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans maintain a majority of registered voters in Gilchrist County.
Gilchrist County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2024Gilchrist County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2024Gilchrist County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2024Gilchrist County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2024Gilchrist County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2024Gilchrist County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2024
Political PartyPolitical PartyTotal VotersPercentage--
Republican8,93667.85%--
Democratic2,01915.33%--
other party affiliation3442.61%--
no party affiliation1,87114.21%--
TotalTotal13,170100.00%--

Statewide elections

YearRepublicanDemocraticThird parties
202286.50% 6,80612.92% 1,0170.58% 45
201881.12% 5,97517.40% 1,2821.48% 109
201469.24% 4,12924.90% 1,4855.86% 349
201061.71% 3,32133.39% 1,7974.90% 264
200659.59% 3,16035.94% 1,9064.47% 237
200260.34% 3,06038.06% 1,9301.60% 81
199859.83% 2,09740.17% 1,408
199453.05% 1,92246.95% 1,701

Library

The Gilchrist County Public library is part of the Three Rivers Regional Library System, which also serves Dixie, Lafayette, and Taylor counties.

Communities

Cities

Major highways

  • Railroads

Gilchrist County has only three abandoned railroad lines. Seaboard Air Line Railroad's Wannee Subdivision and two former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad lines. The Thomasville-Dunnellon Line and the Jacksonville-Wilcox Line. The latter of these two lines are currently part of the Nature Coast State Trail. An extension of the trail along the former Jacksonville-Wilcox line was added toward Newberry in Alachua County.

Notable people

  • Easton Corbin, country music singer
  • Wyatt Langford, Texas Ranger's Leftfielder

    Government links/Constitutional offices

  • Special districts

  • Judicial branch

  • serving Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union Counties

  • Museum and Library Resources

  • the local newspaper for Gilchrist County, Florida fully and openly available in the

Category:Florida counties
Category:1925 establishments in Florida
Category:Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida
Category:North Florida
Category:Populated places established in 1925