|
Leon County, Florida | ||
| ||
Location in the state of Florida | ||
Florida's location in the U.S. | ||
Founded | December 29 1824 | |
---|---|---|
Named for | Juan Ponce de León | |
Seat | Tallahassee | |
Area - Total - Land - Water |
702 sq mi (1,818 km²) 667 sq mi (1,728 km²) 35 sq mi (91 km²), 4.99% | |
Population - (2020) - Density |
292,198 360/sq mi (139/km²) |
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida. In 2020, its population was 292,198. The principal place in Leon County is Tallahassee, the county seat and state capital. The county is home to two of Florida's major public universities, Florida A&M University and Florida State University. Leon County residents hold the distinction as having the highest level of education of those in any of Florida's 67 counties.
History[]
Originally part of Escambia and later Gadsden County, Leon County was created in 1824. It was named for Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer who was the first European to reach Florida. During the 1850s - 1860s, Leon County was a "cotton kingdom" and ranked 5th out of all of Florida and Georgia counties in the production of cotton from the 20 major plantations.
- Also see Plantations of Leon County.
Geography[]
Physical[]
Unlike much of Florida, Leon County has rolling hills. The highest point is 280 feet located in the north part of the county. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,818 km² (702 sq mi). 1,727 km² (667 sq mi) of it is land and 91 km² (35 sq mi) of it (4.99%) is water.
Leon County is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Major highways[]
- Interstate 10
- U.S. Highway 27 (Apalachee Parkway; Monroe Street)
- U.S. Highway 90
- U.S. Highway 319
- State Road 20
- State Road 61
- State Road 155
- State Road 263 (Capital Circle)
- State Road 267
- State Road 363
Demographics[]
Race[]
As of the census² of 2000, there were 239,452 people, 96,521 households, and 54,341 families residing in the county. The population density was 139/km² (359/sq mi). There were 103,974 housing units at an average density of 60/km² (156/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 66.36% White, 29.11% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.91% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. 3.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Age[]
There were 96,521 households out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.80% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.70% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county the population was spread out with 21.30% under the age of 18, 21.40% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 8.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males.
Education[]
The adult citizens of Leon County enjoy the highest level of education in the state of Florida followed by Alachua County with a total of 67.8%.
Level of Education | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Level | Leon Co. | Florida | U.S. | |
College/Associate Degree | 28.5% | 28.8% | 27.4% | |
Bachelor's Degree | 24.0% | 14.3% | 15.5% | |
Master's or Ph. D. | 17.7% | 8.1% | 8.9% | |
Total | 70.2% | 51.2% | 51.8% |
Income[]
The median income for a household in the county was $37,517, and the median income for a family was $52,962. Males had a median income of $35,235 versus $28,110 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,024. About 9.40% of families and 18.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.
Accolades[]
- 2007 National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials' Environmental and Conservation Award for exceptional effort to reclaim, restore, preserve, acquire or develop unique and natural areas. Leon County has 1,300 acres of open space, forest and woodlands between the Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway and J.R. Alford Greenway.
Law, government, and politics[]
Politics[]
Following Reconstruction, white Democrats regained power in Leon County and voters have historically voted for Democratic candidates at the national level. Tallahassee is one of the few cities in the South known for progressive activism.
The county has voted Democratic in 24 of the past 29 presidential elections since 1904. (Until the late 1960s, blacks were essentially disenfranchised in Florida and other Southern states.) Since the civil rights era, Tallahassee has elected black mayors and black state representatives.[1] Its political affiliations likely draw from the high number of students, staff, and faculty associated with Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, as well as the concentration of government employees.
Leon County has had the highest voter turnout of any Florida county. In the 2008 general election, it had a record-setting voter turnout of 85%, including early voting and voting by mail.[2]
As of October 6, 2020, there were 116,294 Democrats, 57,791 Republicans, and 43,369 voters with other affiliations in Leon County.[3]
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 57,453 | 35.14% | 103,517 | 63.32% | 2,506 | 1.53% |
2016 | 53,821 | 34.98% | 92,068 | 59.83% | 7,992 | 5.19% |
2012 | 55,805 | 37.54% | 90,881 | 61.13% | 1,985 | 1.34% |
2008 | 55,705 | 37.40% | 91,747 | 61.60% | 1,483 | 1.00% |
2004 | 51,615 | 37.85% | 83,873 | 61.50% | 891 | 0.65% |
2000 | 39,073 | 37.88% | 61,444 | 59.57% | 2,637 | 2.56% |
1996 | 33,930 | 36.99% | 50,072 | 54.59% | 7,715 | 8.41% |
1992 | 31,983 | 32.87% | 47,791 | 49.12% | 17,520 | 18.01% |
1988 | 36,055 | 51.39% | 33,472 | 47.71% | 631 | 0.90% |
1984 | 36,325 | 55.00% | 29,683 | 44.94% | 38 | 0.06% |
1980 | 24,919 | 43.47% | 28,450 | 49.63% | 3,957 | 6.90% |
1976 | 23,739 | 44.42% | 28,729 | 53.76% | 975 | 1.82% |
1972 | 27,479 | 63.72% | 15,555 | 36.07% | 92 | 0.21% |
1968 | 9,288 | 28.49% | 10,440 | 32.02% | 12,878 | 39.50% |
1964 | 15,181 | 58.15% | 10,927 | 41.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 9,079 | 46.53% | 10,433 | 53.47% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 6,828 | 49.30% | 7,022 | 50.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 5,604 | 41.19% | 8,000 | 58.81% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 1,149 | 18.65% | 3,607 | 58.55% | 1,405 | 22.80% |
1944 | 835 | 15.64% | 4,505 | 84.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 583 | 9.65% | 5,459 | 90.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 277 | 6.84% | 3,770 | 93.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
1932 | 252 | 7.87% | 2,950 | 92.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 630 | 24.72% | 1,888 | 74.07% | 31 | 1.22% |
1924 | 92 | 8.29% | 947 | 85.32% | 71 | 6.40% |
1920 | 452 | 22.97% | 1,412 | 71.75% | 104 | 5.28% |
1916 | 191 | 16.32% | 875 | 74.79% | 104 | 8.89% |
1912 | 56 | 8.41% | 546 | 81.98% | 64 | 9.61% |
1908 | 143 | 14.93% | 698 | 72.86% | 117 | 12.21% |
1904 | 84 | 11.37% | 649 | 87.82% | 6 | 0.81% |
1900 | 162 | 13.95% | 932 | 80.28% | 67 | 5.77% |
1896 | 247 | 15.52% | 1,298 | 81.53% | 47 | 2.95% |
1892 | 0 | 0.00% | 634 | 100.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
County representation[]
Leon County Government | |||
---|---|---|---|
Position | Name | Party | |
| |||
Commissioner, At-Large | Nick Maddox | Democratic | |
Commissioner, At-Large | Carolyn Cummings | Democratic | |
Commissioner, Dist. 1 | Bill Proctor | Democratic | |
Commissioner, Dist. 2 | Jimbo Jackson | Democratic | |
Commissioner, Dist. 3 | Rick Minor | Democratic | |
Commissioner, Dist. 4 | Brian Welch | Democratic | |
Commissioner, Dist. 5 | Kristin Dozier | Democratic | |
Supervisor of Elections | Mark Earley | NPA | |
Tax Collector | Doris Maloy | Democratic | |
Property Appraiser | Akin Akinyemi | Democratic | |
Court Clerk | Gwen Marshall | Democratic | |
Sheriff | Walt McNeil | Democratic | |
School Superintendent | Rocky Hanna | Democratic |
State representation[]
Allison Tant (D), District 9, represents Leon County's northern half, including most of Tallahassee. Jason Shoaf (R), District 7, represents the county's southern portion. He won office in a special election.[5] Ramon Alexander (D), District 8, represents a west-central portion of the county.
State Senator[]
All of Leon County is represented by Loranne Ausley (D), District 3, in the Florida Senate.
U.S. Congressional representation[]
Leon County is in two congressional districts. Its northern and eastern portion, including 61% of Tallahassee, is part of the 5th Congressional District, a minority-majority district that extends across northern Florida. It is represented by Al Lawson (D). The remainder of the county (the southeastern corner and 39% of Tallahassee), is part of the 2nd Congressional District, represented by Neal Dunn (R).
Consolidation[]
Leon County voters have gone to the polls four times to vote on consolidation of the Tallahassee and Leon County governments into one jurisdiction.[6] This proposal would combine police and other city services with the already shared (consolidated) Tallahassee Fire Department, Tallahassee/Leon County Planning Department, and Leon County Emergency Medical Services. Tallahassee's city limits would (at current size) increase from 98.2 square miles (254 km2) to 702 square miles (1,820 km2). Roughly 36 percent of Leon County's 250,000 residents live outside the Tallahassee city limits.
Leon County Voting On Consolidation | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | FOR | AGAINST | |||||
| |||||||
1971 | 10,381 (41.32%) | 14,740 (58.68%) | |||||
1973 | 11,056 (46.23%) | 12,859 (53.77%) | |||||
1976 | 20,336 (45.01%) | 24,855 (54.99%) | |||||
1992 | 37,062 (39.8%) | 56,070 (60.2%) |
Proponents of consolidation have claimed that the new jurisdiction would attract business by its very size. Merging of governments would cut government waste, duplication of services, etc. Professor Richard Feiock of Florida State University found in a 2007 study that he could not conclude that consolidation would benefit the local economy.[7]
Municipalities[]
Incorporated[]
- City of Tallahassee
Unincorporated[]
- Black Creek - Identified on USGS maps as a small enclave of 5 or 6 houses along Mahan Drive, just north of Black Creek, the waterway.
- Baum - Identified on USGS maps as the structures in the immediate vicinity of the intersection of Mahan Drive and Baum Road.
- Bradfordville
- Capitola
- Centerville
- Chaires
- Chaires Crossroads - Identified on USGS maps as the structures in the immediate vicinity of the intersection of Chaires Cross Road and Apalachee Parkway. Historically a part of the Joseph Chaires Plantation.
- Gardner - Identified on USGS maps as the structures in the immediate vicinity of the intersection of Mahan Road and Crump Road, including Miles Johnson Road.
- Felkel
- Fort Braden
- Iamonia
- Meridian
- Miccosukee
- Ochlockonee
- Rose - Identified on USGS maps as the intersection of several dirt roads and the Florida Gas Transmission pipeline just east of Old Plank Road, south of Tram Road, north of Natural Bridge Road. There are no structures or inhabitants in this area.
- Wadesboro
- Woodville
Public safety[]
The law enforcement agency charged with countywide policing is the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Fire and Emergency medical services provided by the Tallahassee Fire Department and Leon County Emergency Medical Services respectively.
Schools[]
Public schools in Leon County are administered and under the operation of the Leon County School District. LCS is operated by a superintendent, 5 board members, and 1 Student Representative. There are:
- 24 Elementary Schools
- 8 Middle Schools
- 6 High Schools
- 8 Special / Alternative Schools
- 2 Charter Schools
High Schools[]
Newsweek Magazine's Top 1000 Schools for 2006 lists 4 of Leon County's 5 public high schools in the top 200 in the United States out of over 10,000 schools.
- Amos P. Godby High School - website
- Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University High School
- Florida State University High School
- James S. Rickards High School Newsweek ranking: # 220
- John Paul II Catholic High School - website
- Lawton Chiles High School Newsweek ranking # 266
- Leon High School Newsweek ranking: # 229
- Lincoln High School Newsweek ranking: # 79
- Maclay School - website
- North Florida Christian High School - website
- SAIL High School - website
Points of Interest[]
- Bradley's Country Store Complex
- Leon County's 5 canopy roads
Geology[]
Leon County has 3 defining geologic periods. They are Neogene Period and Paleogene Period of the Cenozoic era and the Quaternary sub-era which includes the Pleistocene epoch and Holocene epoch.
Geologic formations[]
Bodies of water[]
References[]
- ^ Eisenberg, Daniel (1986). "In Tallahassee". Journal of Hispanic Philology 10 (2): pp. 97–101. http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/deisenbe/JHPcolumn/jhp102.pdf.
- ^ "Home - Leon County Supervisor of Elections". https://www.leonvotes.org/.
- ^ "Home - Leon County Supervisor of Elections". https://www.leonvotes.gov/.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS.
- ^ "Republican Jason Shoaf wins House District 7 special election". 19 June 2019. https://floridapolitics.com/archives/299049-shoaf-wins-house-district-7.
- ^ "Consolidation of City (Tallahassee) & County (Leon) Government". Leon County Supervisor of Elections. http://www.leonvotes.org/Portals/Leon/Documents/Elections%20and%20Results/PDFs_XLSs/Consolidation_City_County_Government.pdf.
- ^ [1] Archived 2007-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
External links[]
Government links/Constitutional offices[]
- Leon County Government / Board of County Commissioners
- Leon County Property Appraiser
- Leon County Sheriff's Office
- Leon County Supervisor of Elections
- Leon County Tax Collector
Special districts[]
- Leon County Public Schools
- The Ochlockonee River Soil and Water Conservation District
- Northwest Florida Water Management District
Judicial branch[]
- Leon 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, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida
Tourism links[]
|
|
This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Leon County, Florida. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |