Gilchrist County, Florida

Gilchrist County
County
Gilchrist County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°44′N82°48′W / 29.73°N 82.8°W / 29.73; -82.8
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	December 4, 1925
Named for	Albert W. Gilchrist
Seat	Trenton
Largest city	Trenton
Area
• Total	355 sq mi (920 km2)
• Land	350 sq mi (900 km2)
• Water	5.6 sq mi (15 km2)  1.6%
Population
• Estimate  (2020)	17,864
• Density	48/sq mi (19/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	gilchrist.fl.us

Gilchrist County Courthouse, in Trenton

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. ^[1] The county seat is Trenton. ^[2]

Gilchrist County is included in the Gainesville, Florida 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. ^[3]

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. ^[3]

Historic buildings

Historic buildings in Gilchrist County include:

• First Baptist Church, on East Wade Street
• Gilchrist County Courthouse
• Trenton Depot
• Jennings Lake Seventh-Day Adventist Church
• The old Trenton Church of Christ on South Main Street.
• Gilchrist County Jail, built in 1926, operated from 1928 to 1968. ^{[4] [5]}

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 355 square miles (920 km²), of which 350 square miles (910 km²) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km²) (1.6%) is water. ^[6] It is the fifth-smallest county in Florida by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

• Columbia County, Florida – northeast
• Alachua County, Florida – east
• Levy County, Florida – south
• Dixie County, Florida – southwest
• Suwannee County, Florida – northwest
• Lafayette County, Florida – northwest

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1930	4,137		—
1940	4,250		2.7%
1950	3,499		−17.7%
1960	2,868		−18.0%
1970	3,551		23.8%
1980	5,767		62.4%
1990	9,667		67.6%
2000	14,437		49.3%
2010	16,939		17.3%
2020	17,864		5.5%
2023 (est.)	19,587	[7]	9.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790–1960 [9] 1900–1990 [10] 1990–2000 [11] 2010–2019 [1]

Gilchrist County racial composition as of 2020
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^[a]

Race	Pop 2010 [14]	Pop 2020 [15]	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	14,882	14,827	87.86%	83.0%
Black or African American (NH)	884	788	5.22%	4.41%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	63	62	0.37%	0.35%
Asian (NH)	59	56	0.35%	0.31%
Pacific Islander (NH)	1	2	0.01%	0.01%
Some Other Race (NH)	12	45	0.07%	0.25%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	193	736	1.14%	4.12%
Hispanic or Latino	845	1,348	4.99%	7.55%
Total	16,939	17,864

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,864 people, 6,701 households, and 4,463 families residing in the county.

As of the census ^[16] of 2000, there were 14,437 people, 5,021 households, and 3,715 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 inhabitants per square mile (16/km²). There were 5,906 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6.6/km²). 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. ^[17]

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, 2024 [18]
Political Party		Total Voters	Percentage
	Republican	8,936	67.85%
	Democratic	2,019	15.33%
	other party affiliation	344	2.61%
	no party affiliation	1,871	14.21%
Total		13,170	100.00%

Statewide elections

United States presidential election results for Gilchrist County, Florida ^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	8,931	83.27%	1,662	15.50%	132	1.23%
2020	7,895	81.37%	1,700	17.52%	107	1.10%
2016	6,740	79.56%	1,458	17.21%	274	3.23%
2012	5,917	74.55%	1,885	23.75%	135	1.70%
2008	5,656	72.34%	1,996	25.53%	167	2.14%
2004	4,936	70.36%	2,017	28.75%	62	0.88%
2000	3,300	61.17%	1,910	35.40%	185	3.43%
1996	1,939	40.44%	1,985	41.40%	871	18.16%
1992	1,395	34.73%	1,511	37.62%	1,111	27.66%
1988	1,855	61.59%	1,137	37.75%	20	0.66%
1984	2,056	66.15%	1,051	33.82%	1	0.03%
1980	1,093	39.13%	1,627	58.25%	73	2.61%
1976	528	22.43%	1,807	76.76%	19	0.81%
1972	1,306	83.45%	247	15.78%	12	0.77%
1968	183	12.12%	208	13.77%	1,119	74.11%
1964	540	43.17%	711	56.83%	0	0.00%
1960	277	24.93%	834	75.07%	0	0.00%
1956	137	12.90%	925	87.10%	0	0.00%
1952	195	16.43%	992	83.57%	0	0.00%
1948	46	4.34%	884	83.32%	131	12.35%
1944	81	8.59%	862	91.41%	0	0.00%
1940	88	8.01%	1,011	91.99%	0	0.00%
1936	56	6.28%	836	93.72%	0	0.00%
1932	57	6.54%	814	93.46%	0	0.00%
1928	125	22.73%	392	71.27%	33	6.00%

Gubernatorial elections results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2022	86.50%6,806	12.92% 1,017	0.58% 45
2018	81.12%5,975	17.40% 1,282	1.48% 109
2014	69.24%4,129	24.90% 1,485	5.86% 349
2010	61.71%3,321	33.39% 1,797	4.90% 264
2006	59.59%3,160	35.94% 1,906	4.47% 237
2002	60.34%3,060	38.06% 1,930	1.60% 81
1998	59.83%2,097	40.17% 1,408
1994	53.05%1,922	46.95% 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

• Fanning Springs (shared with Levy County)
• Trenton (county seat)

Town

• Bell

Census-designated place

• Spring Ridge

Other unincorporated communities

• Wilcox
• Wilcox Junction

Transportation

Major highways

See also: List of county roads in Gilchrist County, Florida

• US 19
• US 98
• 
  US 27 Alt.
• US 129
• SR 26
• SR 47

Notable people

• Easton Corbin, country music singer

See also

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

Notes

1. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. ^{[12] [13]}

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Gilchrist County, Florida", EReference Desk, 2004-2018
4. "Historic Florida jail for sale – and it might be haunted". Memphis, Tennessee: Fox 13 News. April 18, 2021. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021.
5. Mavrakis, Emily (April 17, 2021). "For sale: Gilchrist County Jail … and its ghostly inhabitants". The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
6. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
7. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
12. https://www.census.gov/ ^{[ not specific enough to verify ]}
13. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
15. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
16. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
17. "Trenton State Farmer's Market" Archived December 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
18. "Voter Registration - Current by County - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State" . Retrieved November 9, 2024.
19. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 15, 2018.

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

• Gilchrist County Board of County Commissioners
• Gilchrist County Supervisor of Elections
• Gilchrist County Property Appraiser Archived January 5, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
• Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office Archived February 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
• Gilchrist County Tax Collector

Special districts

• Gilchrist County Public Schools
• Suwannee River Water Management District ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]} [Dead link August 26, 2016]

Judicial branch

• Gilchrist County Clerk of Courts
• Office of the State Attorney, 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida Archived December 15, 2004, at the Wayback Machine serving Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union Counties
• Circuit and County Court for the 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Museum and Library Resources

• The Gilchrist County Journal, the local newspaper for Gilchrist County, Florida fully and openly available in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library

29°44′N82°48′W / 29.73°N 82.80°W / 29.73; -82.80