Lafayette County, Florida

Lafayette County
County
Lafayette County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°59′N83°11′W / 29.99°N 83.18°W / 29.99; -83.18
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	December 23, 1853
Named for	Marquis de Lafayette
Seat	Mayo
Largest town	Mayo
Area
• Total	548 sq mi (1,420 km2)
• Land	543 sq mi (1,410 km2)
• Water	4.5 sq mi (12 km2)  0.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,226
• Density	16/sq mi (6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 3rd
Website	www.lafayettecountyfl.net

Lafayette County is a county located in the north central portion of the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,226, ^[1] making it the second-least populous county in Florida. The county seat is Mayo. ^[2] Lafayette County is a prohibition or partially dry county, allowing retail sales of beer.

History

Lafayette County was created on December 23, 1856, from part of Madison County on the same day as Taylor County was also split off from Madison County. At the time it comprised all the area of present-day Lafayette and Dixie counties. The county was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who rendered assistance to the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. ^[3] The famed Suwannee River forms the entire eastern boundary. The county courts first met at the home of Ariel Jones near Fayetteville. The county seat was New Troy until the court house burned down on New Year's Eve, 1892. It was moved to Mayo in 1893, and Mayo is currently Lafayette's only incorporated town. The moving of the courthouse was the end for New Troy. The Gainesville Sun states that houses were dismantled for their timber and bricks, hardwoods replaced the fields, steamboat traffic ended in 1899, and the ferry closed in 1917. In 1921 the lower part of the county was removed to create Dixie County.

Historic sites

Historic sites in Lafayette County include:

• The Hal W. Adams Bridge built in 1947 across the Suwannee River 3 mi (4.8 km) north of Mayo. It was Florida's first suspension bridge.
• The (second) Old Lafayette County Courthouse, built in 1893–1894, now an inn.
• The current Lafayette County Courthouse built in 1908.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 548 square miles (1,420 km²), of which 543 square miles (1,410 km²) is land and 4.5 square miles (12 km²) (0.8%) is water. ^[4]

Adjacent counties

• Suwannee County - east
• Gilchrist County - southeast
• Dixie County - south
• Taylor County - west
• Madison County - northwest

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	2,068		—
1870	1,783		−13.8%
1880	2,441		36.9%
1890	3,686		51.0%
1900	4,987		35.3%
1910	6,710		34.5%
1920	6,242		−7.0%
1930	4,361		−30.1%
1940	4,405		1.0%
1950	3,440		−21.9%
1960	2,889		−16.0%
1970	2,892		0.1%
1980	4,035		39.5%
1990	5,578		38.2%
2000	7,022		25.9%
2010	8,870		26.3%
2020	8,226		−7.3%
2023 (est.)	8,078	[5]	−1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8] 1990-2000 [9] 2010-2019 [1]

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

Race	Pop 2010 [12]	Pop 2020 [13]	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	6,266	6,074	70.64%	73.84%
Black or African American (NH)	1,396	1,024	15.74%	12.45%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	20	16	0.23%	0.19%
Asian (NH)	13	10	0.15%	0.12%
Pacific Islander (NH)	2	1	0.02%	0.01%
Some Other Race (NH)	7	18	0.08%	0.22%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	90	145	1.01%	1.76%
Hispanic or Latino	1,076	938	12.13%	11.4%
Total	8,870	8,226	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,226 people, 2,315 households, and 1,655 families residing in the county.

As of the census ^[14] of 2000, there were 7,022 people, 2,142 households and 1,591 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5.0 people/km²). There were 2,660 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (1.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.27% White, 14.37% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.30% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 9.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In terms of ancestry, 41.1% were English, 8.0% were Irish, 7.1% were American, and 5.3% were German.

There were 2,142 households, out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.70% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 34.00% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 148.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 157.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,651, and the median income for a family was $35,020. Males had a median income of $25,030 versus $22,007 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,087. About 12.90% of families and 17.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.70% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Lafayette County, Florida ^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,296	87.50%	441	11.71%	30	0.80%
2020	3,128	85.42%	510	13.93%	24	0.66%
2016	2,809	82.35%	518	15.19%	84	2.46%
2012	2,668	78.33%	687	20.17%	51	1.50%
2008	2,679	79.33%	642	19.01%	56	1.66%
2004	2,460	73.98%	845	25.41%	20	0.60%
2000	1,670	66.67%	789	31.50%	46	1.84%
1996	1,166	50.22%	829	35.70%	327	14.08%
1992	1,039	41.15%	867	34.34%	619	24.51%
1988	1,451	66.41%	722	33.04%	12	0.55%
1984	1,513	63.71%	862	36.29%	0	0.00%
1980	795	42.67%	1,034	55.50%	34	1.83%
1976	523	31.41%	1,126	67.63%	16	0.96%
1972	1,060	85.69%	173	13.99%	4	0.32%
1968	137	9.28%	215	14.56%	1,125	76.17%
1964	648	54.32%	545	45.68%	0	0.00%
1960	297	27.25%	793	72.75%	0	0.00%
1956	187	15.07%	1,054	84.93%	0	0.00%
1952	269	21.52%	981	78.48%	0	0.00%
1948	52	4.54%	975	85.15%	118	10.31%
1944	140	14.51%	825	85.49%	0	0.00%
1940	122	10.07%	1,090	89.93%	0	0.00%
1936	80	6.87%	1,084	93.13%	0	0.00%
1932	27	2.82%	929	97.18%	0	0.00%
1928	135	23.48%	435	75.65%	5	0.87%
1924	33	8.13%	358	88.18%	15	3.69%
1920	69	9.66%	618	86.55%	27	3.78%
1916	45	4.73%	849	89.27%	57	5.99%
1912	73	11.85%	473	76.79%	70	11.36%
1908	90	13.95%	487	75.50%	68	10.54%
1904	122	28.11%	275	63.36%	37	8.53%

Parks

Parks in the county include Lafayette Blue Springs State Park and Troy Spring State Park, both accessible to the Suwannee River.

Library

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

Communities

Town

• Mayo

Census-designated place

• Day

Other unincorporated communities

• Airline
• Alton
• Buckville
• Cooks Hammock
• Hatchbend
• Midway

See also

• Dry counties

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. ^{[10] [11]}

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. p. 178.
4. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
10. https://www.census.gov/ ^{[ not specific enough to verify ]}
11. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
12. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
13. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 15, 2018.

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

• Lafayette County Board of County Commissioners
• Lafayette County Supervisor of Elections
• Lafayette County Property Appraiser
• Lafayette County Sheriff's Office
• Lafayette County Tax Collector

Special districts

• Lafayette County Schools
• Suwannee River Water Management District

Judicial branch

• Lafayette County Clerk of Courts
• Public Defender, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor Counties
• Office of the State Attorney, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida
• Circuit and County Court for the 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida

29°59′N83°11′W / 29.99°N 83.18°W / 29.99; -83.18