Baker County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,259. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Macclenny. The county was founded in 1861 and is named for

James McNair Baker James McNair Baker (July 20, 1821 – June 20, 1892) was a lawyer, politician, and Senator from Florida in the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. Biography Baker was born in Robeson County, North Carolina, a son of Archi ...

, a judge and Confederate Senator. Baker County is included in the

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, FL

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. In 1864, the Battle of Olustee, which was the only major

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

battle in Florida, was fought near Lake City in Baker County.

History

Baker County was founded in 1861. It was named for

(1821–1892), a judge and Confederate senator. In 1864 the Battle of Olustee was fought near Lake City in Baker County. This was the only major

battle in Florida. Much of the area was originally covered with pine flatwoods and cypress swamps, as was Columbia County to the west. Parts of both counties are included in Osceola National Forest. A

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

industry developed here, with

sawmills A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

constructed along rivers and waterways, where lumber was brought out by water.

Turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a special ...

was also produced. These industries employed many

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

laborers.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water. The extreme northern part of the county lies within the

Okefenokee Swamp The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee ...

and its federally protected areas. The St. Mary's River passes through Baker and numerous other counties. The St. Marys River is a remote

blackwater river A blackwater river is a type of river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. As vegetation decays, tannins leach into the water, making a transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling black tea ...

, rising in southeastern Georgia and flowing into northeastern Florida, where it forms the easternmost border between the two states.

Adjacent counties

Charlton County, Georgia Charlton County is the southernmost county of the U.S. state of Georgia, located in the southeastern part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,171. The county seat is Folkston. History Georgia, by an act of the Georgi ...

- north *

Ware County, Georgia Ware County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,312. The county seat and only incorporated place is Waycross. Ware County is part of the Waycross, Georgia M ...

- north *

Nassau County, Florida Nassau County is the northeasternmost county of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 90,352. The county seat and the largest incorporated city is Fernandina Beach. Nassau County i ...

- northeast *

Duval County, Florida Duval County is in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 995,567, up from 864,263 in 2010. Its county seat is Jacksonville, Florida, with which the Duval County government has been con ...

- east *

Clay County, Florida Clay County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2020, the population was 218,245. Its county seat is Green Cove Springs. It is included in the Jacksonville metropolitan statistical area. It is named in honor ...

- southeast * Union County, Florida - south *

Bradford County, Florida Bradford County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,303. Its county seat and largest city is Starke. History New River County, as it was known at the time, was created in 1858 from segment ...

- south *

Columbia County, Florida Columbia County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 69,698, up from 67,531 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Lake City. Columbia County comprises the ...

- west *

Clinch County, Georgia Clinch County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,749. The county seat is Homerville. The county was created on February 14, 1850, named in honor of Duncan ...

- northwest

National protected areas

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offices ...

(part) * Osceola National Forest (part)

Major highways

* * * * *

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 28,259 people, 8,828 households, and 6,448 families residing in the county. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 22,259 people, 7,043 households, and 5,599 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 7,592 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.04%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 13.92%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

, 0.38% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.25% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.88% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 34.5% were of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 9.9% Irish, 8.6%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and 6.6%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. Those claiming "American" ancestry are of predominantly English ancestry but most people in Baker County who are Anglo-European tend to identify simply as

. 97.2% spoke

and 2.5%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

as their first language. There were 7,043 households, out of which 41.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.50% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.20. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.50% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 119.79 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,035, and the median income for a family was $43,503. Males had a median income of $30,240 versus $21,279 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $15,164. About 11.40% of families and 14.70% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Baker County School District serves public school students in the county. The main library serving Baker County is the Emily Taber Public Library. The building used to be the Old Baker County Courthouse, built in 1908. The library director is April Teel.

Government

Law enforcement

The Baker County Sheriff's Office is headquartered in Macclenny, Florida. Sheriff Scotty Rhoden was first elected in 2016.

Politics

Voter registration

As of September 1, 2020, Baker County has a Republican majority, with a Democratic minority.

Statewide elections

Industry

Baker County is home to a

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

distribution center, several small manufacturing businesses, and

Acreage Holdings Acreage Holdings (formerly known as High Street Capital Partners) is a public company domiciled in British Columbia, Canada, holding a portfolio of cannabis cultivation, processing and dispensing operations in the United States. History Acreage H ...

, a cannabis cultivation facility. There are also several local, regional, state (the Baker Correctional Institution), and federal prisons in the western part of the county, bordering several more such facilities in Columbia County.

Communities

City

* Macclenny

Town

* Glen St. Mary

Unincorporated communities

* Baxter * Cuyler *

Olustee Olustee may refer to: * Olustee, Alabama, a populated place near in Pike County, Alabama * Olustee, Florida, a town in Baker County, Florida **Battle of Olustee The Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond was fought in Baker County, Florida ...

* Sanderson * Taylor * Black Bottom/Trail Ridge * Two Bridges * Eddy/Eddy Grade * Manning

Notes

References

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

Baker County Board of County Commissioners

Baker County Supervisor of Elections

Baker County Property Appraiser
* https://www.bakercountysheriffsoffice.com/
Baker County Tax Collector

Special districts

Baker County Schools

Suwannee River Water Management District

Judicial branch

Baker County Clerk of Courts

Office of the State Attorney, 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida
serving Alachua, Baker,

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, Gilchrist, Levy and Union Counties
Circuit and County Court for the 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Community Web Pages

BakerCountyToday.org - Baker County, Florida: Today and Yesterday

Baker County Community Home Page - BakerCountyFL.com - Owned and Managed from Baker County

Federal

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Museum and Library Resources

''The Baker County Press,''
the local newspaper for Baker County, Florida fully and openly available in th
Florida Digital Newspaper Library
{{authority control Florida counties 1861 establishments in Florida Counties in the Jacksonville metropolitan area North Florida Populated places established in 1861