Bushnell is a city in western Florida and is the

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 st ...

of Sumter County,

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 to ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The population was 2,418 at the 2010 census. According to the U.S. Census estimates of 2018, the city had a population of 3,119.

History

A post office called Bushnell has been in operation since 1885. The City of Bushnell was named after John W. Bushnell, who was responsible for bringing the railroad to the community. The City of Bushnell is also home to Dade Battlefield state park, a park where on December 28th, 1835, Indians ambushed 107 men in the forested area. Only 3 survivors came out of Dade Battlefield, and the battle signaled the beginning of the Second Seminole War.

Geography

Bushnell is located in west-central Sumter County. The area around Bushnell is relatively flat, with some forested areas belonging to the state and rivers, creeks, and small streams that flow underneath roadways with bridges.

Transportation

The main roads through Bushnell include

US 301 U.S. Route 301 (US 301) is a spur of U.S. Route 1 running through the South Atlantic States. It runs from Biddles Corner, Delaware at Delaware Route 1 to Sarasota, Florida at U.S. Route 41. It passes through the states of Delaware, Mar ...

which runs north and south through the city. County Road 48 (SR 48 until 2016) and County Road 476 run east and west, and have short concurrency with US 301, as well as each other.

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

runs along the western edge of Bushnell with Exit 314 leading to Sumter CR 314. County Road 475 begins at CR 48 and runs the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

Wildwood Subdivision, which carried '' Amtrak's Palmetto'' until 2004. The Wildwood Subdivision runs along US 301 from north of the Hernando-Sumter County Line, to Bushnell until Route 301 turns onto East Noble Avenue. From there it runs along the east side of CR 48 until that route turns west onto West Belt Avenue, then follows the east side of CR 475 until its terminus at Exit 321 on I-75 at CR 470 in Lake Panasoffkee. Bushnell also runs a small transit bus, that follows a daily route around the city's main attractions and busiest areas.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 2,050 people in 830 households, including 538 families, in the city. The population density was 871.7 inhabitants per square mile (336.8/km). There were 1,004 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 83.37% White, 12.98% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 1.27% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.56%. Of the 830 households 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 31.2% of households were one person and 17.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.79. The age distribution was 20.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.8% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males. The median household income was $26,676 and the median family income was $34,063. Males had a median income of $27,986 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,737. About 11.0% of families and 14.7% 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 t ...

, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

Sumter County operates Bushnell Annex in Room 201 at 910 North Main Street.Support Services
." ''

Sumter County, Florida Sumter County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population is 129,752. It has the oldest median age (68.3 years) of any US county and the highest percentage of residents aged 65 ...

''. Retrieved on December 11, 2008. Sumter District Schools headquarters and South Sumter High School are located in Bushnell.

References

External links

Bushnell
City Website

{{authority control Cities in Sumter County, Florida County seats in Florida Cities in Florida 1885 establishments in Florida Populated places established in 1885