Hastings, Florida
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Hastings is an unincorporated community and agricultural center in St. Johns 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, southwest of St. Augustine. It was formerly an
incorporated town An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation. Canada Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government. United Kingdom United States An in ...
, but it was dissolved in 2018 after a vote by residents. The population was 580 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population estimated by 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 ...
to be 648.


History

Henry Morrison Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...
built tourist hotels at St. Augustine in the late 19th century, including the Ponce de León Hotel. He needed a local source of fresh vegetables for his guests, so he persuaded Thomas Horace Hastings, his cousin, to develop a farm. A small community evolved into a town, which was named for its founder in 1890. Hastings is known as the "Potato Capital of Florida" with of potato farms, but also produces cabbage, onions, eggplant and ornamental horticulture. Hastings in 1910 was thriving town that was a stop on the Florida East Coast Railway. The population of approximately 1,200 supported several general stores, a bakery, drug stores, meat markets, an ice plant and cold storage. In addition to farming, two companies manufactured barrels and a grist mill ground grain. There was a bank and a hotel, three doctors and a dentist. The town had water and sewer utilities, telephone and telegraph service. The local public school was good.Wilson, Gil
"The Progressive Era to World War II"
Dr. Bronson's St. Augustine History
Today the former FEC line is part of the Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail, and a trailhead can be found in the community within the Cora C. Harrison Preserve. On November 7, 2017, the voters of Hastings elected to dissolve the city with an 82% majority vote. St. Johns County officially took control of the area on March 1, 2018. The United States Census Bureau designated Hastings as a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...
in the 2020 census.


National exposure

The town was briefly in the spotlight when the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid- ...
show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition featured the Harvey family in a show aired on April 24, 2005, with assistance from its local affiliate
WJXX WJXX (channel 25) is a television station licensed to Orange Park, Florida, United States, serving the Jacksonville area as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside NBC affiliate WTLV (channel 12). Both stations share studio ...
. Workers employed by the show were joined by the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NFBA) members to complete the project, which demolished the family's 1930s' broken-down structure and replaced it with a , 2-story home with a 2009 assessed value of $342,696. The project was completed in seven days of work. Much of the actual labor was performed by the non-profit Builder's Care, a unit of the NFBA. Builder's Care also performed an "Extreme Community Outreach" in the surrounding homes to identify and resolve problems in plumbing, electrical, air conditioning and structure.


Geography

Hastings is located at (29.7180, -81.5081). According to the
United States 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 t ...
, the town had a total area of , all land.


Climate


Demographics

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 in ...
of 2000, there were 521 people, 213 households, and 139 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 238 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 52.02%
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 o ...
, 43.38%
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 ...
, 0.58%
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 ...
, 2.11% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.92% from two or more races.
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 forme ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 4.99% of the population. There were 213 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $26,635, and the median income for a family was $30,769. Males had a median income of $25,909 versus $20,694 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 town was $14,537. About 15.4% of families and 21.0% 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 27.0% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.


Education

It is in the St. Johns County School District. Zoned schools include South Woods Elementary School, Gamble Rogers Middle School, and
Pedro Menendez High School , motto_translation = Not for school, but for life, we learn. , address = 600 State Road 206 West. , city = St. Augustine , state = Florida , zipcode = 32086 , country = United States , ...
. The Hastings High School was built in 1924 to provide education for the children of the farmers in the southwest corner of the county.
St. Johns County Public Library, Hastings Branch
In 1985 it closed, and the ''Hastings Branch'' of the St. Johns County Public Library is located in this building. Hastings Elementary School was replaced by Hastings Elementary-Junior High School, which occupied the former high school facility, in 1985. In 1992 it dropped its junior high school program. The school, now Hastings Elementary School, was in operation until its 2005 closure. South Woods Elementary opened in the fall of that year, replacing Hastings Elementary. The only public school in the town post-2005 was the ''Hastings Youth Academy'', an
Alternative school An alternative school is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional. Such schools offer a wide range of philosophies and teaching methods; some have strong political, scholarly, or philosophical orientati ...
. St. Johns County Public Library has a library in the former school.


Notable people

*
Derrick Ramsey Derrick Kent Ramsey (born December 23, 1956) was the Kentucky Secretary of Education and Workforce Development, having been appointed by Governor of Kentucky, Governor Matt Bevin. He was the Deputy Secretary of Commerce under former Kentucky Gov ...
(born 1956), Kentucky Secretary of Education and Workforce Development and former NFL player who played
tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
for nine seasons for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, New England Patriots and Detroit Lions.Hitchner, Emelia
"Catching up with a hometown hero"
'' The St. Augustine Record'', June 26, 2016. Accessed July 25, 2019. "Former NFL player Derrick Ramsey can trace nine seasons of professional football, a slew of high school and college championships and a successful government career back to his tiny hometown of Hastings. Hastings, with its bright green fields and hard-working families, was the perfect place for Ramsey to nurture a dream farther than he could toss a football."
* Ron Waller, American football player.


References


External links


Hastings
former town website {{authority control Towns in St. Johns County, Florida Towns in the Jacksonville metropolitan area Populated places established in 1890 2018 disestablishments in Florida Former municipalities in Florida Towns in Florida Populated places on the St. Johns River Populated places disestablished in 2018