Liberty 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 ...

located in the state of

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 7,974, making it the least populous county in Florida. Its county seat is

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

. Liberty County is one of only two dry counties in Florida (the other is Lafayette County). The Apalachicola National Forest occupies half the county.

History

Liberty County was created in 1855 and is named after the American ideal of

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

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 (0.9%) is water. The county is bordered on the west by the Apalachicola River.

Adjacent counties

Gadsden County Gadsden County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,826. Its county seat is Quincy. Gadsden County is included in the Tallahassee, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

- northeast * Wakulla County - east * Leon County - east * Franklin County - south * Gulf County - southwest * Calhoun County - west * Jackson County - northwest

National protected area

* Apalachicola National Forest (part)

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 7,974 people, 2,513 households, and 1,602 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 7,021 people, 2,222 households, and 1,553 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 3,156 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.41%

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 ...

, 18.43%

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 ...

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 ...

, 1.81% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 2.08% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 4.50% 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. More than 10% of the population are Mormons. There were 2,222 households, out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.80% 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, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.80% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 37.70% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 144.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 159.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,840, and the median income for a family was $34,244. Males had a median income of $22,078 versus $22,661 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 $17,225. About 16.80% of families and 19.90% 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 24.30% of those under age 18 and 24.30% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Liberty County has shifted rapidly towards the Republican Party in the 21st century. However, as of October 31, 2022, Democrats still maintain an advantage in voter registration, one of only six counties in the Panhandle where that is still the case. Liberty County is run by a board of five county commissioners, each elected at-large. The following is a list of the commissioners with the number representative of his/her district: # Dewayne Branch # Hannah Causseaux # Jim Johnson # Doyle Brown # Scott Phillips The remaining elected officials are the constitutional officers and the school board members. *County Judge: Kenneth Hosford * Clerk of the court: Catherine Brown * Sheriff: Buddy Money * Property Appraiser: Cindy Walker * Tax Collector: Marie Goodman * Supervisor of Elections: Grant Conyers * Superintendent of Schools: Kyle Peddie

Library

Liberty County is part of th
Northwest Regional Library System
( NWRLS), which serves

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

and

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

Counties as well.

Communities

Town

Census-designated places

* Hosford * Lake Mystic *

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

Unincorporated communities

* Estiffanulga * Orange * Rock Bluff * Telogia * White Springs * Wilma * Woods

Transportation

Much like Calhoun County, Liberty County has no Interstates or U.S. Highways, just state roads. * FL State Road 20 is the main west-to-east route that runs east from the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 160 mi (180 km) long in the state of Florida. The river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its far ...

at the Calhoun/Liberty County line to the Ochlockonee River at the Liberty/Leon County line, passing through Bristol and Hosford. * FL State Road 65 is the main south-to-north route running from the Franklin/Liberty County line at Sumatra to the Liberty/Gadsden County line north of Hosford. * FL State Road 12 is a southwest-to-southeast route running from Liberty County in the southwest to Havana in the northeast. It also contains a county extension into Levy County. * FL State Road 267 briefly runs alongside state road 20 until it splits away shortly after crossing the Leon/Liberty county line and heads north towards Quincy.

Notes

References

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

Liberty County Board of County Commissioners

Liberty County Supervisor of Elections

Liberty County Property Appraiser

Liberty County Election's Office

Liberty County Tax Collector

Liberty County Emergency Management

Special districts

Liberty County School Board

Liberty County High School

Northwest Florida Water Management District

Judicial branch

Liberty County Clerk of Courts

Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida
serving Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson,

Leon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...

, Liberty, and Wakulla counties
Office of the State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida

Circuit and County Court for the 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

Liberty County Chamber of Commerce
{{Coord, 30.23, -84.89, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-FL_source:UScensus1990 Florida counties 1855 establishments in Florida North Florida