Altha is a small town in Calhoun County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States. It is part of the

Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

North Florida North Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regi ...

. The population was 496 at the 2020 census, a decrease from 536 at the 2010 census.

History

During the era of

racial segregation in the United States Facilities and services such as housing, healthcare, education, employment, and transportation have been systematically separated in the United States based on racial categorizations. Notably, racial segregation in the United States was the leg ...

, the Town of Altha was known to have had " Sunset Signs" that were posted at each corner of the city limits warning African Americans not to enter after dark. It was first settled in 1902, and the town was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1946.

Geography

The exact coordinates for the Town of Altha is located at (30.571710, –85.127533). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (2.72%) is water. Altha is located in northwestern Florida, approximately 45 minutes from the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

state line and one hour from the

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

state line. Altha is in a rural county, with the primary industry being agriculture.

Tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

es,

watermelon The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding ...

s, green vegetables,

cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

, and

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

are all major crops in this farming area. The

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

industry also thrives in the area, with many farmers electing to plant

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

trees.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, the Town of Altha has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

zone (''Cfa''). Altha has an average high temperature of 76 degrees

Fahrenheit The Fahrenheit scale () is a scale of temperature, temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the German-Polish physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several accou ...

, with an average low of 51 degrees Fahrenheit. Summers in this area are quite hot and humid, with afternoon showers frequently occurring during the summer months. Altha is located about 35 miles from the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

, so when

tropical storms A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

s approach the coastline, weather can become severe. The coldest part of the winter occurs during late January and early February. Temperatures at night can dip as low as the lower 30s, and in some isolated instances, even striking the low to mid 20s. The last measurable snowfall occurred on December 23, 1989, where 2 inches of snow fell. January and February can be cool months, with temperatures occasionally struggling to reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2004, during

Hurricane Ivan Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane, and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic h ...

, dozens of homes were destroyed and four people were killed because of a severe tornado striking near the town. In October 2018, Altha and the surrounding areas were hit by

Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make ...

, which was listed as a

category 5 hurricane Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) *Categories (Peirce) *Category (Vais ...

, and the strongest to ever hit

Northwest Florida The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia on the north, and the Gulf of M ...

, caused extensive damage to the town. The old high school building, known as "the White building", and many homes were damaged and/or destroyed as a result.

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 496 people, 187 households, and 116 families residing in the town. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 536 people, 198 households, and 144 families residing in the town. In 2010, the population was 47% male and 53% female. 33% of the population was under 18 and 15.5% was 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there are 506 people, 204 households, and 128 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

is . There are 226 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town is 95.85%

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

, 0.20%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.40% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.00%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.57% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 5.93% of the population are

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. In 2000, there are 204 households out of which 30.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% are

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

living together, 13.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 3.04. In 2000, in the town, the age distribution is 25.5% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.3 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the town is $27,917, and the median income for a family is $40,156. Males have a median income of $26,389 versus $22,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town is $12,677. 17.3% of the population and 8.5% of families are 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 7.2% of those under the age of 18 and 29.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Education

Altha, served by the Calhoun County School District is home to the K–12 Altha Public School, established early after the turn of the twentieth century. The "white building", as it was known as, has since been demolished due to Hurricane Michael. The school has since been rebuilt on the previous school's site, retaining its same name, and currently serves as the town's only public school.

School sports

The girls' volleyball team has won numerous district, region, and state semi-finals playoffs as well. Altha School runs boys' basketball, volleyball, softball, baseball, weightlifting, and a cross-country team. The girls' and boys' weightlifting teams have won several state championships.

Businesses and attractions

The largest employer in Altha is Oglesby Plants International. The

Chipola River The Chipola River is a tributary of the Apalachicola River in western Florida. It is part of the ACF River Basin watershed. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 15, ...

, about three miles west of Altha, offers swimming, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing opportunities.

References

External links

Official Website for the Town of Altha
{{authority control Towns in Calhoun County, Florida Towns in Florida