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Coleman is a city in
Sumter County, Florida Sumter County is a County (United States), county located in the Central Florida, central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 129,752, and was estimated to be 154,693 in 202 ...
, United States. The population was 642 at the 2020 census.


History


Second Seminole War

On June 8, 1840, Colonel W. J. Worth, Colonel Bennet Riley, and the Second Infantry and Eighth Infantry divisions transferred to Fort McClure to search the Lake Panasoffkee area for
Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...
warriors. Three days later, the troops discovered an empty village.


Modern town

By 1853, the "''Fort McClure''" community was renamed "''Warm Springs''". In 1882, it was officially incorporated as a municipality and renamed the "''Town of Coleman''" after Dr. B.F. Coleman. The main industries were citrus, cotton, and cattle, but they also grew celery, cauliflower, cucumbers, lettuce, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. According to Broward Mill, the past president of the Sumter County Historical Society, Coleman became known for its
cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...
production in the early part of the 20th century and by 1923, was called the "cabbage capital of the world". On June 20, 1908, the "City of Coleman" was incorporated as a municipality. However, it was officially reincorporated and chartered in 1925. In 1926, the
West Palm Beach West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...
branch of the Seaboard Air Line began operations in Coleman. In 1966, the
American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA) is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 million members in the United States and Cana ...
(AAA) named Coleman the nation's biggest
speed trap Speed limit, Speed limits are enforced on most public roadways by authorities, with the purpose to improve driver compliance with speed limits. Methods used include roadside speed traps set up and operated by the police and automated roadside "s ...
after the city's only police officer, Chief Ernest H. Barry, began lurking behind a billboard to catch speeding motorists. Barry arrested 369 motorists in just 5 months, all of them from out of town. In response, Governor
W. Haydon Burns William Haydon Burns (March 17, 1912 – November 22, 1987) was an American politician who served as the 35th Governor of Florida from 1965 to 1967. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was List of mayors of Ja ...
wrote a letter to Mayor J. F. Crawford, urging them to treat tourists as guests, after which Barry was fired. In 1992, Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) officials approved the purchase of on the northeastern shores of Lake Panasoffkee near Coleman for the purchase of environmental preservation. SWFWMD officials sought to preserve over 300 species and neighboring Lake Panasoffkee. Although some residents applauded the move, others, such as Sumter County Commissioner Jim Allen, felt that the agency would prevent public use of the land.


Geography

The approximate coordinates for the City of Coleman is located at . 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 city has a total area of , all land. The city is in the South Central Florida Ridge section as defined by the
United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...
. Most of Coleman's soils are
sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...
y and moderately well drained or somewhat poorly drained. Topsoils are acidic, but
subsoil Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. Like topsoil, it is composed of a variable mixture of small particles such as sand, silt and clay, but with a much lower percentage of organic matter and humus. The su ...
s may be alkaline with frequent presence of
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
boulders. A somewhat poorly drained, mildly alkaline, sandy clay
loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...
lies southeast of the built-up area.


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 City of Coleman 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'').


Demographics


2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 642 people, 299 households, and 175 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 703 people, 261 households, and 144 families residing in the city.


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, 647 people, 257 households, and 178 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 301 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the city was 60.74% White, 36.17% African American, 0.15% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 2.16% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.78% of the population. Of the 257 households in 2000, 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were not families. About 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.99. In 2000, in the city, the population was distributed as 26.4% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $25,500, and for a family was $27,679. Males had a median income of $27,109 versus $16,429 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 city was $12,186. About 19.9% of families and 22.7% 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 ...
, including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.


References


External links


Official Website for the City of Coleman
{{Authority control Cities in Sumter County, Florida Cities in Florida