Gadsden County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

panhandle A salient, panhandle, or bootheel is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state. While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on three sides. Ins ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,826. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Quincy. Gadsden County is included in the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. As part of the broader Black Belt region within the Deep South, Gadsden County is the only majority African-American county in Florida.

History

Gadsden County was created in 1823. It was named for James Gadsden of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, who served as

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

's aide-de-camp in Florida in 1818. Gadsden County is historically known for its tobacco crop which is obsolete today.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.3%) is water. Gadsden County is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gadsden County is in the

Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 U.S. states, states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five ...

. Its western border with Jackson County forms the boundary in this area between the Eastern and

Central Time Zone The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It ...

Adjacent counties

Decatur County, Georgia Decatur County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 29,367. The county seat is Bainbridge, Georgia, Bainbridge. De ...

- north * Seminole County, Georgia - north *

Grady County, Georgia Grady County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,236. The county seat is Cairo. History Grady County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on August 17, 1905, from p ...

- northeast *

Leon County, Florida Leon County () is a County (United States), county in the Florida Panhandle, Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population w ...

- east *

Liberty County, Florida Liberty County is a county located in the state of Florida, part of the Big Bend region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,974, making it the least populous county in Florida. Its county seat is Bristol. Torreya State Park and the ...

- southwest *

Calhoun County, Florida Calhoun County is a rural county located in the northern panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,648, making it the fifth-least populous county in Florida. Its county seat is Blountstown. History ...

- southwest (CST) *

Jackson County, Florida Jackson County is a County (United States), county located in the "Panhandle" of the U.S. state of Florida, on its northwestern border with Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 47,319. Its county seat i ...

- northwest (CST)

Demographics

2020 census

Gadsden County is unique in Florida in that it is the state's only county with an

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 ...

majority population. The 2020 United States census counted 43,826 people, 16,806 households, and 11,239 families in Gadsden County, Florida. The population density was 84.9 per square mile (32.8/km). There were 18,929 housing units at an average density of 36.7 per square mile (14.2/km). The racial makeup was 34.08% (14,936)

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 ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(32.16%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 53.47% (23,435)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.46% (201) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 0.34% (148) Asian, 0.03% (13)

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 ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 6.51% (2,851) from other races, and 5.12% (2,242) from two or more races.

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 was 11.62% (5,093) of the population. Of the 16,806 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18; 38.8% were married couples living together; 36.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 28.4% of households consisted of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.0. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 13.8% of the population. 21.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 107.8 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $41,135 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,461). The median family income was $50,020 (+/- $3,429). Males had a median income of $32,760 (+/- $2,256) versus $27,905 (+/- $1,732) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $29,793 (+/- $1,393). Approximately, 15.2% of families and 21.3% 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 33.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 46,389 people living in the county. 56.0% were Black or African American, 35.9%

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 ...

, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 5.9% of some other race and 1.3% of two or more races. 9.5% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 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 were 45,087 people, 15,867 households, and 11,424 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 17,703 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 57.14%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 38.70%

, 0.23% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02%

, 2.76% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 6.17% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 15,867 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.50% were

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, 22.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.18. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,248, and the median income for a family was $36,238. Males had a median income of $27,159 versus $21,721 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 county was $14,499. About 16.40% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the

, including 28.50% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Rosenwald schools were established in Gadsden County. The Gadsden County School District, the only school district, operates public schools. Gadsden County is home to one public high school, Gadsden County High School (formerly East Gadsden High School), formed in 2017 by the merger of East Gadsden High and the high school portion of West Gadsden High School; the West Gadsden High building was converted to West Gadsden Middle. West Gadsden was formed by the merger of the former Chattahoochee High and Greensboro High and was located on the western outskirts of Quincy near Greensboro. East Gadsden, formed by the merger of James A. Shanks High and Havana Northside High, was located on Hwy. 90 east of Quincy.

Robert F. Munroe Day School Robert F. Munroe Day School is a K-12 private school in Gadsden County, Florida, which was opened as a segregation academy in 1970. History As in many public school districts in the Southern United States, Gadsden County officials delayed their ...

and Tallavanna Christian School are private schools in the county that were founded as

segregation academies Segregation academies are private schools in the Southern United States that were founded in the mid-20th century by white parents to avoid having their children attend desegregated public schools. They were founded between 1954, when the U.S ...

Libraries

The Gadsden County Public Library System has 3 branches. * William A. McGill Library * Havana Branch * Chattahoochee Branch

Politics

Due to its majority-black population, Gadsden County is the most reliably Democratic county in Florida. It is also the strongest Democratic county in Florida, giving Democrats higher margins than even in highly populated urban counties like Broward, despite having a population of 43,826. No Democratic gubernatorial or presidential candidate has received less than 60% of the vote in the county since 1992, even for those who lost in landslides statewide. In the 2022 gubernatorial election, it was one of only five counties in the state to vote for Democratic nominee

Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. ( ; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. represen ...

over incumbent Republican governor

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...

, and it was the only one to give Crist more than 60% of the vote. Crist lost statewide by 19.4%. Similarly, in the 2024 presidential election it was the only county to give

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

over 60% of the vote, and one of only six counties won by Harris. Harris lost statewide by 13%. According to the secretary of state's office, Democrats maintain a massive majority of registered voters in Gadsden County. As of May 23, 2022, the county has the highest percentage of registered Democrats of all counties in Florida. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

in his landslide

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

victory. As a measure of how strongly Democratic the county is, Gadsden was the solitary Florida county to vote against Reagan in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and George Bush in 1988, even as both won in statewide landslides.

Statewide elections

County commissioners * Eric Hinson (District 1) * Anthony Viegbesie, PhD (District 2) * Kimblin NeSmith, J.D. (District 3) *Brenda Holt (District 4) * Ronterious Green (District 5) Local elected officials * Sheriff: Morris A. Young * Supervisor of Elections: Shirley Green Knight * Tax Collector: W. Dale Summerford * Property Appraiser: Reginald Cunningham * Superintendent of Schools: Elijah Key

Transportation

Airports

* Quincy Municipal Airport

Major roads

Gadsden County FL sign entering from Georgia

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

is the main west-to-east interstate highway in the county, and serves as the unofficial dividing line between northern and southern Gadsden County. It contains four interchanges within the county; CR 270A (Exit 166), SR 12 (Exit 174), SR 267 (Exit 181), and US 90 (Exit 192). * US 90 was the main west-to-east highway in the county prior to the construction of I-10 in the late 1960s. It runs from the Victory Bridge in Chattahoochee in the northwest, and then southeast through Gretna, Douglas City, and Quincy before finally leaving the county east of Midway into Leon County. *

US 27 U.S. Route 27 or U.S. Highway 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Southern and Midwestern U.S. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I ...

is the sole south-to-north U.S. highway running through the northeastern part of the county. * State Road 12 is a west-to-east state highway running from Liberty County in the southwest to Havana in the northeast. It also contains a county extension into Leon County. * State Road 65 * State Road 159 is a short south to north road connecting US 27 to SR 12 in Havana, with a county extension northwest to Georgia State Route 309 at the Georgia State Line. * State Road 267

Railroads

Gadsden County has at least four existing railroad lines, three of which are owned by

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

. The first two CSX lines being P&A Subdivision, a line formerly owned by the

Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of ...

, and the other is the Tallahassee Subdivision, a former

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...

line. These two lines meet in Chatahoochee and served

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Sunset Limited The ''Sunset Limited'' is a long-distance passenger train run by Amtrak, operating on a route between New Orleans and Los Angeles. Major stops include Houston, San Antonio and El Paso in Texas, as well as Tucson, Arizona. Opening in 1894 thr ...

until it was truncated to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

in 2005 by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

. A third line is the Apalachicola Northern Railroad, a line that spans as far south as Port St. Joe. The line enters from Liberty County, then crosses SR 12 in Greensboro, runs under I-10, follows CR 268 in Hardaway, and then turns west into Chatahoochee. The fourth line is the third CSX Line, the Bainbridge Subdivision, which runs along the west side of US 27 from Leon County by way of a bridge over the

Ochlockonee River The Ochlockonee River ( ) is a fast running river, except where it has been dammed to form Lake Talquin in Florida, originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida. Background The name is from the Hitchiti language wor ...

to the Georgia State Line. While some spurs still exist, other lines within the county were abandoned.

Public transportation

Public Transportation is provided by Big Bend Transit, which operates 3 bus routes in the county.

Communities

Cities

* Chattahoochee * Gretna * Midway * Quincy

Towns

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Greensboro Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...

Unincorporated areas

* Dogtown * Hinson * Jamieson * Lake Tallavana * Mount Pleasant * Oak Grove * Reston * St. Hebron * St. John *

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

* Scottown * Wetumpka

Gallery

File:Gadsden County Board of Commissioners.jpg, Gadsden County Board of Commissioners File:Gadsden County Sheriff's Office.jpg, Gadsden County Sheriff's Office File:Gadsden County Emergency Medical Services, Gadsden County Fire Services.jpg, Gadsden County Emergency Medical Services and Gadsden County Fire Services

References

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners

Gadsden County Supervisor of Elections

Gadsden County Property Appraiser

Gadsden County Sheriff's Office

Gadsden County Tax Collector

Special districts

Gadsden County Schools

Northwest Florida Water Management District

Judicial branch

Gadsden County Clerk of Courts

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

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

, 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

Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce

RiverWay South, FL regional tourism website
* {{Coord, 30.58, -84.61, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-FL_source:UScensus1990 1832 establishments in Florida Territory Majority-minority counties in Florida Populated places established in 1832 Florida counties Tallahassee metropolitan area North Florida