Grand Ridge is a town in
Jackson 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 ...
and
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 882 at the 2020 census.
History
In 1860, Judge John Thomas Porter and his wife Phoebe J. Porter (
née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Finley) moved from
New Salem, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
New Salem is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in Menallen Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was formerly part of the New Salem-Buffington CDP, before it was split into two separate CDPs ...
to Illinois with their son
Ebenezer F. Porter (born 1859), close to
Grand Ridge, Illinois in
LaSalle County, Illinois
LaSalle County is a county located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 109,658. Its county seat and largest city is Ottawa. LaSalle County is ...
, where they lived on a farm until 1872. Porter was at first a farmer, and afterward a lumberman and grain dealer. In 1872, he moved into Grand Ridge, Illinois proper, and built and operated two
grain elevator
A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...
s. In 1881, he moved to Florida and engaged in the lumber business. He founded the Town of Grand Ridge, Florida, naming it in honor of his old Illinois home.
[pp. 580-587, ''A Twentieth century history and biographical record of Crawford County, Kansas'', by Home Authors; Illustrated. Published by Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago : 1905.]
John T. Porter also owned the ''West Florida Echo'', a newspaper in Grande Ridge. He was a
Republican and it is reported as the only Republican newspaper in the northwestern panhandle of Florida at the start of the 20th century. His son Ebenezer F. Porter became a
state legislator
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...
in
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
.
The town was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1951, despite being settled since 1881.
Geography
The approximate coordinates for the Town of Grand Ridge is located in southeastern Jackson County at (30.711977, –85.018091).U.S. Route 90
U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. It generally travels near Int ...
travels through the northern side of the town, leading east to Chattahoochee
The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...
and northwest to Marianna, the 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 ...
. Florida State Road 69
State Road 69 (SR 69) is a road running through Calhoun and Jackson counties in northwest Florida. The road is almost entirely two-lanes wide.
Route description
State Road 69 begins at an unnamed connecting road between State Road 71 (North ...
runs through the center of town as Porter Avenue, leading north to Two Egg and south to 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 ...
at Exit 152.
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 ...
, Grand Ridge has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.85%, are water.
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 Grand Ridge 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 882 people, 359 households, and 229 families residing in the town.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 892 people, 277 households, and 203 families residing in the town.
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 ...
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 ...
, 2.53% 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 ...
, 2.27% Native American, 0.13% 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 ...
, 0.76% from other races, and 0.76% 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 were 1.26% of the population.
In 2000, there were 309 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% 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, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.95.
In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $31,083, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $24,722 versus $20,125 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 was $14,556. About 9.6% of families and 16.5% 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 26.5% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.
References
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Towns in Jackson County, Florida
Towns in Florida