Hampton, Florida

Hampton is a city in Bradford County, Florida, United States. It is located in North Florida. The population was 432 at the 2020 census.

History

Early history

In 1859, Hampton was first settled as a community called "''Crossroads''", and was officially incorporated as the "''Town of Crossroads''" in 1870, but later renamed the "''Town of Hampton''" in 1882. It had to be reincorporated as a municipality twice for allowing its municipal charter to lapse in 1911, and in 1925, when it became known as the "City of Hampton". At the time, it was at the junction of the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with stations for both.

In the mid-1990s, Hampton annexed a short stretch of U.S. Highway 301 west of the city in order to obtain revenue from traffic tickets issued to motorists driving on that highway. At the peak of this time, before its police department was dismantled, it had 1 officer per 25 residents.

2013–2014 controversies

In November 2013, the city's mayor Barry Layne Moore was arrested for selling Oxycodone.

On February 10, 2014, auditors from the Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Committee presented 31 violations of state law, city charter and federal tax requirements to state legislators. The city made $211,328 ticketing people driving its of U.S. Highway 301 during 2012, giving the city an unenviable reputation as a " speed trap". The committee asked State Attorney Bill Cervone to investigate any potential criminal activity and a number of state representatives and senators pursued the dissolution of Hampton. In the wake of the controversy, many city officials resigned. State legislators visited Hampton on March 28, 2014, to see if the issues had been solved. They agreed to let Hampton stay incorporated, because the city retracted the annexation of U.S. Highway 301 and decommissioned its police force. Hampton also accounted for budget shortfalls, and reformed its city council proceedings. In May 2022, the justification for the speed trap was deemed invalid from its inception by Reason magazine, which reported that, "Many speed-trap towns defend their aggressive traffic enforcement on ostensible public safety grounds. But Hampton could not even make that sort of claim, since the highway was a mile away."

Geography

The approximate coordinates for the City of Hampton is located in southern Bradford County at (29.864261, –82.136761).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Hampton has a humid subtropical climate zone (''Cfa'').

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 432 people, 220 households, and 128 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 500 people, 182 households, and 118 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 431 people, 160 households, and 110 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 190 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.01% White, 11.14% African American, 0.23% Native American, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.

In 2000, there were 160 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $24,091, and the median income for a family was $29,375. Males had a median income of $23,250 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,620. About 20.4% of families and 26.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.8% of those under age 18 and 38.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Bradford County School District is the area school district.
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Hampton Elementary School is the only public school located within the city limits.

See also

* Speed traps:
** Hacienda Village, Florida - a former village that was disincorporated because it was infamous for having speed traps and an unscrupulous government
** Ludowici, Georgia – another Deep South municipality that was notorious for speed traps and merchant fraud in the 1950s and 1960s
** New Rome, Ohio – a village that was dissolved in 2004 for speed traps and corrupt government
** Patton Village, Texas - a city known for its speed trap and government corruption
** Waldo, Florida – another Florida "speed trap" town, that disbanded its police force in 2014

References

External links

Official Website for the City of Hampton

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Cities in Bradford County, Florida
Cities in Florida
1925 establishments in Florida
Populated places established in 1925