Holmes 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 northwestern part 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 ...

, in the Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,653. 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 Bonifay.

History

Holmes County was created in 1848. The county's namesake is a point of debate. Holmes Creek – the county's eastern boundary – bore that name before the county was created, but it was originally named ''Weekaywehatchee'' (a

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...

name meaning "spring creek"). One claim is that the county was named for Thomas J. Holmes, who came from North Carolina to settle in the area about 1830. Another is that it is named after Holmes, an American Indian chief who settled in the area with his band of Red Stick Creek after 1814. He was subsequently killed in 1818 by a raiding party sent by

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 ...

during the

First Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

. Holmes County has had four county seats in its history. The first was Hewett's Bluff (later renamed Bear Pen, then Cerro Gordo), then Pittman's Ferry, then Westville, and finally Bonifay. Bonifay has been the county seat since 1905.

Historic places

Historic places in the county include: * Keith Cabin in Pittman * Waits Mansion, Bonifay * Vortex Spring, Northern Ponce de Leon Ponce de Leon Springs State Park, Ponce de Leon

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.1%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Florida by total area.

Adjacent counties

* Geneva County, Alabama – north *

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 ...

– east * Washington County, Florida – south *

Walton County, Florida Walton County is a County (United States), county located on the Emerald Coast in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida, with its southern border on the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the populat ...

– west

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 19,653 people, 7,282 households, and 4,778 families in Holmes County, Florida. The population density was 41.0 per square mile (15.8/km). There were 8,622 housing units at an average density of 18.0 per square mile (7.0/km). The racial makeup was 86.82% (17,063)

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 ...

(85.31%

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 ...

), 6.29% (1,237)

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. ...

, 0.65% (128) 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 ...

, 0.46% (90) Asian, 0.07% (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 ...

, 1.2% (235) from other races, and 4.51% (887) 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 3.5% (688) of the population. Of the 7,282 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18; 46.3% were married couples living together; 27.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 29.6% of households consisted of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.0. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 7.3% of the population. 20.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 85.6 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 $39,215 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,549). The median family income was $48,511 (+/- $3,115). Males had a median income of $26,725 (+/- $1,071) versus $25,931 (+/- $2,337) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $26,486 (+/- $958). Approximately, 17.7% of families and 21.4% 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 27.8% of those under the age of 18 and 10.3% of those ages 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 were 18,564 people, 6,921 households, and 4,893 families residing in the county. 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 ...

was . There were 7,998 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.79%

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 ...

, 6.51%

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 Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.01% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.03%

, 0.79% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. 1.93% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 6,921 households, out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% 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, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.10% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 112.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,923, and the median income for a family was $34,286. Males had a median income of $25,982 versus $19,991 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 $14,135. About 15.40% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the

, including 25.70% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over.

Triracial people

The so-called " Dominickers", a number of related mixed-race (white, black, and Euchee Indian) families, lived for decades after the Civil War and well into the twentieth century in a rural area near Ponce de Leon, with a separate church and segregated public elementary school. Although considered a separate ethnicity from both whites and blacks, many Dominickers married into local white families, so that group boundaries blurred; some descendants still live in the area. The 1950 federal census identified 60 members of this group living in Holmes County at that time. Few facts are known about their origins, and little has been published about them.

Politics

Holmes County is an archetypically "

Solid South The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...

" county in Florida. It gave the fifth-highest percentage of the vote for

segregationist Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by peopl ...

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...

of any county in the country during the 1968 election, and apart from Deep South native

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

, no Democrat since 1964 has obtained as much as thirty-four percent of the county's vote in any Presidential election. Holmes County once had more registered Democrats than Republicans, but many were descendants of Dixiecrats, Southerners who registered as Democrats due to tradition but voted Republican in most elections. Barack Obama earned only 15.2% of the vote in 2012. Hillary Clinton earned less than 10% of the vote in 2016. In 2024, Holmes was the most Republican county in the state of Florida, when it gave just under 90% of its vote to

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

.https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/

Media

The Holmes County Times-Advertiser is now owned by Halifax Media. The weekly newspaper publishes each Wednesday. * Townsend Broadcasting began Holmes County first FM radio station in 1984 broadcasting a mere 3000 watts. WTBB (townsend broadcasting Bonifay) WTBB broadcast a sound 10 format soft rock and classic oldies. WTBB general manager was Larry Donaldson assisting Mr. Donaldson who later became a radio Hit D.J. was C.J. Newcomb who went on to stations like WJST and Sunny 98.5. in the Panama City Market. WTBB was sold to Pirate Radio and studios were moved to Panama City,Fl. call sign for frequency 97.7 are still in Holmes County however studios have long gone.

Education

Holmes District School Board operates public schools. Holmes County High School and Ponce de Leon High School are its public high schools. Poplar Springs High School is a K-12 Combination School in Northeastern Holmes County and Bethlehem High School is a K-12 Combination School in the Bethlehem Community. Th
Holmes County Public Library
is the county's library system. It is located at 303 North J. Harvey Etheridge Street, Bonifay, Florida 32425. The library is open Tuesday-Friday 8:00am–5:00pm, and Saturday 8:00am–12:00pm and offers public computers with internet access, free wi-fi, programming for all ages, and access to e-books, e-audiobooks, and numerous online databases and resources. Holmes County is also a part of th
Panhandle Public Library Cooperative System
PPLCS also includes Calhoun and Jackson counties.

Communities

City

* Bonifay

Towns

* Esto * Noma * Ponce De Leon * Westville

Unincorporated communities

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

* Cerrogordo * Gritney * Miller’s Crossroads * Pittman *

Prosperity Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health. Competing notions ...

* Poplar Springs * Hamp Berry's Crossroads * Leonia * Sweet Gum Head

Transportation

Airports

* Tri-County Airport

Major highways

* (Interstate 10) is the main west-to-east interstate highway in the county, and runs along southern Holmes County. It contains two interchanges within the county; SR 81 (Exit 94) in Ponce de Leon, then momentarily passes in and out of Washington County only to encounter the second interchange at SR 79 (Exit 112), in Bonifay. * (U.S. Highway 90) was the main west-to-east highway in the county, until it was surpassed by I-10. * is the west-to-east route that's closest to the Alabama border beginning at SR 81 (''see below''). A tri-county extension runs west of SR 81 in Royal Crossroads through Walton and Okaloosa Counties. * is a south-to-north highway running though eastern Holmes County. The road enters the county from Washington County to the south as passes through Bonifay, Holland Crossroads and Esto, before finally crossing the Florida-Alabama State Line where it turns into AL 167. * is a south-to-north highway running through western Holmes County. The road enters the county from Walton County to the south as passes through Ponce De Leon, Prosperity, Hobbs Crossroads and Royal Crossroads, before finally crossing the Florida-Alabama State Line where it turns into AL 87.

Railroads

Holmes County has one railroad line. The primary one is the

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 ...

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 ...

that 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 ...

. This service formerly went 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 ...

, but in 2005 service was truncated by the extensive damage in the Gulf area due to

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. ...

. Another former L&N line existed within the northeastern corner of the county. The Georgiana Branch entered the state and county from Highnote, Alabama then ran through Esto and later

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

before crossing SR 2 and leaving the county towards Graceville and Campbellton, where it had a junction with the Bay Line Railroad.

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

Holmes County Board of County Commissioners

Holmes County Supervisor of Elections

Holmes County Property Appraiser

Holmes County Tax Collector

Special districts

Holmes District School Board

Northwest Florida Water Management District

Judicial branch

Holmes County Clerk of Courts

Circuit and County Court for the 14th Judicial Circuit of Florida
serving Bay, Calhoun,

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...

, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties

Tourism links

Holmes County Online and Chamber of Commerce

Notes

{{Coord, 30.87, -85.81, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-FL_source:UScensus1990 Florida counties 1848 establishments in Florida North Florida Populated places established in 1848