Lake Butler is a city in and 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 ...

Union County, Florida Union County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida, the smallest in the state by area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,147. The county seat is Lake Butler. History Union County was create ...

, United States. The population was 1,986 at the 2020 census.

History

The city was founded and settled in 1859. A post office called Lake Butler has been in operation since 1860. The city was named for Robert Butler, an acting governor of

East Florida East Florida () was a colony of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. The British gained control over Spanish Florida in 1763 as part of the Treaty of Paris (1763), Tre ...

. It was officially incorporated as the City of Lake Butler in the month of May, in 1893.

Geography

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 , of which is land and (6.01%) is 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 City of Lake Butler 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 1,986 people, 669 households, and 437 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,897 people, 777 households, and 458 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,927 people, 723 households, and 508 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 832 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 64.50%

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 ...

, 31.81%

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 ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.10%

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 ...

, 1.19% from other races, and 1.30% 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 3.68% of the population. In 2000, there were 723 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 26.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.16. In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 33.6% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $25,347, and the median income for a family was $29,000. Males had a median income of $26,951 versus $20,814 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 $14,174. About 22.3% of families and 25.6% 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 30.6% of those under age 18 and 28.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public primary and secondary schools in Lake Butler and Union County are administered by Union County School District, which is governed by an elected, five-member Union County School Board. The district administers four schools. *Lake Butler Elementary School, that services Pre-K–4th grade *Lake Butler Middle School, that services 5th–8th grade * Union County High School, that services 9th–12th grade and one Adult Education program.

Economy

As of 1985, almost all of the residents of Lake Butler work in

Florida Department of Corrections The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) is the government agency responsible for operating state prisons in the U.S. state of Florida. It has its headquarters in the state capital of Tallahassee. The Florida Department of Corrections oper ...

prisons, are related to prison employees, do business with prison employees, and/or know prison employees. The Reception and Medical Center (RMC) complex is outside of the Lake Butler city limits.

Notable people

* Jay North, played the character "Dennis" in the TV series '' Dennis the Menace'' (1959–1963) * Andrew Peterson, Christian singer-songwriter * C. J. Spiller, former NFL

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

* Gerard Warren, former NFL

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

References

External links

The Lake Butler Community Page
{{authority control County seats in Florida Cities in Union County, Florida Cities in Florida