Otter Creek is a town in
Levy County
Levy County ( ) is a county located in the North central Florida part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,915. Its county seat is Bronson. It has been included in the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan ...
,
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
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 is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The town is located in
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 108 at the 2020 census.
History
Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (; ; 1497 – 21 May 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, ...
crossed Otter Creek during his explorations of Florida in 1539.
It was settled in 1856, and the community was called "''Otter Creek Ford''".
[
In the 1930s and 1940s, Otter Creek was the second largest community in Levy County, with a population approaching 1,000.
The loss of a lumber mill that made cypress "flitches" for citrus crates and the discontinuation of two railroads which bisected the town led to a steady population decline.
The Town of Otter Creek was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1969.][
In 2007, the town council created a local historic district consisting of neighborhoods with "]company town
A company town is a place where all or most of the stores and housing in the town are owned by the same company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schoo ...
" residences that date from the 19th and early 20th century
After the closure of the lumber mill, there has been very little business or commercial activity within Otter Creek. By 2019, only two small businesses remained, an independently-owned convenience store (no gasoline) located at the intersection of Highways 19 and 24, and the Creekside Christian School, a private, primary school operating on the grounds of Otter Creek Baptist Church.
To the extent that other businesses existed, they have closed due to the deaths of their owners or otherwise failed. Some notable examples were the Smith Store and the Country Store, both community-centric and vibrant in their days. The Smith Store was operated by Ella Graham (deceased 1996), whose grandson once delivered groceries and dry goods to the town residents on a Shetland pony. The Country Store, originally built and operated by Junior and Philene Williams, changed hands after their deaths, but permanently closed about 2000. There was an animal hide tannery until about 1980, and a few bait shops and convenience stores. The remnants of nearly all are now decrepit.
Geography
The approximate coordinates for the Town of Otter Creek is located at .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 town has a total area of , of which is land and (1.28%) 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 Town of Otter Creek 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 108 people, 44 households, and 33 families residing in the town.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 134 people, 65 households, and 49 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 ...
, 3.31% 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 ...
, 2.48% from other races, and 0.83% 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 4.96% of the population.
In 2000, there were 54 households, out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% 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, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.91.
In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 17.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 20.7% from 25 to 44, 37.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $18,036, and the median income for a family was $19,821. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $22,500 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 $13,101. There were 12.1% of families and 20.2% of the population living 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 no under eighteens and 17.2% of those over 64.
References
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Towns in Levy County, Florida
Towns in Florida
Former census-designated places in Florida