Sopchoppy, Florida
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Sopchoppy is a city in Wakulla 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. The city is located on 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 ...
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 ...
, with Ochlockonee River State Park located nearby. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 426 at the 2020 census, down from 457 at the 2010 census.


Geography

The approximate coordinates for the City of Sopchoppy is located at (30.059994, –84.491084). 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 1.5 square miles (3.9 km), 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 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 Sopchoppy 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'').


History

The city's name is a corruption of "Lockchoppe", derived from the Muskogee ''lokchapi'' ("''lokcha''" meaning "acorn", and "''api''" meaning "stem"), which was the old name of the nearby river. Mention of ''Sopchoppy'' can be found in 1850, in a runaway slave ad published by Henry Mash in the May 7, 1850 Florida Sentinel newspaper of Tallahassee. This is nearly 50 years earlier than the 1894 claim noted below. Sopchoppy came into existence in 1894 after the CT&G Railroad Company built a railway through the area. It
plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
ted the city on property it already owned in the area, across the river from Greenough. To encourage people to settle the area, the railroad engaged in an advertising campaign, exaggerating the quality of the soil and climate. The Sopchoppy Depot was built in 1891. Now a museum, it was built for the Carrabelle, Tallahassee & Georgia Railroad (G. F. & A.), and referred to colloquially as the "Gopher, Frog & Alligator, Company", which was absorbed by the Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad. The line began in 1893 and closed in 1946. It transported lumber, turpentine and related products, honey, farm produce, soldiers, fish and oysters packed in barrels in ice as well as
sturgeon Sturgeon (from Old English ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''str̥(Hx)yón''-) is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the ...
caviar from the Sopchoppy River, frog legs, and catfish. Although it has existed as a settlement since at least 1894, the City of Sopchoppy was officially incorporated as a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in 1955.


Demographics


2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 426 people, 220 households, and 119 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 457 people, 165 households, and 110 families residing in the city.


2000 census

As of the 2000
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 ...
, there were 426 people, 178 households, and 111 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 216 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.40%
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 ...
, 18.08%
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 ...
, 1.17% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 1.17% from other races, and 0.47% 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 3.99% of the population. In 2000, there were 178 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% 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, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.09. In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,583, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $30,833 versus $17,188 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 $14,165. About 14.4% of families and 17.1% 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 11.9% of those under age 18 and 48.2% of those age 65 or over.


Notable people

* B. K. Roberts, Florida Supreme Court Justice, was born in Sopchoppy


Festivals

The city is home to the annual American Worm Gruntin' Festival, a city celebration named in honor of a worm grunting—also known as worm charming—a method for driving worms to the surface of the earth. Worm charmers hammer wooden stakes into the ground, then rub them with metal slabs. The resulting vibrations cause worms to surface, whereupon they are typically gathered and used or sold for fishing bait. The festival includes a 1.4 mile “Fun Run”, a worm grunting competition, live music, craft vendors, and a
ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...
. Part of Tim Dorsey's 2017 novel ''Clownfish Blues'' is set in Sopchoppy and worm grunting is a plot element.


References


External links


Official Website for the City of Sopchoppy
{{authority control Cities in Wakulla County, Florida Tallahassee metropolitan area Populated places established in 1894 Cities in Florida 1894 establishments in Florida