Suwannee 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 north central portion of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,474, up from 41,551 in 2010. 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 ...

Live Oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are generally not more closely related to each other than they are to o ...

. Suwannee County was a

dry county In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties n ...

until August 2011, when the sale of

alcoholic beverages Drinks containing alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered non-alcoholic. Many societies have a di ...

became legal in the county.

History

Suwannee County was created in 1858, as railways were constructed through the area connecting it to

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, Tallahassee, and points north. It was named after the

Suwannee River The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River or Swanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the Southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrog ...

, which forms the county's northern, western, and much of its southern border. The word "Suwannee" may either be a corruption of the Spanish ''San Juan'' ("Saint John") or from the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

''sawani'' ("echo river"). During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Company K of the 3rd Florida Infantry Regiment was composed almost entirely of men from Suwannee County. In 1884, Florida's volunteer militia was reorganized and the Suwanee Rifles were established. The Rifles were among the twelve companies from Florida that were activated for service during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. The rural areas supported numerous lumber and turpentine camps. In the 1930s, anthropologist

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American writer, anthropologist, folklorist, and documentary filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-20th-century American South and published research on Hoodoo ...

did research in North Florida timber camps.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Hamilton County - north * Columbia County - east * Gilchrist County - southeast * Lafayette County - west * Madison County - northwest

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 43,474 people, 15,149 households, and 10,655 families residing in the county. 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 34,844 people, 13,460 households, and 9,691 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 15,679 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.53%

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 ...

, 12.11%

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 ...

, 0.39% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 1.12% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. 4.89% of the population were

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. There were 13,460 households, out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% 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, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% 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 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,963, and the median income for a family was $34,032. Males had a median income of $26,256 versus $21,136 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 $14,678. About 14.80% of families and 18.50% 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 21.90% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those age 65 or over. In March 2016, the county's unemployment rate was 4.8%.

Libraries

Suwannee County is served by th
Suwannee River Regional Library System
which contains eight branches and also serves

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

and Madison counties. * Branford * Dowling Park * Greenville * Jasper * Jennings * Lee * Live Oak * Madison * White Springs Suwannee River Regional Library was first formed by a contractual agreement between Suwannee and Lafayette counties, making it the first regional library in Florida. In 1957, the local Library Board learned that they might get a grant for a new library if they joined with another county. The Suwannee Board convinced the Mayo Woman's Club in Lafayette County to have their county join with Suwannee County and organize the first library region in Florida. With the formation of the duo-county, Suwannee-Lafayette Library Region, it immediately received $28,224 in funds. A small library was established at Mayo in Lafayette County in October 1957. The library started as a 3,100 book collection but soon grew to some 10,000 titles, some loaned from the State Library. A bookmobile was also added and put on the road. After being successful with its new library, the Suwannee River Regional Library System was approached by a number of nearby counties interested in the project, and in 1959 Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Madison and Taylor counties qualified for membership and became a part of the system. Greenville, Jasper, Lake City, Madison, and Perry had small libraries operated by a Woman's Club that were also absorbed into the organization. By 1960, the library system now had 23,500 books in its collection, 3,000 of which were a gift from the Miami Public Library. On August 2 of that year, Dixie County became the last one to be invited to join in. Later, the Cross City library observed its official opening December 1, 1960. In May 1990 Madison County expanded by establishing a small satellite branch library in the Town of Lee. The Suwannee County library in Live Oak is the headquarters of the organization, as it has been since the establishment of the Suwannee River Regional Library System.

Transportation

Airports

Suwannee County is accessed by air from Suwannee County Airport, located two miles west of Live Oak. It is a publicly operated airport run by the county government that has a paved runway in excess of 4,000 feet, major aircraft maintenance, training, car rental, as well as selling 100LL aviation fuel from the FBO. There are also many private airparks scattered throughout the county.

Railroads

Suwannee County has one surviving railroad line. The primary one is a Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad line formerly owned by

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 ...

, Seaboard System Railroad,

Seaboard Coast Line Industries Seaboard Coast Line Industries, Inc., incorporated in Delaware on May 9, 1969, was a railroad holding company that owned the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, its subsidiary Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and several smaller carriers. Its railr ...

and

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...

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 ...

's ''

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 ...

'' until it was truncated 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 ...

in 2005 by

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. ...

. Union Depot and Atlantic Coast Line Freight Station was Suwannee County's premiere railroad station on the corner of US 129 & SR 136 in Live Oak, and served both the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

and

but has not been in use since 1971, with the termination of the Louisville and Nashville and Seaboard Coast Line's '' Gulf Wind'' (New Orleans - Jacksonville). The Seaboard Air Line operated two passenger trains a day in each direction until 1966 or 1967.''Official Guide of the Railways,'' June 1966, Seaboard Air Line section Various abandoned lines also exist within the county, one of which was converted into the Suwannee River Greenway Trail, along the southeastern part of the county.

Major roads

* is the main interstate highway through Swuannee County, running west and east through the panhandle from Alabama to Jacksonville. Three interchanges exist in the county at US 90 east of Falmouth, (Exit 275), US 129 in Live Oak (Exit 283), and CR 137 north of Wellborn (Exit 292). * also is an interstate highway, running south and north, but only in a remote area of eastern Suwannee County known as Pouchers Corner, and only has an interchange with SR 136 (Exit 439). * runs from southeast to northwest along the southern portion of the county, from the Ichetucknee River Bridge at the Ichetucknee Springs State Park thru the Frank R. Norris Bridge over the Suwannee River in Branford. * was the main west-to-east route through Suwannee County until it was supplanted by I-10. * is the main south-to-north route within the county. It enters the county at a bridge across the Santa Fe River north of Bell, Florida in Gilcrhrist County, then joins US 27 from Hildreth to Branford, only to continue north through Live Oak eventually crossing the Suwannee River, this time entering Hamilton County. * is a south to north state highway that enters Suwannee County from the Hal W. Adams Bridge then runs northeast towards Live Oak, where it serves as a hidden state road for US 129 north through the Hamilton County Line. * ; Columbia County Road 136 is a county extension of SR 136. It begins at Columbia CR 250 in Dowling Park and runs along the east side of the Suwannee River, then turns east towards SR 51 in Live Oak. The route overlaps SR 51 even as that route overlaps US 129, then leaves US 129.SR 51 to continue east, becoming a state road before the interchange with I-75 only to cross the Hamilton-Columbia county line. * is a northeast to southwest road that spans from Branford, and terminates at US 90 in western Lake City, just east of US 90's interchange with I-75 in Columbia County.

Communities

Towns

* Branford

Unincorporated communities

* Beachville * Dickert * Dowling Park * Ellaville * Falmouth * Fort Union * Hildreth *

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

* Luraville * McAlpin * O'Brien *

Padlock Padlocks are portable Lock (security device), locks with a shackle that may be passed through an opening (such as a chain, chain link, or hasp staple) to prevent wikt:use, use, theft, vandalism or harm. Naming and etymology The term '':wikt: ...

* Pouchers Corner * Rixford *

Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...

* Suwannee Springs * Wellborn

Politics

Until 1964, Suwannee County, as part of the

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 ...

, voted with the Democratic presidential candidate every time. Since then, the only Democratic candidate to carry the county was southerner

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 ...

, although he carried it both times in 1976 and 1980 despite losing the state and nationally in the latter.

Notes

References

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners

Suwannee County Supervisor of Elections

Suwannee County Property Appraiser

Suwannee County Sheriff's Office

Suwannee County Tax Collector

Special districts

Suwannee County Schools

Suwannee River Water Management District

Judicial branch

Suwannee County Clerk of Courts

Public Defender, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida
serving Columbia,

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas have shifted over the years), or the extent of the area i ...

, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor Counties
Office of the State Attorney, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce

Environmental

* {{authority control Florida counties 1858 establishments in Florida Florida placenames of Native American origin North Florida Populated places established in 1858