Taylor 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 Big Bend region in the northern part of the U.S. state of

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 21,796. 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 ...

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

. The county hosts the annual Florida Forest Festival and has been long known as the "Tree Capital of the South" since a 1965 designation from then-Governor W. Haydon Burns.

History

Taylor County was created on December 23, 1856, from Madison County on the same day as Lafayette County was also split off from Madison County. It was named for Zachary Taylor, twelfth president of the United States, who served from 1849 to 1850. Taylor won most counties in northern Florida during the election of 1848 and was largely responsible for the ultimate U.S. victory in the Second Seminole War. 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 ...

, Taylor County was home to William Strickland and his band of deserters and Unionists called "The Royal Rangers" or the "Independent Rangers". In 1864, a Confederate colonel tasked with hunting down deserters, broke into Strickland's home and found a membership list of 35 men who "bear true allegiance to the United States of America." Despite their names being identified and homes burned to the ground, few members of the Rangers surrendered.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (15.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Jefferson County, Florida - northwest * Madison County, Florida - north * Lafayette County, Florida - east * Dixie County, Florida - southeast

National protected area

* St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.'' As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,796 people, 7,405 households, and 5,197 families residing in the county.

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 19,256 people, 7,176 households, and 5,130 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 9,646 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 77.84%

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 ...

, 19.04%

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 ...

, 0.98% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.32% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 1.53% 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 7,176 households, out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% were married couples living together, 14.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 104.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,032, and the median income for a family was $35,061. Males had a median income of $27,967 versus $19,054 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 $15,281. About 14.50% of families and 18.00% 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 22.20% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over. In March 2016, the county's unemployment rate was 5.6%.

Education

Students are served by the Taylor County School System. For the 2006 - 2007 school year the Florida Department of Education gave the District a "B" grade with three of its schools earning an "A" and one school earning a "B" grade. Taylor County High School also has an Army JROTC unit which has been an Honor Unit with Distinction for 27 consecutive years.

Library

The Taylor County Public Library is part of the Three Rivers Library System, which also serves Gilchrist, Lafayette, and Dixie counties.

Communities

Town

Census-designated place

* Steinhatchee

Other unincorporated communities

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

* Bucell Junction * Clara (shared with Dixie County) * Dekle Beach * Eridu * Fenholloway * Fish Creek * Foley * Hampton Springs * Iddo * Keaton Beach * Lake Bird * Pinland * Salem * Shady Grove * Tennille

Politics

Taylor County was a Democratic-leaning county until 1964, when Republican

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

carried it. Democrats only carried the county three times since then, with the last being in 1996.

Transportation

Airports

* Perry–Foley Airport

Major highways

* * * * * *

References

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

Taylor County Board of County Commissioners

Taylor County Supervisor of Elections

Taylor County Property Appraiser

Taylor County Sheriff's Office

Taylor County Tax Collector

Taylor County Public Library

Special districts

Taylor County Schools District

Suwannee River Water Management District

Judicial branch

Taylor County Clerk of Courts

Public Defender, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida
serving Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor Counties
Office of the State Attorney, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

Taylor County Tourism Development Council
{{authority control Florida counties 1856 establishments in Florida North Florida Populated places established in 1856