Wewahitchka is a city in Gulf 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 population was 2,074 as of the 2020 census. From the creation of Gulf County in 1925 until 1965, it served as the county seat before the county seat was moved to Port St. Joe. The City of Wewahitchka was settled around 1870 and officially founded in 1875. The city took its name from a Native American word meaning "water eyes". Two lakes along the edge of town look like a perfect pair of eyes, one of the lakes is called Lake Julia, while the other one is Lake Alice.

Geography

The approximate coordinates for the City of Wewahitchka is located in northeast Gulf County at . Wewahitchka is located in northeastern Gulf County at the junction of Florida State Roads 71 and 22. SR 71 leads north to Blountstown and south to Port St. Joe, while SR 22 leads west to

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

. 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 ...

, Wewahitchka has a total area of , of which is land and , or 15.80%, is water. It is located west of the Chipola River, a tributary of the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately long, in the state of Florida. The river's large drainage basin, watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint (ACF) River Basin, drains an area of approximately ...

, and southwest of Dead Lakes. The two "eye-shaped" lakes from which the city takes its Native American names are Lake Julia and Lake Alice. And Lake Shippey is also located at the bottom center of the city limits.

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 Wewahitchka 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 2,074 people, 797 households, and 534 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,981 people, 878 households, and 609 families residing in the city.

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 1,722 people, 696 households, and 483 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 894 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.61%

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 ...

, 7.55%

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 ...

, 7.64% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.17%

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 ...

, and 1.28% 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 1.05% of the population. In 2000, there were 696 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% 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, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01. In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $25,755, and the median income for a family was $32,935. Males had a median income of $26,023 versus $19,886 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 $13,731. About 16.6% of families and 19.2% 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 24.3% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Wewahitchka is home to two schools of Gulf District Schools: Wewahitchka Elementary School and Wewahitchka High School, whose mascots are the Gators. There is a Head Start program at the old elementary site.

Tupelo honey

Wewahitchka is the site of one of Florida's largest

beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture, from ) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in artificial beehives. Honey bees in the genus '' Apis'' are the most commonly kept species but other honey producing bees such as '' Melipona'' stingless bees are ...

operations, which was the setting for ''

Ulee's Gold ''Ulee's Gold'' is a 1997 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Victor Nuñez and starring Peter Fonda. Co-stars include Patricia Richardson, Christine Dunford, Tom Wood (actor), Tom Wood, Jessica Biel, J. Kennet ...

'', a movie filmed in the area. This honey is produced by placing beehives, known by the beekeepers as "Bee Boxes", in the swamps along the Apalachicola and other area rivers. In some areas the bees are placed on platforms and rafts to keep them above potential floods. Prior to the tupelo bloom, all earlier season honeys are stripped from the bees to avoid contamination with lesser grades produced earlier. Likewise, as soon as bloom is finished, the honey must be removed quickly before the bees have a chance to add other types of nectar. Wewahitchka has a two-day Tupelo Honey festival each May.

References

External links

City of Wewahitchka official website
{{authority control Cities in Gulf County, Florida Cities in Florida Former county seats in Florida