Yankeetown is a town in Levy 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. Its 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 ...

along the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. It is part of both the Big Bend Coast and the Nature Coast. In the 2020 census, the population was 588, up from 502 at the 2010 census. It is part of the

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Yankeetown was founded in 1923 by the

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

politician and lawyer Armanis F. Knotts, who moved to the area because of his great love for hunting. The settlement was originally an unincorporated village named "''Knotts Village''", after the founder's

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

. However, stories have it that the present name comes from a local mail carrier, an "unreconstructed Confederate," who frequently and derisively directed visitors to the settlement that he called "that Yankee town." The "Town of Yankeetown" was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1925. Yankeetown was initially to be the western end of a 1930s proposed, but never actualized, Cross Florida Canal.

Geography

The approximate coordinates for the Town of Yankeetown is located in south central Levy County at (29.031155, –82.720104). The outermost reaches of the town are located around the mouth of the Withlacoochee River and along the Gulf of Mexico. 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 town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 63.75%, 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 Yankeetown 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 588 people, 252 households, and 180 families residing in the town. In 2020, the median household income was $44,318. There was an employment rate of 30.2%, and 28.9% of the population lived below the

poverty threshold 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 ...

. In 2020, 28.2% of the population 25 years or older had a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

or higher. 11.9% of the population were without any healthcare coverage. The median age was 56.0 years old. In 2020, 11.9% of the population were

veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

. 1.8% of the population were foreign-born persons. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 502 people, 297 households, and 170 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 ...

of 2000, there were 629 people, 309 households, and 194 families residing in the town. 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 ...

is 80.4/mi² (31.1/km²). There are 472 housing units at an average density of 60.3/mi² (23.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town is 96.82%

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 ...

, 0.00%

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 ...

, 1.43% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.00%

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 ...

, 0.00% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.64% of the population are

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. In 2000, there were 309 households out of which 12.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% 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, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.48. In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out with 14.1% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 15.6% from 25 to 44, 36.6% from 45 to 64, and 30.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $33,304, and the median income for a family was $40,833. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $31,500 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 $22,774. 6.8% of families and 12.5% 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 18.5% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

School Board of Levy County operates the PK–8 Yankeetown School. The Yankeetown Inglis Woman's Club provides Yankeetown and Inglis with the local A. F. Knotts Public Library. The YIWC has a contract with Levy County who provides staffing and books for the local library. The YI Woman's Club is believed to be the last woman's club in the US to own and maintain a public library for their community. The original library opened in 1959, with 1,000 donated books The A.F. Knotts Public Library was named in honor of the town's founder, Armanis F. Knotts, in 1975 by his nephew Eugene Knotts.

References

External links

Town of Yankeetown official website

Yankeetown community website

Save Yankeetown

"Free software and politics in Yankeetown"
(2006), at Freesoftwaremagazine.com {{authority control Towns in Levy County, Florida Towns in Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico Populated places established in 1923 1923 establishments in Florida