Bradford County, Florida

County in Florida, United States

County in Florida

Bradford County

County

Bradford County Courthouse

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Florida

Florida's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 29°57′N 82°10′W﻿ / ﻿29.95°N 82.17°W﻿ / 29.95; -82.17
Country|  United States
State|  Florida
Founded| December 31, 1858
Seat| Starke
Largest city| Starke
Area

• Total

| 300 sq mi (800 km2)
• Land| 294 sq mi (760 km2)
• Water| 6.5 sq mi (17 km2)  2.2%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 28,303

• Estimate

(2023[1])

| 27,858
• Density| 91/sq mi (35/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district| 3rd
Website| www.bradfordcountyfl.gov
Bradford County Courthouse in Starke American Atheists bench and Ten Commandments display at the courthouse

Bradford County is a county in the north central region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,303.[2] Its county seat and largest city is Starke.[3]

## History

[edit]

New River County, as it was known at the time, was created in 1858 from segments of Columbia and Alachua counties. It was renamed Bradford County in 1861 in honor of Confederate Captain Richard Bradford, who fought in the American Civil War and was killed in the Battle of Santa Rosa Island, becoming the first officer from Florida to die during the Civil War.[4][5]

During the county's early history, Lake Butler served as the county seat. However, the growth of Starke as an important city on the Fernandina to Cedar Key railroad led to an 1875 vote on the location of the county seat, with Starke winning by 46 votes. A successful legal challenge brought the county seat back to Lake Butler, and an 1885 referendum reaffirmed the move by 19 votes.[6]

Yet another referendum was held in 1887, and saw the courthouse and county seat moved back to Starke, where it would remain. The dispute brought on the attention of the Florida Legislature, and in 1921, the western portion of Bradford County and Lake Butler were separated to form Union County.[6]

The county was home to numerous citrus farms in its early days prior to the Great Freeze in the winter of 1894–1895. Even after the freeze, Starke and Lawtey continued to be major regional agricultural producers, with the primary exports being cotton, tobacco, and strawberries.[6]

Significant growth would come to the county during the World War II era, with the construction of U.S. Route 301 and nearby Camp Blanding.

Post-war, the county saw the construction of Florida State Prison on the Bradford-Union County line in Raiford, along with several moments in the national media spotlight. Ted Bundy was executed at the prison in 1989, while Starke and Bradford County faced a series lawsuits in the 2000s over a cross on the city's water tower and a Ten Commandments statue in front of the county courthouse.

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 300 square miles (780 km2), of which 294 square miles (760 km2) is land and 6.5 square miles (17 km2) (2.2%) is water.[7] It is the third-smallest county in Florida by land area and second-smallest by total area.

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Baker County, Florida \- north
* Clay County, Florida \- east
* Putnam County, Florida \- southeast
* Alachua County, Florida \- south
* Union County, Florida \- west
* Duval County, Florida \- northeast

### National protected area

[edit]

* Osceola National Forest (part)

### Transportation

[edit]

See also: List of county roads in Bradford County, Florida

Bradford County does not have any interstate connections; the nearest connection is with I-75 to the west of the county.

* US 301
* SR 16
* SR 18
* SR 21
* SR 100
* SR 200
* SR 230
* SR 231
* SR 235

Bradford County's main railroad line is the CSX Wildwood Subdivision. Along this line within Starke, Wannee Junction serves as the northeastern terminus of the CSX Brooker Subdivision. One notable major rail trail is the Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail, which used to be the main line for the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway.

The county shares Keystone Heights Airport with neighboring Clay County. The nearest regional airport is Gainesville Regional Airport, and the nearest international airport is Jacksonville International Airport.

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1860| 3,820| | —
1870| 3,671| | −3.9%
1880| 6,112| | 66.5%
1890| 7,516| | 23.0%
1900| 10,295| | 37.0%
1910| 14,090| | 36.9%
1920| 12,503| | −11.3%
1930| 9,405| | −24.8%
1940| 8,717| | −7.3%
1950| 11,457| | 31.4%
1960| 12,446| | 8.6%
1970| 14,625| | 17.5%
1980| 20,023| | 36.9%
1990| 22,515| | 12.4%
2000| 26,088| | 15.9%
2010| 28,520| | 9.3%
2020| 28,303| | −0.8%
2023 (est.)| 27,858| [8]| −1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2010-2015[2]
Bradford County, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition
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 may be of any race. Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[13] | Pop 2010[14] | Pop 2020[15] | % 2000  | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 19,559  | 21,066  | 20,320  | 74.97%  | 73.86%  | 71.79%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 5,367  | 5,777  | 5,427  | 20.57%  | 20.26%  | 19.17%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 82  | 85  | 58  | 0.31%  | 0.30%  | 0.20%
Asian alone (NH)  | 154  | 149  | 135  | 0.59%  | 0.52%  | 0.48%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 21  | 11  | 12  | 0.08%  | 0.04%  | 0.04%
Other race alone (NH)  | 24  | 26  | 97  | 0.09%  | 0.09%  | 0.34%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)  | 259  | 386  | 904  | 0.99%  | 1.35%  | 3.19%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 622  | 1,020  | 1,350  | 2.38%  | 3.58%  | 4.77%
Total | 26,088 | 28,520 | 28,303 | 100.00%  | 100.00%  | 100.00%
A map of the racial demographics in Bradford County, Florida by Census tract.

Legend

* Non-Hispanic White

50–60%

60–70%

80–90%

>90%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 28,303 people, 9,318 households, and 5,882 families residing in the county.

At the 2000 census there were 26,088 people, 8,497 households, and 6,194 families in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile (34 people/km2). There were 9,605 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 76.28% White, 20.79% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. 2.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[16] Of the 8,497 households 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 13.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 22.90% of households were one person and 9.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.01.

The age distribution was 21.90% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 127.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.50 males.

The median household income was $33,140 and the median family income was $39,123. Males had a median income of $29,494 versus $20,745 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,226. About 11.10% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 17.60% of those age 65 or over.

## Government and infrastructure

[edit]

The Florida Department of Corrections operates several correctional facilities in unincorporated areas. The facilities include Florida State Prison,[17] Florida State Prison – West Unit,[18] and New River Correctional Institution.[19] Florida State Prison houses one of Florida's two male death rows and the State of Florida execution chamber.[20]

## Politics

[edit]

### Voter registration

[edit]

According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans account for a majority of registered voters in Bradford County.

Bradford County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of 31 July 2022[update][21]

Political Party  | Total Voters  | Percentage
| Democratic | 4,985  | 27.91%
| Republican | 9,922  | 55.56%
| Independent  | 2,769  | 15.50%
| Third Parties  | 181  | 1.01%
Total  | 17,857  | 100%

### State and Local elections

[edit]

For most of its history, Bradford County voted heavily Democratic at the local, state, and federal level. The county flipped at the Presidential level for the last time in 1984, and has voted heavily Republican in presidential and congressional races since. In 2015, Republicans overtook Democrats for the first time in registration advantage, and by 2018, nearly all county offices had flipped to the Republican Party.

United States presidential election results for Bradford County, Florida[22] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 10,920  | 78.27% | 2,946  | 21.12%  | 86  | 0.62%
2020 | 10,334  | 75.71% | 3,160  | 23.15%  | 156  | 1.14%
2016 | 8,913  | 73.31% | 2,924  | 24.05%  | 321  | 2.64%
2012 | 8,219  | 70.46% | 3,325  | 28.51%  | 120  | 1.03%
2008 | 8,136  | 69.52% | 3,430  | 29.31%  | 137  | 1.17%
2004 | 7,557  | 69.62% | 3,244  | 29.88%  | 54  | 0.50%
2000 | 5,416  | 62.43% | 3,075  | 35.45%  | 184  | 2.12%
1996 | 4,039  | 48.97% | 3,356  | 40.69%  | 853  | 10.34%
1992 | 3,672  | 44.02% | 3,041  | 36.46%  | 1,628  | 19.52%
1988 | 4,221  | 63.61% | 2,386  | 35.96%  | 29  | 0.44%
1984 | 4,130  | 63.82% | 2,341  | 36.18%  | 0  | 0.00%
1980 | 2,778  | 44.50%  | 3,347  | 53.61% | 118  | 1.89%
1976 | 1,680  | 29.91%  | 3,868  | 68.86% | 69  | 1.23%
1972 | 3,652  | 73.67% | 1,217  | 24.55%  | 88  | 1.78%
1968 | 718  | 15.18%  | 1,173  | 24.79%  | 2,840  | 60.03%
1964 | 1,987  | 46.13%  | 2,320  | 53.87% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 1,131  | 30.85%  | 2,535  | 69.15% | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 1,203  | 34.07%  | 2,328  | 65.93% | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 976  | 29.68%  | 2,312  | 70.32% | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 357  | 16.30%  | 1,228  | 56.07% | 605  | 27.63%
1944 | 355  | 16.67%  | 1,775  | 83.33% | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 261  | 14.12%  | 1,588  | 85.88% | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 293  | 16.40%  | 1,494  | 83.60% | 0  | 0.00%
1932 | 210  | 13.75%  | 1,317  | 86.25% | 0  | 0.00%
1928 | 534  | 43.73%  | 679  | 55.61% | 8  | 0.66%
1924 | 94  | 14.24%  | 539  | 81.67% | 27  | 4.09%
1920 | 248  | 15.40%  | 1,269  | 78.82% | 93  | 5.78%
1916 | 153  | 10.28%  | 1,302  | 87.44% | 34  | 2.28%
1912 | 95  | 11.09%  | 656  | 76.55% | 106  | 12.37%
1908 | 180  | 18.35%  | 729  | 74.31% | 72  | 7.34%
1904 | 124  | 15.54%  | 633  | 79.32% | 41  | 5.14%
Previous gubernatorial elections results  Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third parties

|
|
|

2022 | 81.29% 8,346 | 18.04% 1,852 | 0.67% 69
2018 | 73.28% 7,698 | 25.43% 2,671 | 1.29% 136
2014 | 64.67% 5,525 | 30.36% 2,594 | 4.97% 424
2010 | 60.06% 4,850 | 36.94% 2,983 | 3.00% 242
2006 | 62.59% 4,458 | 34.23% 2,438 | 3.18% 227
2002 | 58.79% 4,596 | 40.10% 3,135 | 1.12% 87
1998 | 67.29% 4,349 | 32.69% 2,113 | 0.02% 1
1994 | 62.85% 4,470 | 37.15% 2,642 |
1990 | 43.23% 2,468 | 56.77% 3,241 |
1986 | 58.92% 3,321 | 41.08% 2,315 |
1982 | 16.81% 730 | 83.19% 3,613 |
1978 | 36.43% 1,678 | 63.57% 2,928 |
1970 | 38.37% 1,546 | 61.63% 2,483 |
1966 | 52.75% 1,910 | 47.25% 1,711 |
1964 | 28.18% 1,087 | 71.83% 2,771 |
1960 | 9.79% 326 | 90.21% 3,003 |

## Education

[edit]

Bradford County School District covers the entire county,[23] and operates public schools there. Bradford High School is the county's public high school.

The main library serving Bradford County is the Bradford County Public Library in Starke. As of 2023[update] the library director is Robert E. Perone.[24]

* Bradford High School

* Bradford County Public Library

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Hampton
* Lawtey
* Starke

### Town

[edit]

* Brooker

## See also

[edit]

* Florida portal

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Bradford County, Florida

## Notes

[edit]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/bradfordcountyflorida/
2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ Publications of the Florida Historical Society. Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 30.
5. ^ Captain Richard G. Bradford - Florida Historical Markers
6. ^ a b c "The Story of Starke" (PDF). The Bradford County Telegraph. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
7. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
11. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
13. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Bradford County, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
14. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Bradford County, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
15. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Bradford County, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
16. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
17. ^ "Florida State Prison Archived 2007-10-08 at the Wayback Machine." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
18. ^ "Florida State Prison – West Unit Archived August 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
19. ^ "New River Correctional Institution Archived September 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
20. ^ "Death Row Fact Sheet Archived 2010-08-03 at the Wayback Machine." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
21. ^ "Voter Registration - Current by County - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State". Florida Division of Elections. Archived from the original on October 24, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
22. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
23. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bradford County, FL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 5, 2025. \- Text list
24. ^ Bradford County Public Library

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bradford County, Florida.

* County website
* Bradford County Telegraph
* Bradford County Schools Archived January 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
* Bradford County Supervisor of Elections

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Bradford County, Florida

|  | Baker County |

|
|

|  |
Union County |

Bradford County, Florida

| Clay County
|  |
| Alachua County | Putnam County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Bradford County, Florida, United States

County seat: Starke

Cities|

* Hampton
* Lawtey
* Starke

Town|

* Brooker

Unincorporated
communities|

* Graham
* Melrose‡
* Sampson City

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Florida portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

Geography of Florida

Natural features|

* Beaches
* Caves
* Everglades (drainage and development)
* Keys
* Lakes
* Lake Okeechobee
* Reef
* Rivers
* Sinkholes
* Springs
* Straits
* Swamps

Regions|

* Big Bend
* region
* coast
* Central Florida
* Emerald Coast
* Everglades
* First Coast
* Forgotten Coast
* Gold Coast
* Halifax area
* Heartland
* Keys
* Nature Coast
* North central Florida
* North Florida
* Panhandle
* South Florida
* Southwest Florida
* Space Coast
* Suncoast
* Tampa Bay Area
* Treasure Coast

Metro areas|

* Cape Coral–Fort Myers
* Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
* Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach
* Gainesville
* Homosassa Springs
* Jacksonville
* Lakeland–Winter Haven
* Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
* Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island
* North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton
* Ocala
* Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
* Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville
* Panama City
* Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent
* Port St. Lucie
* Punta Gorda
* Sebastian-Vero Beach
* Sebring
* Tallahassee
* Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
* The Villages

Largest cities|

* Jacksonville
* Miami
* Tampa
* Orlando
* St. Petersburg
* Hialeah
* Port St. Lucie
* Tallahassee
* Cape Coral
* Fort Lauderdale
* Pembroke Pines
* Hollywood
* Gainesville
* Miramar
* Coral Springs
* Palm Bay
* West Palm Beach
* Clearwater
* Lakeland
* Pompano Beach
* Miami Gardens
* Davie

Counties|

* Alachua
* Baker
* Bay
* Bradford
* Brevard
* Broward
* Calhoun
* Charlotte
* Citrus
* Clay
* Collier
* Columbia
* DeSoto
* Dixie
* Duval
* Escambia
* Flagler
* Franklin
* Gadsden
* Gilchrist
* Glades
* Gulf
* Hamilton
* Hardee
* Hendry
* Hernando
* Highlands
* Hillsborough
* Holmes
* Indian River
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Lafayette
* Lake
* Lee
* Leon
* Levy
* Liberty
* Madison
* Manatee
* Marion
* Martin
* Miami‑Dade
* Monroe
* Mosquito (former county)
* Nassau
* Okaloosa
* Okeechobee
* Orange
* Osceola
* Palm Beach
* Pasco
* Pinellas
* Polk
* Putnam
* Santa Rosa
* Sarasota
* Seminole
* St. Johns
* St. Lucie
* Sumter
* Suwannee
* Taylor
* Union
* Volusia
* Wakulla
* Walton
* Washington

Other|

* State forests
* State parks
* Wakulla Volcano

* v
* t
* e

North Florida

Regions of Florida

Topics|

* Climate
* Geography
* Culture
* Economy
* Transportation
* Partition proposals
* Pork Chop Gang
* Laura Street

Map of North Florida

Counties|

* Alachua
* Baker
* Bay
* Bradford
* Calhoun
* Clay
* Columbia
* Dixie
* Duval
* Escambia
* Flagler
* Franklin
* Gadsden
* Gilchrist
* Gulf
* Hamilton
* Holmes
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Lafayette
* Leon
* Levy
* Liberty
* Madison
* Marion
* Nassau
* Okaloosa
* Putnam
* Santa Rosa
* St. Johns
* Suwannee
* Taylor
* Union
* Wakulla
* Walton
* Washington

Major cities|

* Jacksonville
* Tallahassee
* Gainesville

Cities and towns
50k–100k|

* Ocala
* Palm Coast
* Pensacola

Cities and towns
10k–40k|

* Atlantic Beach
* Callaway
* Crestview
* Destin
* Fernandina Beach
* Fort Walton Beach
* Jacksonville Beach
* Lake City
* Lynn Haven
* Niceville
* Palatka
* Panama City Beach
* St. Augustine
* Panama City

Metro areas|

* Fort Walton Beach–Crestview–Destin
* Gainesville
* Jacksonville
* Ocala
* Palm Coast
* Panama City–Lynn Haven–Panama City Beach
* Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent
* Tallahassee

Regions|

* Big Bend
* Emerald Coast
* First Coast
* Florida panhandle
* Forgotten Coast
* Halifax area
* Nature Coast
* North Central Florida
* Northeast Florida

29°57′N 82°10′W﻿ / ﻿29.95°N 82.17°W﻿ / 29.95; -82.17

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

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*[%±]: Percent change
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