Gilchrist County, Florida

County in Florida, United States

County in Florida

Gilchrist County

County

Gilchrist County Courthouse

Location within the U.S. state of Florida

Florida's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 29°44′N 82°48′W﻿ / ﻿29.73°N 82.8°W﻿ / 29.73; -82.8
Country|  United States
State|  Florida
Founded| December 4, 1925
Named for| Albert W. Gilchrist
Seat| Trenton
Largest city| Trenton
Area

• Total

| 355 sq mi (920 km2)
• Land| 350 sq mi (900 km2)
• Water| 5.6 sq mi (15 km2)  1.6%
Population

• Estimate

(2020)

| 17,864
• Density| 48/sq mi (19/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district| 3rd
Website| gilchrist.fl.us
Gilchrist County Courthouse, in Trenton

Gilchrist County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Florida. Organized in 1925 from the western part of Alachua, it is the last county to be formed in the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,864.[1] The county seat is Trenton.[2]

Gilchrist County is included in the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

[edit]

Gilchrist County was created in 1925, the last county organized in Florida. It was originally set to be named Melon County due to watermelons being one of the main exports from the area; however, the death of Albert W. Gilchrist, Governor of Florida from 1909 to 1913, prompted its renaming to Gilchrist County instead.

It was formed by residents of what was then western Alachua County, as they believed they were not getting adequate representation on the county commission. With the poor roads of the time, they felt it took too long to get to the county seat of Gainesville. They disagreed about a proposed law that would require fencing in cattle in the rural area. They also believed that they would be better off by getting their own share of racetrack revenues, which the state distributed by county.[3]

Much of the county was farmland and timberland when formed, and it is largely rural. Several natural springs are adjacent to the Santa Fe River, including Ginnie Springs, Hart Springs, and Gilchrist Blue Springs, the last of which became a Florida state park in 2017.[3]

### Historic buildings

[edit]

Historic buildings in Gilchrist County include:

* First Baptist Church, on East Wade Street
* Gilchrist County Courthouse
* Trenton Depot
* Jennings Lake Seventh-Day Adventist Church
* The old Trenton Church of Christ on South Main Street.
* Gilchrist County Jail, built in 1926, operated from 1928 to 1968.[4][5]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 355 square miles (920 km2), of which 350 square miles (910 km2) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km2) (1.6%) is water.[6] It is the fifth-smallest county in Florida by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Columbia County, Florida – northeast
* Alachua County, Florida – east
* Levy County, Florida – south
* Dixie County, Florida – southwest
* Suwannee County, Florida – northwest
* Lafayette County, Florida – northwest

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1930| 4,137| | —
1940| 4,250| | 2.7%
1950| 3,499| | −17.7%
1960| 2,868| | −18.0%
1970| 3,551| | 23.8%
1980| 5,767| | 62.4%
1990| 9,667| | 67.6%
2000| 14,437| | 49.3%
2010| 16,939| | 17.3%
2020| 17,864| | 5.5%
2023 (est.)| 19,587| [7]| 9.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2019[1]
Gilchrist County racial composition as of 2020
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[a] Race  | Pop 2010[14] | Pop 2020[15] | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|

White (NH)  | 14,882  | 14,827  | 87.86%  | 83.0%
Black or African American (NH)  | 884  | 788  | 5.22%  | 4.41%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)  | 63  | 62  | 0.37%  | 0.35%
Asian (NH)  | 59  | 56  | 0.35%  | 0.31%
Pacific Islander (NH)  | 1  | 2  | 0.01%  | 0.01%
Some Other Race (NH)  | 12  | 45  | 0.07%  | 0.25%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)  | 193  | 736  | 1.14%  | 4.12%
Hispanic or Latino | 845  | 1,348  | 4.99%  | 7.55%
Total | 16,939 | 17,864 |  |

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,864 people, 6,701 households, and 4,463 families residing in the county.

As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 14,437 people, 5,021 households, and 3,715 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 inhabitants per square mile (16/km2). There were 5,906 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.52% White, 7.00% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. 2.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In terms of ancestry, 16.9% were English, 13.9% were Irish, 13.7% were American, and 11.4% were German.

There were 5,021 households, out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 14.20% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,328, and the median income for a family was $34,485. Males had a median income of $27,359 versus $21,946 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,985. About 10.90% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

## Economy

[edit]

The Trenton State Farmer's Market is located on State Road 47, north of Trenton.[17]

## Politics

[edit]

### Voter registration

[edit]

According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans maintain a majority of registered voters in Gilchrist County.

Gilchrist County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2024[18]

Political Party  | Total Voters  | Percentage
| Republican | 8,936  | 67.85%
| Democratic | 2,019  | 15.33%
| other party affiliation  | 344  | 2.61%
| no party affiliation  | 1,871  | 14.21%
Total  | 13,170  | 100.00%

### Statewide elections

[edit]

United States presidential election results for Gilchrist County, Florida[19] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 8,931  | 83.27% | 1,662  | 15.50%  | 132  | 1.23%
2020 | 7,895  | 81.37% | 1,700  | 17.52%  | 107  | 1.10%
2016 | 6,740  | 79.56% | 1,458  | 17.21%  | 274  | 3.23%
2012 | 5,917  | 74.55% | 1,885  | 23.75%  | 135  | 1.70%
2008 | 5,656  | 72.34% | 1,996  | 25.53%  | 167  | 2.14%
2004 | 4,936  | 70.36% | 2,017  | 28.75%  | 62  | 0.88%
2000 | 3,300  | 61.17% | 1,910  | 35.40%  | 185  | 3.43%
1996 | 1,939  | 40.44%  | 1,985  | 41.40% | 871  | 18.16%
1992 | 1,395  | 34.73%  | 1,511  | 37.62% | 1,111  | 27.66%
1988 | 1,855  | 61.59% | 1,137  | 37.75%  | 20  | 0.66%
1984 | 2,056  | 66.15% | 1,051  | 33.82%  | 1  | 0.03%
1980 | 1,093  | 39.13%  | 1,627  | 58.25% | 73  | 2.61%
1976 | 528  | 22.43%  | 1,807  | 76.76% | 19  | 0.81%
1972 | 1,306  | 83.45% | 247  | 15.78%  | 12  | 0.77%
1968 | 183  | 12.12%  | 208  | 13.77%  | 1,119  | 74.11%
1964 | 540  | 43.17%  | 711  | 56.83% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 277  | 24.93%  | 834  | 75.07% | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 137  | 12.90%  | 925  | 87.10% | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 195  | 16.43%  | 992  | 83.57% | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 46  | 4.34%  | 884  | 83.32% | 131  | 12.35%
1944 | 81  | 8.59%  | 862  | 91.41% | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 88  | 8.01%  | 1,011  | 91.99% | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 56  | 6.28%  | 836  | 93.72% | 0  | 0.00%
1932 | 57  | 6.54%  | 814  | 93.46% | 0  | 0.00%
1928 | 125  | 22.73%  | 392  | 71.27% | 33  | 6.00%
Gubernatorial elections results  Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third parties

|
|
|

2022 | 86.50% 6,806 | 12.92% 1,017 | 0.58% 45
2018 | 81.12% 5,975 | 17.40% 1,282 | 1.48% 109
2014 | 69.24% 4,129 | 24.90% 1,485 | 5.86% 349
2010 | 61.71% 3,321 | 33.39% 1,797 | 4.90% 264
2006 | 59.59% 3,160 | 35.94% 1,906 | 4.47% 237
2002 | 60.34% 3,060 | 38.06% 1,930 | 1.60% 81
1998 | 59.83% 2,097 | 40.17% 1,408 |
1994 | 53.05% 1,922 | 46.95% 1,701 |

## Library

[edit]

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

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Fanning Springs (shared with Levy County)
* Trenton (county seat)

### Town

[edit]

* Bell

### Census-designated place

[edit]

* Spring Ridge

### Other unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Wilcox
* Wilcox Junction

## Transportation

[edit]

### Major highways

[edit]

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

* US 19
* US 98

US 27 Alt.
* US 129
* SR 26
* SR 47

## Notable people

[edit]

* Easton Corbin, country music singer

## See also

[edit]

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

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ 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.[12][13]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ a b "Gilchrist County, Florida", EReference Desk, 2004-2018
4. ^ "Historic Florida jail for sale - and it might be haunted". Memphis, Tennessee: Fox 13 News. April 18, 2021. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021.
5. ^ Mavrakis, Emily (April 17, 2021). "For sale: Gilchrist County Jail … and its ghostly inhabitants". The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
10. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
12. ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
13. ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
14. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
15. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
16. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
17. ^ "Trenton State Farmer's Market" Archived December 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
18. ^ "Voter Registration - Current by County - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State". Retrieved November 9, 2024.
19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 15, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

### Government links/Constitutional offices

[edit]

* Gilchrist County Board of County Commissioners
* Gilchrist County Supervisor of Elections
* Gilchrist County Property Appraiser Archived January 5, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
* Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office Archived February 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
* Gilchrist County Tax Collector

#### Special districts

[edit]

* Gilchrist County Public Schools
* Suwannee River Water Management District[permanent dead link‍] [Dead link August 26, 2016]

#### Judicial branch

[edit]

* Gilchrist County Clerk of Courts
* Office of the State Attorney, 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida Archived December 15, 2004, at the Wayback Machine serving Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union Counties
* Circuit and County Court for the 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida

### Museum and Library Resources

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gilchrist County, Florida.

* The Gilchrist County Journal, the local newspaper for Gilchrist County, Florida fully and openly available in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Gilchrist County, Florida

| Lafayette County and Suwannee County |  | Columbia County

|
|

|  |

Gilchrist County, Florida

| Alachua County
|  |
Dixie County | Levy County |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Gilchrist County, Florida, United States

County seat: Trenton

Cities|

* Fanning Springs‡
* Trenton

Town|

* Bell

CDP|

* Spring Ridge

Unincorporated
communities|

* Craggs
* Curtis
* Little Lake City
* Lottieville
* Neals
* Tyler
* Wannee
* Waters Lake
* Wilcox
* Wilcox Junction
* Williford

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

Region 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

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Israel

29°44′N 82°48′W﻿ / ﻿29.73°N 82.80°W﻿ / 29.73; -82.80
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