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55-428: Santa Fe College operates multiple campuses and centers throughout Alachua and Bradford counties: Santa Fe College offers over 50 accredited programs in technology and applied sciences, primarily leading to associate degrees. It provides programs in fields such as dental assisting, air conditioning repair, automotive technology, and more. The college’s zoo animal technology program is notable for its onsite training at

110-527: A Republican presidential candidate in 1988, when it narrowly went for George H. W. Bush . As of May 31, 2024, the county had a Democratic Party plurality, with large Republican and independent minorities. Alachua County is administered by the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners, a five-member legislative body. The Constitutional county-wide elected officials include the Clerk of

165-704: A coffee shop, computer stations, and a comprehensive online catalog . It is named in honor of Lawrence W. Tyree, a former president of the college. Santa Fe College is represented by the Santa Fe Saints, with varsity teams competing in Region 8 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). In 2012 and 2014, the Aspen Institute named Santa Fe College one of the ten best community colleges in

220-687: A corruption of the Spanish San Juan ("Saint John") or from the Cherokee sawani ("echo river"). During the American Civil War , Company K of the 3rd Florida Infantry Regiment was composed almost entirely of men from Suwannee County. In 1884, Florida's volunteer militia was reorganized and the Suwanee Rifles were established. The Rifles were among the twelve companies from Florida that were activated for service during

275-668: A department of the Gainesville municipal government in 1949. It was not until 1953 and opening of the Carver Branch Library that the city's African Americans had access to a library, as public facilities were still segregated. The Carver Branch closed in 1969, after the main library's desegregation. In 1958, the city of Gainesville and Alachua County agreed to jointly operate the library for the county. Branch libraries opened in High Springs, Hawthorne, and Micanopy

330-480: A female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

385-636: A force of more than 100 volunteers from Georgia led by Colonel Daniel Newnan encountered a band of Alachua Seminole led by King Payne near Newnans Lake . After several days of intermittent fighting, Colonel Newnan's force withdrew. King Payne was wounded in the fight and died two months later. The Alachua Seminole then left Payne's Town and moved farther west and south, but other bands of Seminole moved in. A second American expedition in 1813 of U. S. Army troops and militia from Tennessee, led by Lt. Colonel Thomas Adams Smith , found some Seminoles, killing about 20, and burned every Seminole village they could find in

440-486: A manned FBO. There are also many private airparks scattered throughout the county. Suwannee County has one surviving railroad line. The primary one is a Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad line formerly owned by CSX , Seaboard System Railroad , Seaboard Coast Line Industries and Seaboard Air Line Railroad that served Amtrak 's Sunset Limited until it was truncated to New Orleans in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina . Union Depot and Atlantic Coast Line Freight Station

495-470: A median income of $ 42,865, versus $ 36,351 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 25,172; 23.6% of the population was living below the poverty line . As of 2010 , 86.43% of the population spoke English as their primary language , while Spanish was spoken by 6.38%, 1.18% spoke Chinese , 0.57% were speakers of Korean , and 0.52% spoke French as their native language . The Alachua County School District and its 47 institutions serve

550-434: A much reduced population by the middle of the 20th century. Notable historic communities include: 29°41′N 82°22′W  /  29.683°N 82.367°W  / 29.683; -82.367 Suwannee County, Florida Suwannee County is a county located in the north central portion of the state of Florida . As of the 2020 census , the population was 43,474, up from 41,551 in 2010. Its county seat

605-637: A part of the system. Greenville, Jasper, Lake City, Madison, and Perry had small libraries operated by a Woman's Club that were also absorbed into the organization. By 1960, the library system now had 23,500 books in its collection, 3,000 of which were a gift from the Miami Public Library. On August 2 of that year, Dixie County became the last one to be invited to join in. Later, the Cross City library observed its official opening December 1, 1960. In May 1990 Madison County expanded by establishing

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660-734: A small satellite branch library in the Town of Lee. The Suwannee County library in Live Oak is the headquarters of the organization, as it has been since the establishment of the Suwannee River Regional Library System. Suwannee County is accessed by air from Suwannee County Airport , located two miles west of Live Oak. It is a publicly operated airport run by the county government that has a paved runway in excess of 4,000 feet, major aircraft maintenance, training, car rental, as well as selling 100LL aviation fuel from

715-504: Is Live Oak . Suwannee County was a dry county until August 2011, when the sale of alcoholic beverages became legal in the county. Suwannee County was created in 1858, as railways were constructed through the area connecting it to Jacksonville , Tallahassee , and points north. It was named after the Suwannee River , which forms the county's northern, western, and much of its southern border. The word "Suwannee" may either be

770-748: Is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida . As of the 2020 census , the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville , the home of the University of Florida . The first people known to have entered the area of Alachua County were Paleo-Indians , who left artifacts in the Santa Fe River basin before 8000 BC. Artifacts from the Archaic period (8000 - 2000 BC) have been found at several sites in Alachua County. Permanent settlements appeared in what

825-404: Is land and 94 square miles (240 km ) (9.7%) is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 278,468 people, 101,979 households, and 50,803 families residing in the county. As of the 2010 United States Census , there were 247,336 people, 100,516 households, and 53,500 families residing in the county. There were 112,766 housing units in the county, an occupancy rate of 89.1%; of

880-504: Is now Suwannee County . In the twentieth-century, anthropologist J. Clarence Simpson assumed the named springs were in fact sinkholes . The Spanish later called the interior of Florida west of the St. Johns River Tierras de la Chua , which became "Alachua Country" in English. Around 1740, a band of Oconee people led by Ahaya , who was called "Cowkeeper" by the English, settled on what

935-696: Is now Alachua County around 100 AD, as people of the wide-ranging Deptford culture developed the local Cades Pond culture . The Cades Pond culture gave way to the Alachua culture around 600 AD. The Timucua -speaking Potano tribe lived in the Alachua culture area in the 16th century, when the Spanish entered Florida. The Potano were incorporated by the colonists in the Spanish mission system , but new infectious diseases, rebellion, and raids by tribes backed by

990-612: Is now Payne's Prairie. Ahaya's band became known as the Alachua Seminole. In 1774, botanist William Bartram visited Ahaya's town, Cuscowilla , near what Bartram called the Alachua Savanna. King Payne , who succeeded Ahaya as chief of the Alachua Seminole, established a new town known as Payne's Town. In 1812, during the Patriot War of East Florida , an attempt by American adventurers to seize Spanish Florida,

1045-604: Is the site of five closed landfills—Southwest Landfill, Southeast Landfill, Northwest Landfill, Northeast Landfill, and Northeast Auxiliary Landfill. Since 1999, all solid waste from Alachua County has been hauled to the New River Solid Waste Facility in Raiford , in neighboring Union County . Alachua County had a number of populated places, usually with a post office, established in the 19th century or early 20th century, but which were abandoned or had

1100-425: The 2020 United States census , there were 43,474 people, 15,149 households, and 10,655 families residing in the county. As of the census of 2000, there were 34,844 people, 13,460 households, and 9,691 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile (20 people/km ). There were 15,679 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (8.9/km ). The racial makeup of

1155-684: The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo . The college offers nine bachelor’s degrees in areas including accounting, clinical laboratory science, early childhood education, health services administration, industrial biotechnology, information systems technology, multimedia and video production technology, nursing, and organizational management. The Lawrence W. Tyree Library, located on the Northwest Campus, opened in January 2002. The $ 10 million facility includes study rooms,

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1210-533: The Spanish–American War . The rural areas supported numerous lumber and turpentine camps. In the 1930s, anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston did research in North Florida timber camps. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 692 square miles (1,790 km ), of which 689 square miles (1,780 km ) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km ) (0.5%) is water. As of

1265-425: The Suwannee River . It would be another 80 years before Alachua County was again reduced in size. In 1853, the residents of Alachua County realized that the route of the planned Florida Railroad connecting Fernandina to Cedar Key would bypass Newnansville. A general meeting at Boulware Springs was called to consider moving the county seat to a new town on the expected route of the railroad. The motion to move

1320-534: The poverty line , including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those age 65 or over. In March 2016, the county's unemployment rate was 4.8%. Suwannee County is served by the Suwannee River Regional Library System , which contains eight branches and also serves Hamilton and Madison counties. Suwannee River Regional Library was first formed by a contractual agreement between Suwannee and Lafayette counties, making it

1375-474: The 20-mile square Arredondo Grant in the southern part of what is Alachua County. By the time Florida was formally transferred from Spain to the United States, people from the United States and from Europe were settling in the area. Wanton's Store, near the site of the abandoned King Payne's Town, attracted settlers, primarily from Europe, who founded Micanopy . The 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek required

1430-640: The Alachua County Jail. The district's two bookmobiles visit more than 25 locations in the county from two to five times a month. The Alachua County Library District traces its origins to 1905, when the Twentieth Century Club in Gainesville started a subscription library. The Gainesville Public Library, a subscription library operated by the Library Association, opened in 1906. The Twentieth Century Club donated

1485-753: The Cone Park Branch in 2011. A new, permanent location for the Cone Park Branch Library opened near the Eastside Community Center in Gainesville on December 14, 2013. Like many other counties containing large state universities, Alachua County regularly supports the Democratic Party . It has voted for the Democratic candidate for president in the past eight elections. The county last supported

1540-806: The Court, the Supervisor of Elections, the Property Appraiser, the Sheriff, and the Tax Collector. The School Board and the Soil and Water Conservation District are also elected county-wide. Prior to 2024, county commissioners were elected at-large, but a ballot measure passed in 2022 created single-member district seats. The Alachua County Sheriff's Office is the chief law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of Alachua County. As of 2023 ,

1595-756: The English led to severe population declines. What is now Alachua County had lost much of its indigenous population by the early 18th century. In the 17th century, Francisco Menéndez Márquez , Royal Treasurer for Spanish Florida , established the La Chua ranch on the northern side of what is now known as Payne's Prairie , on a bluff overlooking the Alachua Sink. Chua may have been the Timucua language word for sinkhole . Lieutenant Diego Peña reported in 1716 that he passed by springs named Aquilachua, Usichua, Usiparachua, and Afanochua while traveling through what

1650-596: The Historical Commission and cities to discuss how best to achieve this. A state historical marker on the Newberry Lynchings was dedicated in 2019. On February 15, 2023, the board of county commissioners for Alachua County voted to support the proposed amendment to the Florida state constitution that is entitled, Florida Right To Clean And Healthy Waters , making Alachua the first county in

1705-619: The Millhopper Branch in northwest Gainesville, the Tower Road Branch in unincorporated Alachua county southwest of Gainesville, the Library Partnership Branch in northeast Gainesville, and the Cone Park Branch in east Gainesville. The district also operates branches in the Alachua County municipalities of Alachua, Archer, Hawthorne, High Springs, Micanopy, Newberry, and Waldo, as well as a branch at

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1760-455: The Seminole to move a reservation south of what is now Ocala , and the flow of settlers into the area increased. Many settlers occupied former Seminole towns, such as Hogtown . Alachua County was created by the Florida territorial legislature in 1824. The new county stretched from the border with Georgia, south to Charlotte Harbor . The original county seat was Wanton's (per the store, as

1815-735: The U.S. In 2015, the college received the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, recognizing it as the top community college in the country. In 2015, the Lawrence W. Tyree Library received the Excellence in Academic Libraries Award from the Association of College & Research Libraries . Alachua County, Florida Alachua County ( / ə ˈ l æ tʃ u ə / ə- LATCH -oo-ə )

1870-557: The area. In 1814, a group of more than 100 American settlers moved to a point believed to be near the abandoned Payne's Town (near present-day Micanopy ) and declared the establishment of the District of Elotchaway of the Republic of East Florida . The settlement collapsed a few months later after its leader, Colonel Buckner Harris, was killed by Seminole. The remaining settlers returned to Georgia. In 1817, F. M. Arredondo received

1925-516: The books from its subscription library, and the new library also received books from the library of the East Florida Seminary, which had been absorbed by the newly founded University of Florida. The Gainesville Public Library became a free library in 1918, supported by funds from city taxes from all residents, but it was available only to whites. The building was constructed with the aid of a Carnegie library grant. The library became

1980-459: The county seat was hotly contested by the residents of Newnansville, but Tillman Ingram, a plantation owner in Hogtown who owned a sawmill there, offered to build a courthouse in the new town. The offer was for such as favorable price that the move was approved. At tha time, the name "Gainesville" was chosen for the new town. The county seat was moved to Gainesville in late 1856, upon completion of

2035-420: The county was 84.53% White , 12.11% Black or African American , 0.39% Native American , 0.51% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 1.12% from other races , and 1.29% from two or more races. 4.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 13,460 households, out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 11.20% had

2090-545: The county, one of which was converted into the Suwannee River Greenway Trail, along the southeastern part of the county. Until 1964, Suwannee County, as part of the Solid South , voted with the Democratic presidential candidate every time. Since then, the only Democratic candidate to carry the county was southerner Jimmy Carter , although he carried it both times in 1976 and 1980 despite losing

2145-424: The current sheriff is Emery Gainey, a Republican appointee of Governor DeSantis. This marks the first time a Republican has controlled the sheriff's office since 2006. This appointment came as a result of Sheriff Clovis Watson Jr. resigning due to health issues. In June 2007, ten employees in the sheriff's office, including the jail's director, were either fired or resigned while being investigated. As of 2015

2200-446: The entire county. Alachua County is also home to the University of Florida and Santa Fe College . The Alachua County Library District is an independent special taxing district and the sole provider of public library service to approximately 250,000 citizens of Alachua County. This includes all of the incorporated municipalities in the county. It maintains a library headquarters and four branches in Gainesville. These locations include

2255-587: The first regional library in Florida. In 1957, the local Library Board learned that they might get a grant for a new library if they joined with another county. The Suwannee Board convinced the Mayo Woman's Club in Lafayette County to have their county join with Suwannee County and organize the first library region in Florida. With the formation of the duo-county, Suwannee-Lafayette Library Region, it immediately received $ 28,224 in funds. A small library

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2310-484: The name Micanopy had not been adopted). In 1828, the county seat was moved to Newnansville , near the current site of the city of Alachua . As the area's population increased, Alachua County's size was reduced to organize new counties. In 1832, the county's northern part, including Newnansville, was separated to create Columbia County , forcing the county seat to move to various temporary locations, then to Spring Grove , from 1836 to 1839. In 1834, Hillsborough County

2365-399: The new courthouse. During the post-Reconstruction period, White Democrats regained control of the state legislature and worked to restore White supremacy. Violence against Blacks, including lynchings, rose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Whites imposed Jim Crow and discriminatory laws, disenfranchising most blacks , which forced them out of the political system. Alachua County

2420-687: The next year, and a bookmobile was put into service. Alachua County joined with Bradford County to operate the Santa Fe Regional Library. After Bradford County withdrew from the Regional Library, the Alachua County Library District was formally established in 1986. The Millhopper and Tower Road branches opened in 1992, and the branches in Alachua, Archer, Newberry, and Waldo were all opened by 1997. The Library Partnership Branch opened in 2009, and

2475-409: The occupied units, 54,768 (54.5%) were owner-occupied and 45,748 (45.5%) were renter-occupied. The population density was 282.91 per square mile (109.23/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 172,156 (69.9%) White, 50,282 (20.3%) Black or African American, 906 (0.3%) Native American, 13,235 (5.4%) Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. 20,752 (8.4%) of

2530-477: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 100,516 households, 22.0% included children under the age of 18, 36.4% included a married husband and wife couple, 4.0% had a male head of house with no wife present, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.8% were non-families. 24.8% of all households included at least one child under the age of 18, and 19.6% included at least one member 65 years of age or older. The average household size

2585-596: The sheriff's office had at least one Lenco BearCat armored vehicle and two helicopters provided by the federal government under various programs. The office received criticism after the BearCat was used in a routine traffic stop. On August 9, 2021, a prison inmate, Erica Thompson, gave birth while being held in Alachua County Jail. Her baby died. Despite the mother's screams, jail staff did not provide or call for medical assistance. An investigation held that law enforcement did not violate any law or policy. Alachua County

2640-469: The state to lend its support for adoption of the proposed amendment. The proposed amendment is the subject of a statewide, nonpartisan campaign to place adoption of it before all Florida voters on the 2024 ballot. The adoption was signed into effect by its chair, Anna Prizzia, after a unanimous vote by the board. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 969 square miles (2,510 km ), of which 875 square miles (2,270 km )

2695-557: The victims were Black; two were White. (A 2015 report by the Equal Justice Initiative , based in Montgomery, Alabama, had identified 18 lynchings. The Historical Commission documented three more, including two white men.) In September 2017, the county commission approved plans to place markers with the names of the victims in the county. (See linked article for names of these individuals.) They are working with

2750-458: Was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.91. The demographic spread showed 17.9% under the age of 18 and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older; 48.4% of the population identified as male and 51.6% as female. The median age was 30.1 years. The five year American Community Survey completed 2011 gave a median household income of $ 41,473 (inflation indexed to 2011 dollars) and a median family income of $ 63,435. Male full-time year round workers had

2805-415: Was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 29,963, and the median income for a family was $ 34,032. Males had a median income of $ 26,256 versus $ 21,136 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 14,678. About 14.80% of families and 18.50% of the population were below

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2860-623: Was Suwannee County's premiere railroad station on the corner of US 129 & SR 136 in Live Oak, and served both the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Seaboard Air Line Railroad but has not been in use since 1971, with the termination of the Louisville and Nashville and Seaboard Coast Line 's Gulf Wind (New Orleans - Jacksonville). The Seaboard Air Line operated two passenger trains a day in each direction until 1966 or 1967. Various abandoned lines also exist within

2915-524: Was created, which included the area around Tampa Bay down to Charlotte Harbor. In 1839, that part of Columbia County south of the Santa Fe River was returned to Alachua County, and Newnansville was restored as the county seat. Hernando County was created in 1843 from that part of Alachua County south of the Withlacoochee River ; Marion County was created in 1844; and Levy County was created in 1846 from that part of Alachua County west of

2970-617: Was established at Mayo in Lafayette County in October 1957. The library started as a 3,100 book collection but soon grew to some 10,000 titles, some loaned from the State Library. A bookmobile was also added and put on the road. After being successful with its new library, the Suwannee River Regional Library System was approached by a number of nearby counties interested in the project, and in 1959 Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Madison and Taylor counties qualified for membership and became

3025-478: Was the site of 21 documented lynchings between 1891 and 1926. The first three documented lynchings, in Gainesville in 1891, involved two Black men and a White man, who were associated with the notorious Harmon Murray . Ten lynchings took place in Newberry , six of them in a mass lynching there in 1916 . These lynchings were conducted outside the justice system, by mobs or small groups working alone. Nineteen of

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