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Florida State...
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Florida Counties
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Florida Counties
In 1821, there were only two counties in Florida: Escambia to the west and St. Johns to the
east. From these two counties were formed 67 today. In 1968, the electors
of Florida granted local voters the power to adopt charters to govern their counties. Charters are formal
written documents that confer powers, duties, or privileges on the county.
To date, there are 19 charter counties in Florida. Collectively these
counties are home to more than 75 percent of Florida's residents.
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Alachua County, Florida
Alachua County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Gainesville
Year Organized: 1824
Square Miles: 874 |
Court House: P.O. Box 2877
Gainesville, FL 32602-2877
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
The meaning of Alachua is suggested by a passage in the journal
of Lieutenant Diego Peņa, who on his expedition to Apalachee and Apalachicola in
1716, traversed the region, and of the area between the Ichetucknee and Suwannee
Rivers in southern Suwannee County remarks:
" The 21st day I left the said site (adjacent to the Itchtucknee River) and
camped at a place they call Aquilachua this day I marched five leagues. In
this day's march no creeks were encountered but there are good springs of
water, and the first (is) named Usichua, (and) the other Usiparachua, and
another Afanochua. "
That the springs without effluent streams were sinkholes is consistent with the
area, which has many. The names of these watering places all possess the
terminator chua, which suggests that chua is the Timucuan name for sinkhole.
This inference is not inconsistent with the general opinion of residents of the
county, that the name Alachua means sinkhole.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
The Alachua area appears to have been
the first area occupied by the immigrant Oconees, the original Seminoles, about
1740. Their first town was situated on or near the old Alachua plain, now called
Payne's Prairie in homage to "King" Payne, chief of the Alachua settlements upon
his death in 1812.
During the early 1700s, the English and their Indian allies destroyed these missions. Later, the Seminole Indians
made settlements around Micanopy. In 1774, British naturalist William Bartram visited the Alachua region twice and
described the region's natural beauty and scenic wonders. Spain had a difficult time controlling the vast territory
of Florida and, unable to stop the influx of American settlers, finally ceded the area to the United States in 1821.
Alachua County proper was created in 1824. The original county seat was
Newnansville located near the current site of the city of Alachua. In 1853, the
new railroad from Fernandina to Cedar Key bypassed Newnansville, and
Gainesville, a new town that was located on the railroad, began to draw business
and residents away from Newnansville. Gainesville became the county seat the
following year.
A Guide to Alachua County's History : Historical Overview
Prepared by Ben Pickard
Alachua County Historic Trust
Matheson Museum, Inc.
Long before the Spaniards arrived in Florida, Alachua County's unique combination of fertile soil, broad
prairies, clear lakes and abundant game had spawned a complex Indian civilization called Timucuan.
Throughout the 16th century, DeSoto and other Spanish explorers plundered the region, then Franciscan
priests founded missions and finally ranchers established a large cattle ranch on Paynes Prairie.
More at
A Guide to Alachua County's History
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 969.12 square miles (2,510.0 km2). 874.25
square miles (2,264.3 km2) of it is land and 94.94 square miles (245.9 km2) of it (9.79%) is water.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Union County
- Northeast: Bradford County; Clay County
- East: Putnam County
- Southeast: Marion County
- Southwest: Levy County
- West: Gilchrist County
- Northwest: Columbia County
Cities and Towns:
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- Alachua |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Archer |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Gainesville
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Hawthorne |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- High Springs |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- La Crosse |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Micanopy |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Newberry |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Waldo |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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