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 is Live Oak. Suwannee County was a

dry county A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Dozens of dry counties exist across the ...

until August 2011, when the sale of alcoholic beverages became legal in the county.

History

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 The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset hig ...

, which forms the county's northern, western, and much of its southern border. The word "Suwannee" may either be a corruption of the Spanish ''San Juan'' ("Saint John") or from the Cherokee ''sawani'' ("echo river"). The rural areas supported numerous lumber and turpentine camps. In the 1930s, anthropologist

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on Hoodoo (spirituality), hoodoo. The most ...

did research in North Florida timber camps.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Hamilton County - north * Columbia County - east *

Gilchrist County 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 17,86 ...

- southeast * Lafayette County - west * Madison County - northwest

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, 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/km²). There were 15,679 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.53% White, 12.11% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.51%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 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 Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 11.20% had 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 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 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%.

Libraries

Suwannee County is served by th
Suwannee River Regional Library System
which contains eight branches and also serves

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

and

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

counties. * Branford * Dowling Park * Greenville * Jasper * Jennings * Lee * Live Oak * Madison * White Springs Suwannee River Regional Library was first formed by a contractual agreement between Suwannee and Lafayette counties, making it 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 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 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 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.

Transportation

Airports

Suwannee County is accessed by air from

Suwannee County Airport Suwannee County Airport is a public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of the city of Live Oak in Suwannee County, Florida, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or ...

, 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 a manned FBO. There are also many private airparks scattered throughout the county.

Railroads

Suwannee County has one surviving railroad line. The primary one is a Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad line formerly owned by

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

, Seaboard System Railroad, Seaboard Coast Line Industries and Seaboard Air Line Railroad that served Amtrak's ''

Sunset Limited The ''Sunset Limited'' is an Amtrak passenger train that for most of its history has operated between New Orleans and Los Angeles, over the nation's second transcontinental route. However, up until Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it operated betwe ...

'' until it was truncated to New Orleans in 2005 by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. Union Depot and Atlantic Coast Line Freight Station 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 The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...

and Seaboard Coast Line's ''

Gulf Wind The ''Gulf Wind'' was a streamlined passenger train inaugurated on July 31, 1949, as a joint operation by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (Seaboard Coast Line after merger with the Atlantic Coast Line ...

'' (New Orleans - Jacksonville). The Seaboard Air Line operated two passenger trains a day in each direction until 1966 or 1967.''Official Guide of the Railways,'' June 1966, Seaboard Air Line section Various abandoned lines also exist within the county, one of which was converted into the Suwannee River Greenway Trail, along the southeastern part of the county.

Major roads

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

is the main interstate highway through Swuannee County, running west and east through the panhandle from Alabama to Jacksonville. Three interchanges exist in the county at US 90 east of Falmouth, (Exit 275), US 129 in Live Oak (Exit 283), and CR 137 north of Wellborn (Exit 292). * Interstate 75 also is an interstate highway, running south and north, but only in a remote area of eastern Suwannee County known as Pouchers Corner, and only has an interchange with SR 136 (Exit 439). *

US 27 U.S. Route 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I-69) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. F ...

* US 90 *

US 129 U.S. Route 129 (US 129) is an auxiliary route of US 29, which it intersects in Athens, Georgia. US 129 currently runs for from an intersection with US 19/ US 27 ALT/ US 98 in Chiefland, Florida, to an interchange ...

* State Road 51 * State Road 136 * State Road 247

Communities

Towns

* Live Oak * Branford

Unincorporated communities

* Beachville * Dickert *

Dowling Park Dowling Park is an unincorporated community located in Suwannee County, Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabam ...

* Ellaville * Falmouth * Fort Union * Hildreth * Houston * Luraville * McAlpin * O'Brien * Padlock * Pouchers Corner * Rixford * Slade *

Suwannee Springs ''For the unincorporated community see Suwannee Springs, Florida'' Suwanne Springs, once known as Suwannee Sulphur Springs is the site of natural springs and was a historic mineral spring tourist attraction and hotel in Suwannee Springs, F ...

* Wellborn

Politics

Notes

References

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners

Suwannee County Supervisor of Elections

Suwannee County Property Appraiser

Suwannee County Sheriff's Office

Suwannee County Tax Collector

Special districts

Suwannee County Schools

Suwannee River Water Management District

Judicial branch

Suwannee County Clerk of Courts

Public Defender, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida
serving

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

, Dixie,

, Lafayette,

, Suwannee, and

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) **List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Plac ...

Counties
Office of the State Attorney, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce

Environmental

Suwannee River Watershed - Florida DEP
{{authority control Florida counties 1858 establishments in Florida Florida placenames of Native American origin North Florida Populated places established in 1858