Blountstown, Florida

Blountstown is a city in Calhoun County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,514 at the 2010 census, which represented an increase from 2,444 in 2000. It is the county seat of Calhoun County.[5]

Blountstown, Florida
City
Blountstown City Hall
Motto(s): 
"The Kingdom Of Opportunity"
Location in Calhoun County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 30°26′35″N 85°2′43″W
Country United States
State Florida
County Calhoun
Government
 • MayorTony Shoemake
Area
 • Total3.20 sq mi (8.28 km2)
 • Land3.19 sq mi (8.26 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation
62 ft (19 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total2,514
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
2,443
 • Density766.31/sq mi (295.87/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
32424
Area code(s)850
FIPS code12-06925[3]
GNIS feature ID0279006[4]
Websiteblountstownfl.govoffice3.com
Modern Calhoun County Courthouse

Name

Blountstown is named for John Blount, a Creek Indian chief who served as a guide for General Andrew Jackson during his invasion of Spanish Florida in 1818. This invasion caused the United States to purchase Florida from Spain and the territory became a part of the U.S. in 1821.[6]

History

Blountstown was originally named for a Creek Indian Chief (John Blount), who had been awarded land in the vicinity by Andrew Jackson for aiding Jackson in his battles against the Native Americans. Today, the city is primarily known as the home of the Calhoun Correctional Institution.

On October 10, 2018, Blountstown was nearly annihilated when Category 5 Hurricane Michael struck the town. The city was without power for almost three weeks and over 80% of homes and businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed. Blountstown High School suffered heavy damage, but Blountstown Elementary School was completely destroyed. As of November 2018, BES students are being housed at the Blountstown High and Blountstown Middle School campuses until the local school board can rebuild the elementary school. In addition, the local timber and farming industries, which are Calhoun County's largest industries, were completely destroyed, costing millions of dollars in economic loss.

Geography

Blountstown is located at 30°26′35″N 85°02′43″W.[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), of which 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) is land and 0.31% is water.

Directly to the east lies Bristol in Liberty County. Blountstown and Calhoun County uses the Central Time Zone, as opposed to Liberty County which is in the Eastern Time Zone.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1910546—
192086358.1%
19301,27047.2%
19401,93152.0%
19502,1189.7%
19602,37512.1%
19702,3840.4%
19802,63210.4%
19902,404−8.7%
20002,4441.7%
20102,5142.9%
2019 (est.)2,443[2]−2.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 2,444 people, 913 households, and 595 families residing in the city. The population density was 767.2 people per square mile (295.8/km2). There were 1,046 housing units at an average density of 328.4 per square mile (126.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 65.18% White, 31.79% African American, 1.27% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.

There were 913 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 21.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 25.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,271, and the median income for a family was $30,880. Males had a median income of $23,313 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,498. About 18.5% of families and 24.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.6% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Calhoun County School District operates public schools.

Blountstown has three schools: Blountstown Elementary School,[9] servicing kindergarten through fifth grades; Blountstown Middle School for sixth through eighth;[10] and Blountstown High School for ninth through twelfth.[11]

Notable people

Images
  • Sign for Blountstown
  • Old Calhoun County Courthouse
  • Lake Hilda

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  6. History of Blountstown, Florida: The Story of Chief Blount & the City of Blountstown. Calhoun County Chamber Of Commerce. 2010-05-24. URL:http://www.calhounco.org/history-blountstown.cfm. Accessed: 2010-05-24. (Archived by WebCite at https://www.webcitation.org/5pxfsgYYh)
  7. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  8. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. blountstownelementary.org
  10. blountstownmiddle.org
  11. blountstownhigh.org
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