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Putnam County, Florida facts for kids

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Putnam County
Putnam County Courthouse
Putnam County Courthouse
Official seal of Putnam County
Seal
Map of Florida highlighting Putnam County
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Florida
Founded January 18, 1849
Named for Benjamin A. Putnam
Seat Palatka
Largest city Palatka
Area
 • Total 827 sq mi (2,140 km2)
 • Land 728 sq mi (1,890 km2)
 • Water 99 sq mi (260 km2)  12.0%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
74,521
 • Density 101/sq mi (39/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 3rd

Putnam County is a county located in the northeastern part of the state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,364. Its county seat is Palatka.

Putnam County comprises the Palatka, FL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Jacksonville-St. Marys-Palatka, FL-GA Combined Statistical Area. The county is centrally located between Jacksonville, Gainesville, St. Augustine, and Daytona Beach.

History

Putnam County was created in 1849. It was Florida's 28th county created from parts of St. Johns, Alachua, Orange, Duval, and Marion counties. The county was named for Benjamin A. Putnam, who was a soldier in the First Seminole War, a lawyer, Florida legislator, and the first president of the Florida Historical Society. The Putnam County Historical Society has determined that Benjamin A. Putnam is the grandson of Israel Putnam, for whom other counties and places in the United States are named. Benjamin A. Putnam died in the county seat of Palatka in 1869.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 827 square miles (2,140 km2), of which 728 square miles (1,890 km2) is land and 99 square miles (260 km2) (12.0%) is water.

The county contains various sinkhole lakes such as Lake Barco where unconsolidated deposits on the surface have slumped into the highly soluble limestone of the upper Floridan aquifer.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Ocala National Forest (part)

State Park

  • Ravine Gardens
  • Dunns Creek

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 687
1860 2,712 294.8%
1870 3,821 40.9%
1880 6,261 63.9%
1890 11,186 78.7%
1900 11,641 4.1%
1910 13,096 12.5%
1920 14,568 11.2%
1930 18,096 24.2%
1940 18,698 3.3%
1950 23,615 26.3%
1960 32,212 36.4%
1970 36,290 12.7%
1980 50,549 39.3%
1990 65,070 28.7%
2000 70,423 8.2%
2010 74,364 5.6%
2019 (est.) 74,521 0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2019

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 70,423 people, 27,839 households, and 19,459 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile (38/km2). There were 33,870 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile (18/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.91% White, 17.04% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.94% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. 5.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 27,839 households, out of which 28.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.80% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the age distribution of the population shows 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 24.20% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,180, and the median income for a family was $34,499. Males had a median income of $29,975 versus $20,955 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,603. About 15.80% of families and 20.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.60% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those age 65 or over.

Ancestry/Ethnicity

As of 2017 the largest self-reported ethnic/ancestry groups in Putnam County, Florida are:

Largest ancestries (2017) Percent
English 20.0%
German 9.5%
Irish 8.2%
"American" 8.0%
Polish 2.2%
Scottish 2.0%
Spaniard 1.7%
Scots-Irish 1.3%
Dutch 1.0%
Scottish 2.9%
Swedish 0.8%

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Transportation

Airports

  • The main airport within the county is the Palatka Municipal Airport. Minor and private air strips also exist.

Highways

  • US 17 is the main local road through eastern Putnam County, running south to north.
  • SR 15 is the hidden route for US 17 within the county and the vicinity.
  • SR 19 is a mostly scenic north and south road that enters the county from Ocala National Forest and terminates with US 17 in Palatka.
  • SR 20 runs west to east through the panhandle into Putnam County east from Hawthorne in Alachua County, and joins US 17/SR 100 in Palatka.
  • SR 21 runs south to north from SR 20 in McMeekin through Melrose before entering Clay County.
  • SR 26 runs west to east through Gilcrhist and Alachua Counties before entering Putnam County in Melrose and terminating at SR 100 in Putnam Hall.
  • SR 100 runs northwest to southeast from Clay County southeast of Keystone Heights, passing through Putnam Hall, Florahome, and Palatka where it joins US 17, and later SR 20 in a concurrency into San Mateo where SR 100 (and hidden SR 20) runs southeast towards the Flagler County Line
  • SR 207 is a west to east route that runs northeast from US 17/SRs 20/100 through Orange Mills and then the St. Johns County Line..

Rail transport

The historic Old Atlantic Coast Line Union Depot is the current Amtrak station in Palatka for Putnam County along the CSX Sanford Subdivision. Originally the station not only served the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad but also served the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, the Southern Railway, Florida East Coast Railroad, and the Ocklawaha Valley Railroad. Additionally, the Edgar Spur of the CSX Wildwood Subdivision enters the western edge of the county from Alachua County.

Navigable Waterways

Education

The main campus of St. Johns River State College is located in Palatka (the county seat). First Coast Technical College is public, post secondary vocational school with a campus in Palatka.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Putnam (Florida) para niños

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