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Escambia County, Florida

Revision as of 21:47, 19 February 2016 by 71.53.180.96 (talk) (→‎Government)
"Escambia County" redirects here. For the Alabama county of the same name, see Escambia County, Alabama.
Seal of Escambia County, Florida

Escambia County is the westernmost county in Florida and is home to Pensacola, which serves as the county seat.

The 2000 population was 294,210. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 296,772.[1]

Contents

History

Escambia County was created in 1821. It was named for the Escambia River, whose name in turn comes from a Spanish word for "barter" or "exchange." Escambia County and St. Johns County were Florida's original two counties with the Suwannee River being the boundary between the two.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,268 km² (876 mi²). 1,715 km² (662 mi²) of it is land and 552 km² (213 mi²) of it (24.35%) is water.

The county includes the island of Santa Rosa, which is separate from Santa Rosa County proper.

Escambia is the westernmost county in Florida. The county in Alabama directly to the north is also called Escambia County. Note, the fact that Escambia County, Florida, borders Escambia County, Alabama, makes the two Escambia Counties among the few counties in the United States with the same name, but from different states, to border each other.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 294,410 people, 111,049 households, and 74,180 families residing in the county. The population density was 172/km² (444/mi²). There were 124,647 housing units at an average density of 73/km² (188/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.35% White, 21.40% Black or African American, 0.90% Native American, 2.21% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. 2.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 111,049 households out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.80% were married couples living together, 15.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 12.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,234, and the median income for a family was $41,708. Males had a median income of $31,054 versus $22,023 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,641. About 12.10% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.70% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Government

Escambia County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners, each commissioner representing one of five districts. The County Commission appoints a County Administrator as chief administrative officer of the county.

The chief law enforcement authority of Escambia County is the Escambia County Sheriff's Office.

The fire protection arm of the Escambia County is the Escambia County Fire Rescue.


County Commissioners

Escambia County is divided into five districts. One county commissioner is elected from each district to serve a four-year term. Commissioners are chosen in partisan elections by voters from the districts in which they live. The board appoints a county administrator to be chief administrative officer of the county, responsible to the commission for the orderly operations of matters within the board’s jurisdiction. The current office holders are,

  • Escambia County District 1 : Wilson Robertson (Vice Chairman)
  • Escambia County District 2 : Doug Underhill
  • Escambia County District 3 : Lumon May
  • Escambia County District 4 : Grover C. Robinson IV (Chairman)
  • Escambia County District 5 : Steven Barry

Education

Main article: Escambia County School District

Public primary and secondary education schools in Pensacola are administered by the Escambia County School District.

External links

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