De Funiak Springs, Florida

From Free net encyclopedia

De Funiak Springs is a city located in Walton County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,089. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 5,141.^[1]

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit]

Geography

Image:FLMap-doton-DeFuniakSprings.PNG De Funiak Springs is located at Template:Coor dms (30.721349, -86.119352).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.1 km² (11.2 mi²). 28.4 km² (11.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.49% water.

[edit]

History

The town was founded as a railway junction in the early 19th century, shortly after the Seminole Wars fought by General Andrew Jackson. It was named after Frederick De Funiak, a railway engineer. Like much of northwest Florida, De Funiak Springs was settled mainly by Scots-Irish families from Virginia and the Carolinas.

De Funiak Springs was established as a resort for the Chautaqua Movement. The Chautaqua building was constructed on Lake De Funiak in the center of town. The spring-fed lake is the second roundest natural lake in the United States Template:Fact. Seminars, classes and the like were held in the Chautaqua building for people on vacation. The auditorium of the building was destroyed by a hurricane in the early 20th century, but the lobby area on the street is still standing. As part of the intellectual atmosphere of the town, a college and a private high school, called Palmer College and Palmer Academy respectively, were established in the 19th century. While both schools closed during the Great Depression, there is still a University Avenue and a College Street.

Adjacent to the Chautaqua building is Walton County Library, one of the oldest extant libraries in the state of Florida.

[edit]

Demographics

Image:DeFuniakSprings.gif As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 5,089 people, 2,105 households, and 1,324 families residing in the city. The population density was 179.1/km² (464.0/mi²). There were 2,464 housing units at an average density of 86.7/km² (224.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.78% White, 22.99% African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.81% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. 3.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,105 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,516, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $24,219 versus $19,255 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,298. 18.4% of the population and 18.2% of families were below the poverty line. 27.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

[edit]