Bay County, Florida

Bay County, Florida

The Bay County Courthouse in March 2008

Flag
Seal
Map of Florida highlighting Bay County
Location in the state of Florida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded April 24, 1913
Named for St. Andrews Bay
Seat Panama City
Largest city Panama City
Area
 • Total 1,033 sq mi (2,675 km2)
 • Land 758 sq mi (1,963 km2)
 • Water 275 sq mi (712 km2), 26.6%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 181,635
 • Density 223/sq mi (86/km²)
Congressional district 2nd
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.co.bay.fl.us

Bay County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 168,852.[1] Its county seat is Panama City.[2]

Bay County is included in the Panama City, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is best known for its white sand beaches and crystal blue water, where large pods of dolphins swim year-round. These beaches attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world each year.

History

On February 12, 1913, representatives from five towns on St. Andrews Bay met in Panama City to select a name for a proposed new county. The name Bay was selected because it was satisfactory to the majority of the citizens and was descriptive of the territory that would be included. On July 1, 1913, Bay County was created by the Legislature from portions of Washington, Calhoun and Walton counties.

It was the site of Gideon v. Wainwright, which gave all persons accused of a crime the right to an attorney.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,033 square miles (2,680 km2), of which 758 square miles (1,960 km2) is land and 275 square miles (710 km2) (26.6%) is water.[3]

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
192011,407—
193012,0916.0%
194020,68671.1%
195042,689106.4%
196067,13157.3%
197075,28312.1%
198097,74029.8%
1990126,99429.9%
2000148,21716.7%
2010168,85213.9%
Est. 2015181,635[4]7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2015[1]

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 148,217 people, 59,597 households, and 40,466 families residing in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile (75/km²). There were 78,435 housing units at an average density of 103 per square mile (40/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.17% White, 10.64% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 2.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 59,597 households out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,092, and the median income for a family was $42,729. Males had a median income of $30,116 versus $21,676 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,700. About 9.80% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Elected Officials

Bay County Government
Sheriff Frank McKeithen Republican
Tax Collector Peggy Brannon Democrat
Clerk of the Court Bill Kinsaul Republican
Supervisor of Elections Mark Anderson Republican
Superintendent of Schools William Husfelt, III Republican
Property Appraiser Dan Sowell Republican

Board of Commissioners

5 members, elected from districts (zero Democrats, five Republicans)[10]

District Commissioner Party Positions
1 Mike Nelson Republican Chair of the County Commission
2 George Gainer Republican
3 Bill Dozier Republican Vice Chair of the County Commission
4 Guy Tunnell Republican
5 Mike Thomas Republican

Politics

Voter Registration

According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are a majority of the registered voters in Bay County.

Bay County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of September 30, 2015[11]
Political Party Total Voters Percentage
  Republican 53,434 50.31%
  Democratic 30,253 28.48%
  Independent 20,012 18.84%
  Third Parties 2,511 2.36%
Total 106,210 100%

Statewide Elections

Previous Presidential Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2012 71.01% 56,876 27.53% 22,051 1.46% 1,174
2008 69.66% 56,683 29.07% 23,653 1.27% 1,030
2004 71.18% 53,404 28.08% 21,068 0.74% 552
2000 65.70% 38,682 32.06% 18,873 2.24% 1,321
1996 54.86% 28,290 33.01% 17,020 12.13% 6,256
1992 50.00% 22,820 28.11% 12,830 21.89% 9,991
Previous Gubernatorial Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2014 71.79% 40,956 22.77% 12,990 5.44% 3,104
2010 66.39% 36,512 28.53% 15,689 5.08% 2,796
2006 65.26% 31,382 30.78% 14,802 3.96% 1,907
2002 70.02% 34,107 29.27% 14,258 0.71% 344
1998 69.01% 26,759 30.99% 12,017 0.00% 2
1994 56.87% 23,498 43.12% 17,816 0.01% 2

Education

Bay District Schools operates public schools serving all portions of the county except for Mexico Beach, which is served by Gulf County Schools.[12][13][14]

Public Transportation

Airports

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

Public Surface Transportation

The county operates the Baytown Trolley, which runs several routes in and around Panama City.[15]

Library

Bay County is part of the Northwest Regional Library System (NWRLS), which serves Gulf and Liberty Counties as well.

Locations:

Communities

Panama City Beach

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  4. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  10. ↑ http://www.baycountyfl.gov/Commissioners/
  11. ↑ http://dos.myflorida.com/elections/data-statistics/voter-registration-statistics/voter-registration-monthly-reports/voter-registration-current-by-county/
  12. ↑ "Bay District Schools High School Attendance Zones." Bay District Schools. Accessed October 10, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Bay District Schools Middle School Attendance Zones." Bay District Schools. Accessed October 10, 2008.
  14. ↑ "Bay District Schools Elementary School Attendance Zones." Bay District Schools. Accessed October 10, 2008.
  15. ↑ http://v2.baytowntrolley.org/routes/

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bay County, Florida.

Government links/Constitutional offices

Special districts

Judicial branch

Tourism links

News media

 Washington County Jackson County
Walton County Calhoun County
   Bay County, Florida  
Gulf of Mexico Gulf County

Coordinates: 30°14′N 85°38′W / 30.24°N 85.63°W / 30.24; -85.63

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