Green Cove Springs, Florida

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Green Cove Springs is a city in Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 5,990 [link]. It is the county seat of Clay County^{[Geographic references#6GR6]}.

The city is named after the portion of the St. Johns River upon which the city is built. The river bends here, and the area is sheltered by trees that are perennially green.

Contents

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

History

Green Cove Springs was founded in 1816 when a sawmill was built on a land grant from Spain. First inhabited over 7,000 years ago by natives drawn by the mineral springs, Green Cove Springs was established in 1854 as White Sulfur Springs. Renamed in 1866, it became the county seat in 1871.

Tourism was the primary economic base until the end of the century, when Henry Flagler's railroad began taking tourist further south into Florida. In 1895, a Great Freeze destroyed the areas citus crops, and tourism all but ended. The 1920s saw renewed development with automobile traffic bringing in tourists again. The Great Depression of the 1930s saw the end of growth again for the city.

During World War II, Green Cove Spring again saw growth when the US Navy opened the Benjamin Lee Auxiliary Air Field. After the war, the Navy constructed 13 piers along the St. Johns River to house a "Mothball Fleet" of some 600 vessels. In 1960, the Navy decommisoned the base and relocated the vessels. In 1984, the city annexed the former base into the city to utilize it for further growth and development as the Clay County Port and Reynolds Industrial Park.

Green Cove Springs is the birthplace of Charles E. Merrill (1885-1956), one of the founders of Merrill, Lynch & Company. The town's spring is described by his son James Merrill in the poem "Two From Florida," published in The Inner Room (1988).

Geography

Green Cove Springs is located at [29°59′34″N, 81°41′2″W] (29.992716, -81.683786)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.5 km² (9.4 mi²). 17.7 km² (6.8 mi²) of it is land and 6.8 km² (2.6 mi²) of it (27.83%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 5,378 people, 1,987 households, and 1,402 families residing in the city. The population density was 304.5/km² (789.0/mi²). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 124.5/km² (322.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.55% White, 24.40% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.34% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.08% of the population.

There were 1,987 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,487, and the median income for a family was $40,443. Males had a median income of $28,097 versus $22,040 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,673. About 14.6% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

External links

[City of Green Cove Springs] official site

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