Apalachicola, Florida
Encyclopedia
Franklin County, Florida
Franklin County is a coastal county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 11,057. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 11,177...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, on US 98 about 80 miles (128.7 km) southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340. Apalachicola is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Franklin County
Franklin County, Florida
Franklin County is a coastal county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 11,057. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 11,177...
.
Name
"Apalachicola" comes from the Apalachicola tribeApalachicola (tribe)
The Apalachicola were a group of Native Americans related to the Creek. They spoke a Muskogean language related to Hitchiti. They lived along the Apalachicola River in present-day Florida....
and is a combination of Hitchiti
Hitchiti
The Hitchiti were a Muskogean-speaking tribe formerly residing chiefly in a town of the same name on the east bank of the Chattahoochee River, 4 miles below Chiaha, in west Georgia. They spoke the Hitchiti language, which was mutually intelligible with Mikasuki; both tribes were part of the loose...
Indian words "apalahchi," meaning "on the other side," and "okli," meaning "people". In original reference to the settlement, it probably meant "people on the other side of the river." Many inhabitants of Apalachicola, however, choose to translate the name of their town as "land of the friendly people."
Geography and climate
Apalachicola is located in the northwest part of the state, at 29.725203°N 84.992534°W, on Apalachicola Bay and at the mouth of the Apalachicola river.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7 km²). 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (29.32%) is water.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec High °F | 79 | 80 | 85 | 90 | 98 | 101 | 102 | 99 | 96 | 93 | 87 | 82 |
| Norm High °F | 62.4 | 64.8 | 69.9 | 76 | 83 | 88.3 | 89.8 | 89.4 | 87 | 79.9 | 72 | 65 |
| Norm Low °F | 43 | 45.8 | 51.4 | 57.6 | 65.1 | 71.6 | 73.9 | 74 | 71.2 | 60.5 | 52 | 45.3 |
| Rec Low °F | 9 | 21 | 22 | 36 | 47 | 48 | 63 | 62 | 50 | 37 | 24 | 13 |
| Precip (in) | 4.87 | 3.76 | 4.95 | 3 | 2.62 | 4.3 | 7.31 | 7.29 | 7.1 | 4.18 | 3.62 | 3.51 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-florida/apalachicola-weather.asp | ||||||||||||
History
A trading post called Cottonton was located on the current site of Apalachicola. In 1827, the town was incorporated as West Point. Apalachicola received its current name in 1831, by an Act of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida.Before the development of railways in the Gulf states, Apalachicola was the third busiest port in the Gulf of Mexico (behind New Orleans and Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
). In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the sponge
Sea sponge
Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera . Their bodies consist of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. While all animals have unspecialized cells that can transform into specialized cells, sponges are unique in having some specialized cells, but can also have...
trade, led by Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
immigrants, was a major industry in the town. Apalachicola is still the home port for a variety of seafood workers, including oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
harvesters and shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
ers. More than 90% of Florida's oyster production is harvested from Apalachicola Bay. Every year the town hosts the Florida Seafood Festival
Florida Seafood Festival
The Florida Seafood Festival is an annual public event held in Apalachicola, Florida on the first weekend of November. It features a parade, A carnival, blue crab races, an oyster eating contest, an oyster shucking contest, a 3.1 mile road race, a country music concert,arts and craft booths, and...
. The bay is well protected by St. Vincent Island
St. Vincent Island, Florida
St. Vincent Island is the western-most of 4 barrier islands in the northwestern Florida Gulf coast which include Cape St. George Island, St. George Island and Dog Island. St. Vincent Island is located just offshore in Franklin County, Florida south southeast of Cape San Blas and north of Cape St...
, Flag, Sand, St. George Island, and Cape St. George Island
Cape St. George Island
Cape St. George Island is an uninhabited barrier island situated on Florida’s North Gulf Coast, south-southeast of St. Vincent Island, west of St. George Island and 8-10 miles south-southwest of the town of Apalachicola in Franklin County, Florida. It was formerly part of St...
.
Trinity Episcopal Church (Apalachicola, Florida)
Trinity Episcopal Church, originally known as Christ Church, is an historic house of worship in Apalachicola, Florida, United States, located at the corner of Avenue D and 6th Street . On June 30, 1972, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.-National register...
was incorporated by an Act of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
on Feb 11, 1837. The building was one of the earliest prefabricated buildings in America. The framework was shipped by schooner from New York and assembled in Apalachicola with wooden pegs.
Botanist Alvan Wentworth Chapman
Alvan Wentworth Chapman
Alvan Wentworth Chapman was an American physician and botanist who wrote Flora of the Southern United States, the first comprehensive description of US plants in any region beyond the northeastern states.-Education:...
(1809–1899) settled in Apalachicola in 1847. In 1860, he published his major work, Flora of the Southern United States. The former (now closed) elementary school is named in his honor.
In 1849, Apalachicola physician Dr. John Gorrie
John Gorrie
John Gorrie , physician, scientist, inventor, and humanitarian, is considered the father of refrigeration and air conditioning. He was born on the Island of Nevis to Scottish parents on October 3, 1802, and spent his childhood in South Carolina...
(1802–1855) discovered the cold-air process of refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
and patented an ice machine in 1850, as the result of experiments to lower the temperatures of fever patients, laying the groundwork for modern refrigeration and air-conditioning. The city has a monument to him, and a replica of his ice machine is on display in the John Gorrie Museum
John Gorrie State Museum
The John Gorrie State Museum is a Florida State Park located in Apalachicola, a block off U.S. 98. It commemorates the man who was a pioneer in developing air conditioning, receiving the first U.S. Patent for mechanical refrigeration in 1851...
.
On April 3, 1862, the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
and 186 feet (56.7 m) steamer (relieving the ) captured Apalachicola.
In 1979, Exxon
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
relocated their experimental subsea production system from offshore Louisiana to a permitted artificial reef
Artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing....
site off Apalachicola, Florida making this the first effort to turn an oil platform
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
into an artificial reef.
Apalachicola is also home to the Dixie Theater, a professional Equity theater which is both a producing as well as presenting performance venue. It is considered the artistic center of Franklin County. Originally built in 1912, it was fully renovated beginning in 1996 and reopened in 1998.
The AN Railway
AN Railway
The AN Railway is one of several shortline railroad companies owned by the Genesee & Wyoming parent company. It operates between Port Saint Joe, Florida and a connection with CSX's Pensacola & Atlantic and Tallahassee Subdivisions at Chattahoochee, Florida, with a short spur to Apalachicola, Florida...
, formerly the Apalachicola Northern Railroad, serves the city.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,334 people, 1,006 households, and 608 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,242.1 inhabitants per square mile (479.3/km²). There were 1,207 housing units at an average density of 642.3 per square mile (247.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.41% White, 34.92% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.47% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.
There were 1,006 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,073, and the median income for a family was $28,464. Males had a median income of $22,500 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $12,227. About 19.9% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.4% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.
Travel
Travel to Apalachicola continues to increase as tourists seek experiences of "Old Florida," as many describe the feel of smaller coastal communities in the state. Southern Living published a feature article 'Florida's Quiet Side' in February 2007. Wanda McKinney writes:- "Morning comes gently to Apalachicola. Oyster boats and shrimpboats begin their daily pilgrimages into the seafood-rich bay as the sun rises on the Northwest Florida coast. The lights twinkle on in this fishing village, its residents ready for another day in unspoiled paradise. If you ever wondered if such a place still exists, yes, old Florida lives here. A lone blinking yellow light directs the downtown traffic. Come and stay awhile in this wonderful, walkable, watery hamlet. Try the pace on for size."
Education
Apalachicola is a part of the Franklin County Schools system. As of the 2008-2009 school year, all students, except those attending charter schools, attend the K-12 Franklin County School. Apalachicola Bay Charter SchoolCharter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
is also located in Apalachicola.
External links
- Apalachicola Chamber of Commerce
- Commercial Advertiser newspaper that serves Apalachicola, Florida is available in full-text with images in Florida Digital Newspaper Library
- Dixie Theatre
- Apalachicola River Watershed - Florida DEP
- Historic Apalachicola