Newberry, Florida

Newberry, Florida
City
Newberry City Hall
Location in Alachua County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 29°38′23″N 82°36′31″W / 29.63972°N 82.60861°W / 29.63972; -82.60861Coordinates: 29°38′23″N 82°36′31″W / 29.63972°N 82.60861°W / 29.63972; -82.60861
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Alachua
Government
• Type	Commission-Manager
• Mayor	Bill Conrad
• City Manager	Keith Ashby
Area
• Total	54.6 sq mi (141.3 km2)
• Land	53.5 sq mi (138.6 km2)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (2.7 km2)
Elevation	75 ft (23 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	4,950
• Density	92/sq mi (35.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	32669
Area code(s)	352
FIPS code	12-48200[1]
GNIS feature ID	0307635[2]
Website	www.ci.newberry.fl.us

Newberry is a city located on the southwest side of Alachua County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,950 at the 2010 census.^[3] Much of the city borders the neighboring Gilchrist County to the west. The current mayor is Bill Conrad.

History

Newberry developed as a mining town after phosphate was discovered in the western part of Alachua County in 1889; and, the town was located along the route of the Savannah, Florida, and Western Railway, that in 1893 was extended southward from High Springs. A post office established in March 1894 was named Newton, but changed to Newberry in August of that year. In 1896 there were fourteen mines operating nearby, and the town had hotels, boarding houses and saloons to accommodate the area's transient and sometimes unruly population. The demand for phosphate ended abruptly in 1914 when war was declared against Germany, the principal customer for Newberry's phosphate. The community turned to agriculture and was particularly successful at producing watermelons. The Watermelon Festival, first held in 1946, continues to be an annual event. In 1987 Newberry's Historic District was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Newberry is located at 29°38′23″N 82°36′31″W / 29.639605°N 82.608715°W / 29.639605; -82.608715.^[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 54.6 square miles (141.3 km²). 53.5 square miles (138.6 km²) of it is land and 1.0 square mile (2.7 km²) of it (1.93%) is water.^[3]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2010, there were 4,950 people, 1,884 households, and 1,383 families residing in the city. The population density was 92.5 inhabitants per square mile (35.7/km²). There were 2,068 housing units at an average density of 38.7 per square mile (14.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.6% White, 14.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.0% some other race, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.2% of the population.^[5]

There were 1,884 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were headed by married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63, and the average family size was 3.07.^[5]

In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.5 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.^[3]

For the period 2007-11, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $49,623, and the median income for a family was $62,461. Male full-time workers had a median income of $50,990 versus $36,417 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,851. About 11.5 of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.2% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.^[6]

Education

Newberry is served by the School Board of Alachua County, which operates an elementary school, a middle school and Newberry High School in the city,^[7] and the Alachua County Library District, which operates a branch library in the city.^[8]

In popular culture

• The city is mentioned in Muddy Waters' song "Deep Down in Florida".
• In the novel, Once A Runner, written by John L. Parker, Jr., the main character, Quenton Cassidy, goes out to Newberry to live in isolation and train for distance running.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Newberry, Florida.

• City of Newberry official website
• Newberry Jonesville Chamber of Commerce
• History of Newberry
• Dudley Farm Historic State Park

v t e Municipalities and communities of Alachua County, Florida, United States County seat: Gainesville Cities Alachua Archer Gainesville Hawthorne High Springs Newberry Waldo Towns La Crosse Micanopy Unincorporated communities Cross Creek Evinston Haile Haile Plantation Hasan Island Grove Jonesville Melrose Rochelle Windsor Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties