Jackson County, Florida

Jackson County Education, Geography, and History

Jackson County is a county located in the state of Florida. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 49,746. Jackson County was created on August 12, 1822 from Escambia County. The county seat is Marianna. This county is named for Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), the seventh President of the United States.

Etymology - Origin of Jackson County Name

This county is named for Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), the seventh President of the United States.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Jackson County History

Jackson County was created by the Florida Territorial Council in 1822 out of Escambia County, along with Duval County out of St. Johns County, making them the third and fourth counties in the Territory. The county is named for Andrew Jackson, who had served as Florida's first military Governor for six months in 1821. Jackson County originally extended from the Choctawhatchee River on the west to the Suwannee River on the east. The county had been reduced close to its present boundaries by 1840 through the creation of new counties from its original territory. Minor adjustments to the county boundaries continued through most of the 19th century, however.

There were no towns in Jackson County when it was formed. The first county court met at what was called "Robinson's Big Spring" (later called Blue Springs) in 1822 and then at the "Big Spring of the Choctawhatchee" in 1823. The following year the county court met at "Chipola Settlement" which is also known as Waddell's Mill Pond

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 955 square miles (2,472 km²), of which, 916 square miles (2,372 km²) of it is land and 39 square miles (101 km²) of it (4.08%) is water.

Jackson county is located in northwest Florida. The county is the only county in Florida that borders both Georgia and Alabama.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Houston County, Ala.
• Northeast: Seminole County, Ga.
• East: Decatur County, Ga.
• Southeast: Gadsden County; Liberty County
• South: Calhoun County
• Southwest: Bay County; Washington County
• West: Holmes County
• Northwest: Geneva County, Ala.

Education

The Jackson County School Board operates public schools.

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