Baldwin, Florida
Encyclopedia
Baldwin is a town in Duval County
, Florida
, United States
. When the majority of communities in Duval County consolidated with Jacksonville, Florida
in 1968, Baldwin, along with Jacksonville Beach
, Atlantic Beach
, and Neptune Beach, Florida
, remained quasi-independent. Like the other towns, it maintains its own municipal government but its residents vote in the Jacksonville mayoral election and vote for the Jacksonville city council; unlike the others Baldwin no longer supports its own police force. The population was 1,634 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 1,634 people, 628 households, and 432 families residing in the town. The population density
was 767.3 inhabitants per square mile (296.2/km²). There were 702 housing units at an average density of 329.6 per square mile (127.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.07% White, 30.91% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races
, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.
There were 628 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples
living together, 22.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $28,603, and the median income for a family was $31,023. Males had a median income of $28,350 versus $23,056 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,560. About 17.6% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
, a railroad that ran from Lake City
to Jacksonville.
In 1947, the original school buildling serving the white population burned to the ground. There was no fire department to control it and it was completely destroyed. The students from the school were temporarily housed in a variety of public buildings including churches and the city hall. Later barracks building from nearby army training base Camp Blanding were moved to the site of the burned school where classes continued for about two years while a new school was being built. A school for the black population was located in a building located near the old ice plant that served the railroad was occupied for a number of years after the new white school was built.
Florida State Law in 1948 required new school buildings be placed on parcels not less than 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) in size. As the property under the existing school was not large enough, a site on Mill Street was chosen. A $50,000 school was erected during the winter and summers of 1948 and 1949. In 1950, an auditorium was completed. At that time the school enrollment was 365. In 1964, a Music Suite was added.
In 1967 Baldwin became the first Duval County School to be integrated.
Baldwin was the site of a civil war skirmish and until recently, dirt revetments could be found in one part of the town where defenses by Confederate forces were erected against the advance of the Union forces. Rifle balls and other evidence of the battle could be found by those who wished to look for them.
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. When the majority of communities in Duval County consolidated with Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
in 1968, Baldwin, along with Jacksonville Beach
Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Jacksonville Beach is a city on the Atlantic coast of Duval County, Florida, east of Jacksonville. It is part of the Jacksonville Beaches community, together with Mayport, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach...
, Atlantic Beach
Atlantic Beach, Florida
Atlantic Beach, a city in Duval County, Florida, is the northernmost of the Jacksonville Beaches communities. When the majority of communities in Duval County consolidated with Jacksonville, Florida in 1968, Atlantic Beach, along with Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Baldwin, Florida,...
, and Neptune Beach, Florida
Neptune Beach, Florida
Neptune Beach is a beachfront city in Duval County, Florida, United States, located to the east of Jacksonville. When the majority of communities in Duval County consolidated with the city of Jacksonville in 1968, Neptune Beach, along with Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, and Baldwin, remained...
, remained quasi-independent. Like the other towns, it maintains its own municipal government but its residents vote in the Jacksonville mayoral election and vote for the Jacksonville city council; unlike the others Baldwin no longer supports its own police force. The population was 1,634 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Baldwin is located at 30°18′14"N 81°58′30"W (30.303788, -81.975029).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 town has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all land.
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 1,634 people, 628 households, and 432 families residing in the town. 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 767.3 inhabitants per square mile (296.2/km²). There were 702 housing units at an average density of 329.6 per square mile (127.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.07% White, 30.91% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.06% 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 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.
There were 628 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% 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, 22.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $28,603, and the median income for a family was $31,023. Males had a median income of $28,350 versus $23,056 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 town was $13,560. About 17.6% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
History
The town was first settled under the name of Thigpen in 1846. The name was changed to Baldwin in honor of Dr. Abel Seymour Baldwin, the president of the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central RailroadFlorida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad
The Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad was a railroad company that, in 1860, completed a railroad line running from Jacksonville, Florida, west to Lake City, Florida...
, a railroad that ran from Lake City
Lake City, Florida
Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 12,614. In addition, it is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had an...
to Jacksonville.
In 1947, the original school buildling serving the white population burned to the ground. There was no fire department to control it and it was completely destroyed. The students from the school were temporarily housed in a variety of public buildings including churches and the city hall. Later barracks building from nearby army training base Camp Blanding were moved to the site of the burned school where classes continued for about two years while a new school was being built. A school for the black population was located in a building located near the old ice plant that served the railroad was occupied for a number of years after the new white school was built.
Florida State Law in 1948 required new school buildings be placed on parcels not less than 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) in size. As the property under the existing school was not large enough, a site on Mill Street was chosen. A $50,000 school was erected during the winter and summers of 1948 and 1949. In 1950, an auditorium was completed. At that time the school enrollment was 365. In 1964, a Music Suite was added.
In 1967 Baldwin became the first Duval County School to be integrated.
Baldwin was the site of a civil war skirmish and until recently, dirt revetments could be found in one part of the town where defenses by Confederate forces were erected against the advance of the Union forces. Rifle balls and other evidence of the battle could be found by those who wished to look for them.