Santa Rosa County Florida   Located in North West Florida

Santa Rosa County Cities

Land area (rank): 1,024 square miles (16)
Population 1993 (rank): 90,259 (33)
Population density 1993 (rank): 88 persons per square mile (34)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 45.8% (19)

Physical Characteristics

Santa Rosa County is in northwest Florida and is bordered by Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico, and by Escambia and Okaloosa counties. The county has 120 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 53.8 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 80.5 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 58.85 inches.

History

Santa Rosa County was established in 1842 from a portion of Escambia County and named for Santa Rosa Island, which was named for the Catholic saint St. Rosa de Viterbo.

Population

The majority of the county's acreage is in timber. In 1993, 85% of the county's population was in unincorporated areas. The incorporated place with the greatest population is Milton, with a 1993 population of 7,451, followed by Gulf Breeze, with a 1993 population of 5,802. Gulf Breeze has developed from an area of less than 1,000 in 1960. The unincorporated area with the greatest population in 1990 was Pace with a population of 6,277. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Santa Rosa County (with Escambia County) as the Pensacola Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 94% of Santa Rosa County's population was white and 6% was nonwhite. In 1990, 1.5% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 74.2% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 15.0 live births per 1,000 persons and the 1992 death rate was 6.2 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 9.2 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 75.4% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 2.8%. In 1990, 78.5% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 18.6% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Pensacola Junior College (Escambia County).

Economy

The per capita income in Santa Rosa County for 1993 was $15,944 (33rd highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $24,584. In 1989, 11.5% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 19.0% of personal income in Santa Rosa County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Santa Rosa County were employed in the government, retail trade, and services sectors. Whiting Field Naval Air Station and Eglin Air Force Base are major federal government employers. Employers of the greatest numbers of persons in the retail trade sector were eating and drinking establishments and food stores. In the services sector employers of the greatest numbers of persons were medical and other health services and business services. Major employers in the manufacturing sector are a large lumber mill in Bagdad and several chemical plants. In 1992 there were 430 farms in Santa Rosa County, totalling 79,270 acres (12% of land in the county). In 1991, 18,278 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 116,547 cords of softwood for pulp, and 8,255 cords of hardwood for pulp were produced. In 1991, 1,365,291 pounds of fish and 211,978 pounds of shellfish were landed in Santa Rosa County.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $65,900
Median monthly rent 1990: $285
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 19.7
Housing starts 1992: 1,390
Housing starts 1993: 1,469

In 1992 the price level index for Santa Rosa County was 91.60 (56th highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 6.9720, and the total taxable value of property was $2,263,661,785. Taxable sales totalled $363.70 million in 1992 and $391.60 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $11,005 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Santa Rosa County's revenues totalled $48,861 thousand ($582.1 per capita) and its expenditures $44,871 thousand ($534.6 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 85.0% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 58.8% were registered Democrat and 36.3% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 52.9% of the votes were cast for Bush, 26.8% for Perot, and 20.0% for Clinton.

Events and Places of Interest

Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Gulf Breeze; Thomas Creek Archaeological District, East of Chumuckla; Scratch Ankle Festival, Milton, March.