Chattahoochee, Florida The Hooch | |
|---|---|
| City of Chattahoochee | |
 Chattahoochee City Hall | |
| Motto(s): "A Great Place to Live and Retire" | |
 Location inGadsden County and the state ofFlorida | |
| Coordinates:30°42′N84°50′W / 30.700°N 84.833°W /30.700; -84.833 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Gadsden |
| Settled | 1820s[1] |
| Incorporated | 1834[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–Manager |
| • Mayor | Christopher Moultry |
| • Mayor Pro Tem | Ann Williams |
| • Council Members | Ken Kimrey, Amy Glass, and Ann Richardson |
| • City Manager | Robert Presnell |
| • City Clerk | Katy Joyner |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.80 sq mi (15.01 km2) |
| • Land | 5.60 sq mi (14.51 km2) |
| • Water | 0.19 sq mi (0.50 km2) |
| Elevation | 236 ft (72 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,955 |
| • Density | 527.6/sq mi (203.71/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 32324 |
| Area code | 850 |
| FIPS code | 12-11800[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0280346[5] |
| Website | www |
Chattahoochee is a city inGadsden County,Florida, United States. Its history dates to the Spanish era.[6][7] It is part of theTallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,955 as of the 2020 census, down from 3,652 at the 2010 census.
Chattahoochee sits on the banks of theApalachicola River. It is connected by the Apalachicola and Victory bridges to neighboringSneads, Florida, which is inJackson County.
Chattahoochee has its own police force with more than ten sworn officers and a police chief. Chattahoochee is a name derived from theCreek language, meaning "marked rocks".
The area was inhabited by indigenous peoples who built earthwork mounds in the area (Chattahoochee Landing Mounds). It was later occupied by theCreek people, who were pushed out by European encroachment.
After European-American settlement in this area in the early 19th century, residents first named the community Mount Vernon in the 1820s. This was in honor of former President George Washington's Virginia plantation.
The British had built a fort,Nicolls' Outpost, when they controlled the srea. was built in the area. TheScott Massacre of 1817 took place here. A ferry was established to give travelers and tradesmen access to other settlements across the river.[1]
Chattahoochee is located in the northwest corner of Gadsden County at30°42′N84°50′W / 30.700°N 84.833°W /30.700; -84.833 (30.703, –84.847).[8] It is bordered to the west by the Apalachicola River, formed by the juncture of theChattahoochee andFlint rivers withinLake Seminole just north of the city. The northern border of Chattahoochee follows the Florida–Georgia state line, and the Apalachicola River forms the Gadsden–Jackson county line.
U.S. Route 90 passes through the middle of Chattahoochee as Washington Street; it leads southeast 19 miles (31 km) toQuincy, the Gadsden County seat, and west 5 miles (8 km) toSneads and 24 miles (39 km) toMarianna.Tallahassee, the state capital, is 43 miles (69 km) to the southeast. Main Street (Little Sycamore Road outside the city limits) leads south 6 miles (10 km) via Flat Creek Road toInterstate 10 at Exit 166.
The southern part of the city includes the community of River Junction at 30°41′N 84°50′W (30.686, –84.841). In the mid-1880s, River Junction was established as a railroad connection point between the Florida Central & Western, later theSeaboard Air Line, and thePensacola & Atlantic. The connecting track survives.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Chattahoochee has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.7 km2), of which 5.5 square miles (14.2 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2), or 3.30%, is water.
The climate for the City of Chattahoochee is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Chattahoochee has ahumid subtropical climate zone, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 383 | — | |
| 1930 | 5,624 | — | |
| 1940 | 7,110 | 26.4% | |
| 1950 | 8,473 | 19.2% | |
| 1960 | 9,699 | 14.5% | |
| 1970 | 7,944 | −18.1% | |
| 1980 | 5,332 | −32.9% | |
| 1990 | 4,382 | −17.8% | |
| 2000 | 3,287 | −25.0% | |
| 2010 | 3,652 | 11.1% | |
| 2020 | 2,955 | −19.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] | |||
| Race | Pop 2010[10] | Pop 2020[11] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 1,557 | 1,208 | 42.63% | 40.88% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1,873 | 1,491 | 51.29% | 50.46% |
| Native American orAlaska Native (NH) | 8 | 5 | 0.22% | 0.17% |
| Asian (NH) | 38 | 22 | 1.04% | 0.74% |
| Pacific Islander orNative Hawaiian (NH) | 0 | 2 | 0.00% | 0.07% |
| Some other race (NH) | 3 | 4 | 0.08% | 0.14% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 38 | 80 | 1.04% | 2.71% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 135 | 143 | 3.70% | 4.84% |
| Total | 3,652 | 2,955 |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 2,955 people, 998 households, and 646 families residing in the city.[12]
In 2020, the median household income was $40,000. 9.4% of the population over 25 years old had a Bachelor's degree or higher. There was an employment rate of 28.1%. 29.5% of the population lived without healthcare coverage.
As of the2010 United States census, there were 3,652 people, 1,072 households, and 577 families residing in the city.[13]
On January 6, 1861, 4 days before Florida delegates formally seceded from the Union as part of theAmerican Civil War, state troops seized the federal Arsenal located in the town.[14] The former arsenal and current Administration Building of Florida State Hospital is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places (Building - #73000578).[15]Florida State Hospital, the hospital involved in the famousUnited States Supreme Court decisionO'Connor v. Donaldson, is located within the City. The hospital was featured in a 1989 movie,Chattahoochee, starringGary Oldman andDennis Hopper, in which a war hero,Chris Calhoun, isinvoluntarily committed to Florida State Hospital where he sees doctors at the hospital humiliating patients and experiences filth and abuse.[16]
TheU.S. Postal Service operates the Chattahoochee Post Office.[17]
The Chattahoochee Volunteer Fire Department operates one fire station.[18]
The Gadsden Connector, a bus route operated byBig Bend Transit, has a stop in Chattahoochee.[19]
Gadsden County School District operates public schools.
The community is served by Chattahoochee Elementary School. In Fall 2018 it will become a Pre-K to Kindergarten early learning center. Students in grades 1–3 will move toGreensboro Primary School and students in grades 4–5 will move to West Gadsden Middle School.[20] The sole public high school of the county isGadsden County High School (formerly East Gadsden High School).
Until 2004Chattahoochee High School served as the community middle and high school. That year it consolidated intoWest Gadsden High School.[21] As of 2017 East Gadsden became the only remaining zoned high school in the county due to the consolidation of West Gadsden High's high school section intoEast Gadsden High School.[22]
The 1989 film "Chattahoochee" is based on theFlorida State Hospital and allegations ofabuse on residents. The movie, which starredGary Oldman andDennis Hopper, was not shot in Chattahoochee, however.
Municipalities and communities ofGadsden County, Florida,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
