# Chattahoochee, Florida

Chattahoochee is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. Its history dates to the Spanish era. It is part of the Tallahassee, 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 the Apalachicola River, and is separated by the Apalachicola and Victory bridges from neighboring Sneads, Florida, which is in Jackson County. Chattahoochee has its own police force with over ten sworn officers and a police chief. Chattahoochee is a name derived from the Creek language meaning "marked rocks".

## History

The area was inhabited by indigenous peoples who built mounds in the area (Chattahoochee Landing Mounds). Chattahoochee was established as Mount Vernon in the 1820s. A British Fort, Nicolls' Outpost was built in the area. The Scott Massacre of 1817 took place. A ferry was established.

## Geography

Chattahoochee is located in the northwest corner of Gadsden County at 30°42′N 84°50′W﻿ / ﻿30.700°N 84.833°W﻿ / 30.700; -84.833 (30.703, –84.847). It is bordered to the west by the Apalachicola River, formed by the juncture of the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers within Lake 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) to Quincy, the Gadsden County seat, and west 5 miles (8 km) to Sneads and 24 miles (39 km) to Marianna. 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 to Interstate 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 the Seaboard Air Line, and the Pensacola & Atlantic. The connecting track survives.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Chattahoochee has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.7 km$^2$), of which 5.5 square miles (14.2 km$^2$) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km$^2$), or 3.30%, is water.

## Climate

The climate for the City of Chattahoochee is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Chattahoochee has a humid subtropical climate zone, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

## Demographics
### 2010 and 2020 census

Chattahoochee racial composition (Hispanics excluded from racial categories) (NH = Non-Hispanic) :
| Race | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 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 or Alaska Native (NH) | 8 | 5 | 0.22% | 0.17% |
| Asian (NH) | 38 | 22 | 1.04% | 0.74% |
| Pacific Islander or Native 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 the 2020 United States census, there were 2,955 people, 998 households, and 646 families residing in the city.
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 the 2010 United States census, there were 3,652 people, 1,072 households, and 577 families residing in the city.

## Historic places

On January 6, 1861, 4 days before Florida delegates formally seceded from the Union as part of the American Civil War, state troops seized the federal Arsenal located in the town. The former arsenal and current Administration Building of Florida State Hospital is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Building - #73000578). Florida State Hospital, the hospital involved in the famous United States Supreme Court decision O'Connor v. Donaldson, is located within the City. The hospital was featured in a 1989 movie, Chattahoochee, starring Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper, in which a war hero, Chris Calhoun, is involuntarily committed to Florida State Hospital where he sees doctors at the hospital humiliating patients and experiences filth and abuse.

## Government and infrastructure

The U.S. Postal Service operates the Chattahoochee Post Office.
The Chattahoochee Volunteer Fire Department operates one fire station.
The Gadsden Connector, a bus route operated by Big Bend Transit, has a stop in Chattahoochee.

## Education

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 to Greensboro Primary School and students in grades 4–5 will move to West Gadsden Middle School. The sole public high school of the county is Gadsden County High School (formerly East Gadsden High School).
Until 2004 Chattahoochee High School served as the community middle and high school. That year it consolidated into West Gadsden High School. 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 into East Gadsden High School.

## Notable people

* Roger Bailey, former MLB baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies
* Sandy D'Alemberte, former president of the American Bar Association and former president of Florida State University (FSU)
* Shantley Jackson, horse jockey

## In film

The 1989 film "Chattahoochee" is based on the Florida State Hospital and allegations of abuse on residents. The movie, which starred Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper, was not shot in Chattahoochee, however.

## Footnotes

* 1 2 "Chattahoochee, Florida - Historic Sites & Points of Interest".
* ↑ "Act of the Territorial Legislative Council to Incorporate the Town of Chattahoochee in Gadsden County, January 22, 1834". Florida Memory.
* ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
* ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
* ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
* ↑ Nestor, Sandy (May 7, 2015). Indian Placenames in America. ISBN 9780786493395.
* ↑ "City of Chattahoochee".
* ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
* ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
* ↑ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Chattahoochee city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
* ↑ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Chattahoochee city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
* ↑ "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2020: Chattahoochee city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
* ↑ "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Chattahoochee city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
* ↑ The War of the Rebellion : a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies. Washington D.C.: United States War Department. 1880–1901. p. 332. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
* ↑ "National Register of Historic Places - Gadsden County, Florida". Retrieved October 3, 2007.
* ↑ "Chattahoochee". imdb.com. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
* ↑ "CHATTAHOOCHEE." U.S. Postal Service. Retrieved on April 7, 2017.
* ↑ "Fire Station Locations Archived 2017-04-07 at the Wayback Machine." Gadsden County, Florida. Retrieved on April 7, 2017.
* ↑ "Big Bend Transit | COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OF GADSDEN COUNTY". www.bigbendtransit.org. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
* ↑ "SCHOOL MERGERS NOT POPULAR AT WEST GADSDEN". Havana Herald. March 3, 2017. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
* ↑ "About the School." West Gadsden High School. Retrieved on April 5, 2017.
* ↑ Jiwanmall, Stephen (April 4, 2017). "Gadsden County Schools to Consolidate in 2017-18". WTXL. Retrieved April 6, 2017.