The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-07-19
STATE INCREASES
IN POPULATION
Department of Commerce and
Labor Sends Out Bulletin
Showing Increase.
FLORIDA HAS SO CITIES
The Report Represents an Increase
of 42.4 Per Cent, Which is
Gratifying.

sus bulletin just issued by the de.
partment of commerce and labor, the
population of Florida is 752,619 Com.
pared with population of 52S,542 in
1900, this represents an increase dur.
ing the last decade of 224,077, OF 42.4
per cent. During the same period the
total population of the state of Flor
ida at each Federal census from 1880
Increased Il per cent. The growth of
the state was somewhat more rapid
than tluring the preceding decade,
lS9O-l9OO, when the rate was 35 per
cent
Florida was organized as a terri
tory in 1922 and appears in the Fed
eral census reports for the first time
in 1880. The population of the state,
while showing substantial growth
during each decade, increased more
rapidly during the first three dec
ades, 1880, 1860, than during the five
decades since 1860. The rates of in
crease for the first three decades
ranged from 500 per cent to 6O.6
per cent, while the rates for the
decades since 1860 ranged from 1871
per cent. to 45.2 per cent
Florida has 80 cities. Jacksonville,
the largest, has population of 81
699, and Tampa, the second city,
population of 37,7S2. Pensacola, with
22,9S2 inhabitants, and Key West,
with 1895 inhabitants, are the 9th
er cities in the state having over 10,-
600 inhabitants. There are also six
cities having from 5000 to 10000 in
habitants, ten from $500 to 5000 and
nineteen having less than $500 inhab-
itants.
Tampa shows the highest rate of in
crease during the last decade, namely
1855 per cent, and Key West shows
the lowest, 16.5 per cent. Jacksonville .
has had a very rapid growth the
rate of increase being lower than 100
per cent. in only two decades of tre
six reported. During the last decade
the population considerably more than
doubled, the numerical increase be-
ing larger than during any previous
decade
The following territorial changes
have been made in the organized
counties of Florida since 1900: Part of
Brevard county was taken in 1905 to
form st. Lucie county and part of
Dade county was taken in 1909 to
form Palm Beach county.
Owing to the organization since
1900 of two new counties from parts |
of other counties, as shown above, |
the comparison of increase or de-
crease in population is made for only |
43 counties and for two combinations
of counties. The combinations of
counties are Brevard with st. Lucie,
and Palm Beach with Dade. In order
to determine the actual rate of in
crease for these counties, it is nee
essary to add the population of the
new county to that of the old county
from which it was formed. Forty
and two combinations of
increased in population dur
ing the last decade. The rates of
Increase for the 40 counties that
show an increased range from 35 per
cent in Columbia county to 1176 per
cent. in Hilsboro county, and the alb
solute increases from 2S9 in Baker
to 42,361, in Hillsboro county.
The combined counties of st. Lucie
and Brevard increased 70.5 per cent.
n population, while the combined
counties of Palm Beach and Dade in
creased 1884 per cent. Three coun-
ies-Hamilton Leon and Wakulla-
decreased in population during the
asst decade, the percentage of de-
,rease being 0.5, 2.3 and 81, respect
vely. The aggregate increase in pop ;
llation from 1900 to 1910 in the two
of counties and in the
10 counties that showed an increase
vas 224,640; the aggregate decrease
# population in the three counties
hat showed a decrease was S63. The
Inference, 224,O77, is, of course, the :
otal increase of population in the
tate.
The total land area of the state is
4,S61 square miles The average num-
,er of persons to the square mile in
$40 was 1871, in 1900 and 1890 it was
6 and IL, respectively. The aver
ge number per square mile for con-
mental United States, as whole, in
910, was 90.9.
Lee county, with 4.O91 square miles,
as the largest area, and Holmes
ounty, containing Jacksonville city,
as the highest density of any coun-
y, namely, 95.6 persons per square