Jefferson County, Florida

Jefferson County Education, Geography, and History

Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Florida. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 14,761. Jefferson County was created on January 6, 1827 from Leon County. The county seat is Monticello.  This county is named for Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third President of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson County is part of the Tallahassee, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Jefferson County Name

This county is named for Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third President of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Jefferson County History

Jefferson County was created in 1827. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, who served from 1801 to 1809.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 637 square miles (1,649 km²), of which, 598 square miles (1,548 km²) of it is land and 39 square miles (101 km²) of it (6.11%) is water.

Jefferson county is located in northwest Florida. The county is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jefferson County is the only county in Florida which borders both the state of Georgia and the Gulf of Mexico

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Thomas County, Ga.
• Northeast: Brooks County, Ga.
• East: Madison County
• Southeast: Taylor County
• South: Gulf of Mexico
• Southwest: Wakulla County
• West: Leon County
  

Education

The Jefferson County School District is the only one in Florida operating under a declared financial emergency due to budget deficits. On April 23, 2009, the Florida Department of Education took over financial oversight of the district. In June 2011, the District exited financial emergency one (1) year sooner than expected due to hard work and sacrifice of the part of District faculty and staff. The District has now operated for two years with a fund balance well over the mandated 3%. The District is proud to be financially sound. Academically, the District is showing huge gains in reading and writing. In 2013 there is a new sense of excitement on the part of students, faculty and the community as all are working hard to provide a high quality education delivered with fidelity in a safe, secure environment. Career Academies have been introduced on the campus of Jefferson County Middle High School offering students options in career areas connected to the local economy. The Jefferson County Tigers won the State Championship in Football in 2012.

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