Clay County, Florida

Clay County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 140,814. The 2006 estimate for the county is 178,899. Its is. Clay County is part of the area.

History
Clay County was created in December from a section of Duval County. Its name is in honor of, famous American statesman, member of the from  and  in the 19th century.

Clay County was once a popular destination for tourists visiting from the northern states. The therapeutic, warm springs and mild climate were major draws for visitors. Steamboats brought them to various hotels in Green Cove Springs - the St. Elmo, Clarendon and the Oakland. President Grover Cleveland was the most prominent of such tourists; he had spring water shipped to the White House. Clay County's popularity among tourists peaked during the last three decades of the 19th century. It was later eclipsed by Henry Flagler's extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to points south (Palm Beach, Miami).

The military has also played an important role in Clay County history. In 1939, opened on  in central Clay County. The Florida National Guard developed this 28,000 acre (113 km²) complex. During, it trained over 90,000 troops and became the fourth largest 'city' in the state. In Green Cove Springs, Lee Field was a flight training center. After World War II, Lee Field became a base for the mothball fleet. Although Lee Field closed in the early 1960s, Camp Blanding continues to operate today. Clay County is also a popular choice of residence for military personnel who are stationed on bases in nearby Duval County.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,667 (644 ). 1,557 km² (601 sq mi) of it is land and 110 km² (43 sq mi) of it (6.62%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - east
 * - south
 * - west
 * - northwest

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 140,814 people, 50,243 households, and 39,390 families residing in the county. The was 90/km² (234/sq mi). There were 53,748 housing units at an average density of 35/km² (89/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 87.44%, 6.70% or , 0.47% , 1.99% , 0.08% , 1.31% from , and 2.01% from two or more races. 4.30% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 50,243 households out of which 39.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.80% were living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.60% were non-families. 16.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,854, and the median income for a family was $53,814. Males had a median income of $36,683 versus $25,488 for females. The for the county was $20,868. About 5.10% of families and 6.80% of the population were below the, including 8.90% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

According to the, in October 2004, there were 106,114 registered voters in Clay County.

Unincorporated Communities

 * Belmore
 * Clay Hill
 * Doctors Inlet
 * Lake Geneva
 * McRae
 * Virginia Village
 * Lake Geneva
 * McRae
 * Virginia Village
 * Virginia Village
 * Virginia Village

Politics
Clay County is one of the most reliably Republican counties in the state during elections outside of the, although it often supports s for local and state offices.