Leon County is a county in the Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 census, the population was 292,198. The county seat is Tallahassee, which is also the state capital and home to many politicians, lobbyists, jurists, and attorneys. Leon County is included in the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Tallahassee is home to two of Florida's major public universities, Florida State University and Florida A&M University, as well as Tallahassee State College. Together these institutions have a combined enrollment of more than 70,000 students. It was an area of cotton cultivation. About 30 percent of Leon County is African American. The area includes red rolling hills.
History
Originally part of Escambia and later Gadsden County, Leon County was created in 1824. It was named after Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer who was the first European to reach Florida. The United States finally acquired this territory in the 19th century. In the 1830s, it attempted to conduct Indian Removal of the Seminole and Creek peoples, who had migrated south to escape European-American encroachment in Georgia and Alabama. After many Seminole were forcibly removed from the area or moved south to the Everglades during the Seminole Wars, planters developed cotton plantations based on enslaved labor.
By the 1850s and 1860s, Leon County had become part of the Deep South's "cotton kingdom". It ranked fifth of all Florida and Georgia counties in cotton production from the 20 major plantations. Uniquely among Confederate capitals east of the Mississippi River, in the American Civil War Tallahassee was never captured by Union forces. No Union soldiers set foot in Leon County until the Reconstruction Era.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which are land and (5.0%) are water. Unlike much of Florida, most of Leon County has rolling hills, as part of Florida's Red Hills Region. The highest point is , in the northern part of the county.
Geology
Leon County encompasses basement rock composed of basalts of the Triassic and Jurassic from ~251 to 145 million years ago interlayered with Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The layers above the basement are carbonate rock created from dying foraminifera, bryozoa, mollusks, and corals from as early as the Paleocene, a period of ~66—55.8 Ma.
During the Eocene (~55.8—33.9 Ma) and Oligocene (~33.9—23 Ma), the Appalachian Mountains began to uplift and the erosion rate increased enough to fill the Gulf Trough with quartz sands, silts, and clays via rivers and streams. The first sedimentation layer in Leon County is the Oligocene Suwannee Limestone in the southeastern part of the county as stated by the United States Geological Survey and Florida Geological Survey.
The Early Miocene (~23.03—15.7 Ma) sedimentation in Leon County is Hawthorn Group, Torreya Formation and St. Marks Formation and is found in the northern two-thirds of the county.
The Pliocene (~5.332—2.588 Ma) is represented by the Miccosukee Formation scattered within the Torreya Formation.
Sediments were laid down from the Pleistocene epoch (~2.588 million—12 000 years ago) through the Holocene epoch (~12,000—present) and are designated Beach ridge and trail and undifferentiated sediments.
Terraces and shorelines During the Pleistocene, what would be Leon County emerged and submerged with each glacial and interglacial period. Interglacials created the county's topography.
Also See Leon County Pleistocene coastal terraces
Also see: Florida Platform and Lithostratigraphy
Geologic formations Red Hills Region (North) Cody Scarp (central) Woodville Karst Plain (South)
Paleontology Three sites in Leon County have yielded fossil remnants of the Miocene epoch.
National protected area Apalachicola National Forest (part)
Bodies of water Lake Miccosukee Black Creek Lake Bradford Lake Ella Lake Hall Lake Iamonia Lake Jackson Lake Lafayette Lake Talquin Ochlockonee River Lake Munson
Adjacent counties Grady County, Georgia - north Thomas County, Georgia - northeast Jefferson County - east Wakulla County - south Gadsden County - west Liberty County - west
Demographics
2020 census
+Leon County, Florida – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)108,104138,396153,474163,483157,45872.72%71.90%64.09%59.34%53.89%Black or African American alone (NH)36,32746,19169,04982,38687,50324.44%24.00%28.84%29.91%29.95%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2644716346816310.18%0.24%0.26%0.25%0.22%Asian alone (NH)9852,6254,5077,95010,4650.66%1.36%1.88%2.89%3.58%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census98121155xx0.04%0.04%0.05%Other race alone (NH)546953225111,2610.37%0.05%0.13%0.19%0.43%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,9614,99411,811xx1.24%1.81%4.04%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2,4294,7158,40715,36122,9141.63%2.45%3.51%5.58%7.84%Total148,655192,493239,452275,487292,198 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
As of the 2020 census, there were 292,198 people, 121,085 households, and 61,961 families residing in the county. The median age was 33.1 years; 19.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 56.1% White, 30.4% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 7.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.8% of the population.
86.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 13.4% lived in rural areas.
There were 121,085 households in the county, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.4% were married-couple households, 23.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 133,478 housing units, of which 9.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 51.2% were owner-occupied and 48.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.2%.
2010 census
Race As of the census of 2010, there were 275,487 people, and 108,592 households residing in the county. The population density was . There were 123,423 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 63.0% White, 30.3% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 2.2% from two or more races. 5.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Age There were 108,592 households, out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.8% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 26.3% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.57 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.03 males.
Education At 70.2%, Leon County enjoys the highest level of post-secondary education in the state of Florida, followed by Alachua County with a total of 67.8%. Level of Education Level Leon Co. Florida U.S. Some college or associate degree 28.5% 28.8% 27.4% Bachelor's Degree 24.0% 14.3% 15.5% Master's or Ph.D. 17.7% 8.1% 8.9% Total 70.2% 51.2% 51.8% Source of above:
Income The median income for a household in the county was $37,517, and the median income for a family was $52,962. Males had a median income of $35,235 versus $28,110 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,024. About 9.40% of families and 18.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.
Parks and preserves Leon County has of open space, forest and woodlands between the Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway and J.R. Alford Greenway. In 2007 the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials recognized the county with its Environmental and Conservation Award for exceptional effort to reclaim, restore, preserve, acquire or develop unique and natural areas.
Law, government, and politics
Politics
Leon County is governed by an elected seven-member board of county commissioners.
Following Reconstruction, white Democrats regained power in Leon County and voters have historically voted for Democratic candidates at the national level. Tallahassee is one of the few cities in the South known for progressive activism.
The county has voted Democratic in 24 of the past 29 presidential elections since 1904. Its political affiliations likely draw from the high number of students, staff, and faculty associated with Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and Tallahassee State College in Tallahassee, as well as the concentration of government employees.
Leon County has had the highest voter turnout of any Florida county. In the 2008 general election, it had a record-setting voter turnout of 85%, including early voting and voting by mail.
As of March 31, 2024, there were 98,612 Democrats, 54,464 Republicans, and 43,600 voters with other affiliations in Leon County.
County representation Leon County Government Position Name Party Commissioner, At-Large Nicholas J. Maddox Democratic Commissioner, At-Large Carolyn D. Cummings Democratic Commissioner, Dist. 1 William C. Proctor Democratic Commissioner, Dist. 2 Christian Caban Democratic Commissioner, Dist. 3 W. Richard Minor Democratic Commissioner, Dist. 4 G. Brian Welch Democratic Commissioner, Dist. 5 David O'Keefe Democratic Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley Democratic Tax Collector Doris Maloy Democratic Property Appraiser Akin Akinyemi Democratic Clerk of the Circuit Court Gwendolyn M. Marshall Democratic Sheriff Walt McNeil Democratic School Superintendent James P. "Rocky" Hanna Democratic Map of County Commission Districts
State representation Allison Tant (D), District 9, represents Leon County's northern half, including most of Tallahassee. Jason Shoaf (R), District 7, represents the county's southern portion. He won office in a special election. Gallop Franklin (D), District 8, represents a west-central portion of the county.
State senator All of Leon County is represented by Corey Simon (R), District 3, in the Florida Senate.
U.S. Congressional representation Leon County is located in the 2nd congressional district after the 2020 census redistricting process was completed. It is currently represented by Neal Dunn (R).
Consolidation Leon County voters have gone to the polls four times to vote on consolidation of the Tallahassee and Leon County governments into one jurisdiction. This proposal would combine police and other city services with the already shared (consolidated) Tallahassee Fire Department, Tallahassee/Leon County Planning Department, and Leon County Emergency Medical Services. Tallahassee's city limits would (at current size) increase from to . Roughly 36 percent of Leon County's 250,000 residents live outside the Tallahassee city limits.