Hampton, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hampton, Florida
City
City of Hampton
A street view of Hampton's main street, Navarre Avenue.
Seal
Location in Bradford County and the state of Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Bradford
Settled	1859
Incorporated	1870
Reincorporated	1925
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
Area
• Total	1.05 sq mi (2.73 km2)
• Land	1.05 sq mi (2.73 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	151 ft (46 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	432
• Density	409.87/sq mi (158.32/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	32044
Area code(s)	352
FIPS code	12-28575
GNIS feature ID	0283671

Hampton is a city in Bradford County, Florida, United States. It is located in North Florida. The population was 432 at the 2020 census.

History

Early history

Map of Hampton, showing narrow neck of land in the west, annexed in the 1990s, which connects to the former speed trap

Hampton was first settled in 1859, officially incorporated as the "Town of Hampton" in 1870, and officially reincorporated as the "City of Hampton" in 1925. At the time, it was at the junction of the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with stations for both.

In the mid-1990s, Hampton annexed a short stretch of U.S. Highway 301 west of the city in order to obtain revenue from traffic tickets issued to motorists driving on that highway. At the peak of this time before the dismantling of the police department, it had 1 officer per 25 residents.

2013–2014 controversies

In November 2013, the city's mayor Barry Layne Moore was arrested for selling Oxycodone.

On February 10, 2014, auditors from the Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Committee presented 31 violations of state law, city charter and federal tax requirements to state legislators. The city made $211,328 ticketing people driving its 1,260 feet (380 m) of U.S. Highway 301 during 2012, giving the city an unenviable reputation as a "speed trap". The committee asked State Attorney Bill Cervone to investigate any potential criminal activity and a number of state representatives and senators pursued the dissolution of Hampton. In the wake of the controversy, many city officials resigned. State legislators visited Hampton on March 28, 2014 to see if the issues had been solved. They agreed to let Hampton stay incorporated, because the city retracted the annexation of U.S. Highway 301 and decommissioned its police force. Hampton also accounted for budget shortfalls, and reformed its city council proceedings. In May of 2022, the justification for the speed trap was deemed invalid from its inception by Reason magazine, which reported that, "Many speed-trap towns defend their aggressive traffic enforcement on ostensible public safety grounds. But Hampton could not even make that sort of claim, since the highway was a mile away."

Geography

The approximate coordinates for the City of Hampton is located in southern Bradford County at 29°51′51″N 82°8′12″W / 29.86417°N 82.13667°W / 29.86417; -82.13667 (29.864261, –82.136761).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.12 square miles (2.9 km²), all land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Hampton has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 432 people, 220 households, and 128 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 500 people, 182 households, and 118 families residing in the city.

See also

In Spanish: Hampton (Florida) para niños