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High Springs, Florida
City of High Springs
A composite of pictures—downtown area, water tower, city hall, Priest Theatre, old railroad depot
Top, left to right: downtown area, water tower, city hall, Priest Theatre, old railroad depot
Location in Alachua County and the state of Florida
Location in Alachua County and the state of Florida
Country United States of America
State Florida
County Alachua
Incorporated 1892
Government
 • Type Commission–Manager
Area
 • Total 21.97 sq mi (56.89 km2)
 • Land 21.89 sq mi (56.69 km2)
 • Water 0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Elevation
66 ft (20 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 6,215
 • Density 283.95/sq mi (109.63/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
32643, 32655
Area code(s) 386
FIPS code 12-30525
GNIS feature ID 0307633

High Springs is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in Alachua County and seventh-largest in North Central Florida. The population was 6,215 at the 2020 census, up from 5,350 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The present-day area of High Springs was first settled on a permanent basis by English-speaking people during the late 1830s. One of the earliest settlements in the vicinity was at Crockett Springs, located about three miles east of present-day High Springs. Settlers who were living there during the 1840s included Fernando Underwood and Marshal Blanton.

A discernible town began to develop in the early 1880s after the Savannah, Florida & Western Railway was constructed and several phosphate mines were established. A railroad station and a post office called Santaffey were established in 1884. The post office was renamed Santa Fe a few months later, then Orion the next year, and in 1888 it became High Springs, and the town was officially incorporated in 1892. The town, now a city, had a population over 1,500 at the end of the 1890s and was the second largest by population in the county.

Business district in 1916

Geography

High Springs is located at 28°49′N 82°36′W / 28.817°N 82.600°W / 28.817; -82.600 (29.8245, –82.5953).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.0 square miles (57.1 km2), of which 22.0 square miles (56.9 km2) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km2) (0.36%) is water.

Climate

High Springs has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

Climate data for High Springs, Florida, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1944–2015
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 87
(31)
89
(32)
97
(36)
96
(36)
104
(40)
104
(40)
107
(42)
104
(40)
99
(37)
99
(37)
95
(35)
89
(32)
107
(42)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 80.3
(26.8)
82.9
(28.3)
87.0
(30.6)
91.3
(32.9)
95.4
(35.2)
97.7
(36.5)
97.9
(36.6)
97.2
(36.2)
95.0
(35.0)
91.2
(32.9)
85.7
(29.8)
82.1
(27.8)
99.2
(37.3)
Average high °F (°C) 66.7
(19.3)
70.0
(21.1)
76.1
(24.5)
82.0
(27.8)
87.8
(31.0)
90.4
(32.4)
91.8
(33.2)
90.8
(32.7)
88.5
(31.4)
82.2
(27.9)
75.2
(24.0)
69.1
(20.6)
80.9
(27.2)
Daily mean °F (°C) 53.2
(11.8)
56.0
(13.3)
61.3
(16.3)
67.2
(19.6)
74.9
(23.8)
79.7
(26.5)
81.1
(27.3)
81.0
(27.2)
78.1
(25.6)
69.9
(21.1)
61.7
(16.5)
55.5
(13.1)
68.3
(20.2)
Average low °F (°C) 39.8
(4.3)
41.9
(5.5)
46.5
(8.1)
52.4
(11.3)
61.9
(16.6)
68.9
(20.5)
70.4
(21.3)
71.1
(21.7)
67.7
(19.8)
57.7
(14.3)
48.2
(9.0)
41.8
(5.4)
55.7
(13.2)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 22.1
(−5.5)
25.5
(−3.6)
30.9
(−0.6)
37.6
(3.1)
49.1
(9.5)
61.6
(16.4)
65.4
(18.6)
65.8
(18.8)
56.2
(13.4)
40.8
(4.9)
30.8
(−0.7)
24.4
(−4.2)
19.0
(−7.2)
Record low °F (°C) 9
(−13)
17
(−8)
20
(−7)
31
(−1)
40
(4)
44
(7)
55
(13)
58
(14)
37
(3)
29
(−2)
15
(−9)
8
(−13)
8
(−13)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.68
(93)
3.14
(80)
3.90
(99)
2.77
(70)
3.43
(87)
6.74
(171)
7.10
(180)
7.19
(183)
5.45
(138)
3.46
(88)
2.18
(55)
2.64
(67)
51.68
(1,313)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 8.6 8.1 8.0 5.7 7.0 13.9 14.6 15.8 10.3 6.9 5.9 7.5 112.3
Source: NOAA (mean maxima/minima 1981–2010)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 1,562
1910 1,468 −6.0%
1920 1,719 17.1%
1930 1,864 8.4%
1940 2,010 7.8%
1950 2,088 3.9%
1960 2,329 11.5%
1970 2,787 19.7%
1980 2,491 −10.6%
1990 3,144 26.2%
2000 3,863 22.9%
2010 5,350 38.5%
2020 6,215 16.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 and 2020 census

High Springs racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White (NH) 4,116 4,503 76.93% 72.45%
Black or African American (NH) 730 728 13.64% 11.71%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 23 16 0.43% 0.26%
Asian (NH) 38 44 0.71% 0.71%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) 6 0 0.11% 0.00%
Some other race (NH) 8 35 0.15% 0.56%
Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) 76 284 1.42% 4.57%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 353 605 6.60% 9.73%
Total 5,350 6,215

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,215 people, 1,829 households, and 1,424 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 5,350 people, 1,781 households, and 1,502 families residing in the city.

Education

The School Board of Alachua County operates a kindergarten through eighth grade school, the High Springs Community School, in High Springs. Ninth through twelfth grade students attend Santa Fe High School in the adjoining city of Alachua.

Library

The Alachua County Library District operates a branch library on NW 1st Avenue in downtown, High Springs. The library is open 7 days a week, provides regular programming for all ages, and circulates print books, audiobooks, music CDs, and DVDs. Free computer and internet access is available to all patrons.

In 1958, the North Florida Telephone Company offered the loan of its vacant building to the High Springs Parent-Teacher Association for the creation of the first Alachua County branch library located outside of Gainesville. The High Springs Library opened at this location the following year. After years of community fund raising, ground was broken in 1976 for a new 3,000 sq. ft. library building. The second and current library location opened its doors on January 3, 1977. Children from High Springs formed a block-long human chain to move the book collection from the old library to the new one.

Notable People

  • Wes Skiles, cave diving explorer and cinematographer
  • Charlie Huggins, former President of the Alaska State Senate
  • Ellis Amburn, book editor and biographer
  • Myril Hoag, former MLB All-Star

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: High Springs para niños

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