Hastings, Florida
Encyclopedia
Hastings is a town and agricultural center in St. Johns County
, Florida
, United States
, 18 miles (29 km) southwest of St. Augustine
. The population was 521 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 607.
Henry Morrison Flagler
built tourist hotels at St. Augustine in the late 19th century, including the Ponce de León Hotel
. He needed a local source of fresh vegetables for his guests, so he persuaded Thomas Horace Hastings, his cousin, to develop a farm. A small community evolved into a town, which was named for its founder in 1890. Hastings is known as the "Potato Capital of Florida" with 21000 acres (85 km²) of potato farms, but also produces cabbage, onions, eggplant and ornamental horticulture.
Hastings in 1910 was thriving town that was a stop on the Florida East Coast Railway
. The population of approximately 1,200 supported several general stores, a bakery, drug stores, meat markets, an ice plant and cold storage.
In addition to farming, two companies manufactured barrels and a grist mill ground grain.
There was a bank and a hotel, three doctors and a dentist. The town had water and sewer utilities, telephone and telegraph service. The local public school was good.
The Hastings High School
was built in 1924 to provide education for the children of the farmers in the southwest corner of the county. It has since closed, and the Hastings Branch of the St. Johns County Public Library is located in this building.
The only public school in the town is the Hastings Youth Academy, an Alternative school
.
Hastings offers a quiet, rural lifestyle where the average home price is under $80K. State Road 207 is the main highway through the town, which is the only real development between St. Augustine and Palatka
. Much of the roadway between Hastings and St. Augustine was expanded to four lanes in the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century, increasing the attractiveness of the area for new development and subdivisions.
television network
show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
featured the Harvey family in a show aired on April 24, 2005. Workers employed by the show were joined by the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NFBA) members to complete the project, which demolished the family's 1930s' broken-down structure and replaced it with a 4,280 ft², 2-story home with a 2009 assessed value of $342,696. The project was completed in seven days of work. Much of the actual labor was performed by the non-profit Builder's Care, a unit of the NFBA. Builder's Care also performed an "Extreme Community Outreach" in the surrounding homes to identify and resolve problems in plumbing, electrical, air conditioning and structure.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 521 people, 213 households, and 139 families residing in the town. The population density
was 790.5 people per square mile (304.8/km²). There were 238 housing units at an average density of 361.1 per square mile (139.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 52.02% White, 43.38% African American, 0.58% Pacific Islander, 2.11% from other races
, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.99% of the population.
There were 213 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples
living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,635, and the median income for a family was $30,769. Males had a median income of $25,909 versus $20,694 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,537. About 15.4% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.
St. Johns County, Florida
St. Johns County is a county located in northeastern Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 190,039. The county seat is St. Augustine. Due to the inclusion of Ponte Vedra Beach, it is one of the highest-income counties in the United States....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 18 miles (29 km) southwest of St. Augustine
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
. The population was 521 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 607.
History
Henry Morrison Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler was an American tycoon, real estate promoter, railroad developer and partner of John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil. He was a key figure in the development of the eastern coast of Florida along the Atlantic Ocean and was founder of what became the Florida East Coast Railway...
built tourist hotels at St. Augustine in the late 19th century, including the Ponce de León Hotel
Ponce de León Hotel
The Ponce de León Hotel was an exclusive hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, built by millionaire developer and Standard Oil co-founder Henry M. Flagler and completed in 1888. The Hotel Ponce de Leon was designed in the Spanish Renaissance style by the New York architects John Carrere and Thomas...
. He needed a local source of fresh vegetables for his guests, so he persuaded Thomas Horace Hastings, his cousin, to develop a farm. A small community evolved into a town, which was named for its founder in 1890. Hastings is known as the "Potato Capital of Florida" with 21000 acres (85 km²) of potato farms, but also produces cabbage, onions, eggplant and ornamental horticulture.
Hastings in 1910 was thriving town that was a stop on the Florida East Coast Railway
Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad.Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a project of Standard Oil principal Henry Morrison...
. The population of approximately 1,200 supported several general stores, a bakery, drug stores, meat markets, an ice plant and cold storage.
In addition to farming, two companies manufactured barrels and a grist mill ground grain.
There was a bank and a hotel, three doctors and a dentist. The town had water and sewer utilities, telephone and telegraph service. The local public school was good.
The Hastings High School
Hastings High School (Florida)
The Hastings High School is an historic public high school in the St. Johns County School District. It is located at 6195 South Main Street in Hastings, Florida, in southwest St. Johns County, Florida.-History:...
was built in 1924 to provide education for the children of the farmers in the southwest corner of the county. It has since closed, and the Hastings Branch of the St. Johns County Public Library is located in this building.
The only public school in the town is the Hastings Youth Academy, an Alternative school
Alternative school
Alternative school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides part of alternative education. It is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional...
.
Hastings offers a quiet, rural lifestyle where the average home price is under $80K. State Road 207 is the main highway through the town, which is the only real development between St. Augustine and Palatka
Palatka, Florida
Palatka is a city in Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,033 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,796. It is the county seat of Putnam County and includes East Palatka. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka...
. Much of the roadway between Hastings and St. Augustine was expanded to four lanes in the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century, increasing the attractiveness of the area for new development and subdivisions.
National exposure
The town was briefly in the spotlight when the American Broadcasting CompanyAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and community schools etc...
featured the Harvey family in a show aired on April 24, 2005. Workers employed by the show were joined by the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NFBA) members to complete the project, which demolished the family's 1930s' broken-down structure and replaced it with a 4,280 ft², 2-story home with a 2009 assessed value of $342,696. The project was completed in seven days of work. Much of the actual labor was performed by the non-profit Builder's Care, a unit of the NFBA. Builder's Care also performed an "Extreme Community Outreach" in the surrounding homes to identify and resolve problems in plumbing, electrical, air conditioning and structure.
Geography
Hastings is located at 29°43′5"N 81°30′29"W (29.7180, -81.5081).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 521 people, 213 households, and 139 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 790.5 people per square mile (304.8/km²). There were 238 housing units at an average density of 361.1 per square mile (139.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 52.02% White, 43.38% African American, 0.58% Pacific Islander, 2.11% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.99% of the population.
There were 213 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,635, and the median income for a family was $30,769. Males had a median income of $25,909 versus $20,694 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $14,537. About 15.4% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- Hastings, Florida is at coordinates 29°43′0"N 81°30′30"W.
- Hastings Florida community news portal