Wewahitchka, Florida
Encyclopedia
Wewahitchka is a city in Gulf County
Gulf County, Florida
Gulf County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 13,332. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 13,975 . Its county seat is Port St. Joe.- History :...

, 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...

. The population was 1,722 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 1,703.

Geography

Wewahitchka is located at 30°6′51"N 85°11′55"W (30.114042, -85.198541).

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 city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²), of which, 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it (16.42%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 1,722 people, 696 households, and 483 families residing in the city. 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 277.4 people per square mile (107.1/km²). There were 894 housing units at an average density of 144.0 per square mile (55.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.61% White, 7.55% African American, 7.64% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.

There were 696 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% 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, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,755, and the median income for a family was $32,935. Males had a median income of $26,023 versus $19,886 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 city was $13,731. About 16.6% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Wewahitchka is home to two schools; Wewahitchka Elementary School, whose mascot are the Warriors; and Wewahitchka High School, whose mascots are the Gators. They are have a HeadStart program at the Old elementary site.

Tupelo honey

Wewahitchka is the site of one of Florida's largest beekeeping
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...

 operations, which was the setting for Ulee's Gold
Ulee's Gold
Ulee's Gold is a 1997 film written and directed by Victor Nuñez, and starring Peter Fonda in the title role. Co-stars include Patricia Richardson, Christine Dunford, Tom Wood, Jessica Biel, J. Kenneth Campbell, Steven Flynn, Dewey Weber, and Vanessa Zima...

, a movie filmed in the area. This premium honey is produced by placing beehives, known by the beekeepers as "Bee Boxes", in the swamps along the Apalachicola
Apalachicola River
The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 112 mi long in the State of Florida. This river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin for short, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its farthest headstream in northeast Georgia is approximately 500...

and other area rivers. In some areas the bees are placed on platforms and rafts to keep them above potential floods. Prior to the tupelo bloom, all earlier season honeys are stripped from the bees to avoid contamination with lesser grades produced earlier. Likewise, as soon as bloom is finished, the honey must be removed quickly before the bees have a chance to add other types of nectar.
Wewahitchka also has an annual two day Tupelo Honey festival in May.

External links

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