Orange Park

Orange Park is a town and suburb of Jacksonville in Clay County, Florida, USA. The population was 9,081 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the town had grown to 9,243.

The name reflects the hope of its founders for a fruit-growing industry, but their crops were destroyed in the Great Freeze of 1894-95. Despite recovery elsewhere, the crops never came back to Orange Park.

Television station WJXX is licensed to Orange Park.

History

Founded in 1877 by the Florida Winter Home and Improvement Company. Following the Civil War, the company purchased several thousand acres of the McIntosh plantation at Laurel Grove, for the purpose of creating a southern retreat and small farming community. The town was incorporated in 1879 by a special act of the Florida Legislature.

Orange Park is a suburb of Jacksonville and is located geographically a few miles south of the city. The town has a fat Gorilla named Papa Gump. It has a very big belly. Papa Gump can do backflips and twirls. He is very sweet.

Orange Park was the home of the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center, one of ten regional centers for primate research. The Orange Park center, established in 1930 by psychologist Robert Yerkes and Yale University, was the first laboratory in the United States for the study of non-human primates. In 1956, Emory University took over operation of the Center. In 1965, the center was relocated to the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2002, the Center was renamed the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, though officially the "Regional" name still applies.

Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant was buried at Jacksonville Memorial Gardens in Orange Park in 1977, but his remains were relocated to an undisclosed location after vandals broke into his tomb and the tomb of bandmate Steve Gaines on June 29, 2000. Van Zant's casket was pulled out and spilled on the ground. The bag containing Gaines' ashes was torn open and some spilled into the grass. Their mausoleums remain as memorials for fans to visit.

Geography

Orange Park is located on the St. Johns River at 30°10′7″N 81°42′31″W  /  30.16861°N 81.70861°W  / 30.16861; -81.70861 (30.168569, -81.708479).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.4 km²), of which, 3.9 square miles (10.1 km²) of it is land and 1.6 square miles (4.3 km²) of it (29.73%) is water.

The area known as Greater Orange Park encompasses the unincorporated communities of Fleming Island, Ridgewood, Doctor's Inlet, Orange Park South, and Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,081 people, 3,429 households, and 2,362 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,331.1 people per square mile (899.0/km²). There were 3,648 housing units at an average density of 936.4/sq mi (361.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.95% White, 10.96% African American, 0.52% Native American, 2.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.44% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.60% of the population.

There were 3,429 households out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,631, and the median income for a family was $58,093. Males had a median income of $36,590 versus $26,846 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,087. About 4.6% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18, 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau . http://factfinder.census.gov . Retrieved 2008-01-31 .  
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25 . http://geonames.usgs.gov . Retrieved 2008-01-31 .  
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03 . http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html . Retrieved 2008-01-31 .  

External links

• Town of Orange Park Webpage

• Orange Park, Florida is at coordinates 30°10′07″N 81°42′31″W  /  30.168569°N 81.708479°W  / 30.168569; -81.708479  ( Orange Park, Florida ) Coordinates: 30°10′07″N 81°42′31″W  /  30.168569°N 81.708479°W  / 30.168569; -81.708479  (

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