Eatonville, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eatonville, Florida
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| Town of Eatonville | ||
Eatonville Town Hall
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| Motto(s):
"The Town that Freedom Built"
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Location in Orange County and the state of Florida
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Florida |
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| County | Orange | |
| Incorporated | August 15, 1887 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Mayor-Council | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1.16 sq mi (3.00 km2) | |
| • Land | 0.98 sq mi (2.55 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.45 km2) | |
| Elevation | 95 ft (29 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,349 | |
| • Density | 2,384.77/sq mi (920.65/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code |
32751
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| Area code(s) | 407, 689 | |
| FIPS code | 12-19650 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0282054 | |
Eatonville is a town in Orange County, Florida, United States, six miles north of Orlando. It is part of Greater Orlando. Incorporated on August 15, 1887, it was one of the first self-governing all-black municipalities in the United States. (Brooklyn, Illinois, incorporated July 8, 1873, is the oldest incorporated Black town in the U.S.) The Eatonville Historic District and Moseley House Museum are in Eatonville. Author Zora Neale Hurston grew up in Eatonville and the area features in many of her stories.
The Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School was founded in 1897 to provide education for black students in grades 6-12 and taught children for over 100 years.
In 1990, the town founded the Zora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Arts. Every winter the town stages the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities. A library named for her opened in January 2004.
The population was 2,349 at the 2020 census. The vast majority are Black or African American. Eatonville has no gas station, supermarket or pharmacy; only a Family Dollar. With a median household income of $27,000, the town is struggling to survive.
Artist Jules Andre Smith has done a series of paintings depicting life in Eatonville during the 1930s and 1940s. Twelve of these works are at the Maitland Art Center in the adjacent town of Maitland.
Eatonville is home to WESH and WKCF, two television stations serving the Orlando television market.
Contents
History
While sources seem to disagree on the exact date and year of the town's incorporation, the town's official site provides a detailed account of the process and the dates. According to that official source, the town is named after Josiah C. Eaton, one of a small group of white landowners who were willing to sell sufficient land to African Americans to incorporate as a black town.
Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God presents an overview of the founding of the town through the eyes of Janie Crawford, the protagonist. It is considered a roman à clef. The novel refers to several Florida locales known only to insiders.
Before the days of racial integration, Club Eaton was a popular stop on the Chitlin' Circuit, hosting performers ranging from B.B. King to Aretha Franklin, the young local Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, The Platters, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and James Brown.
Geography
Eatonville is located at 28°37′7″N 81°23′0″W / 28.61861°N 81.38333°W (28.618727, -81.383440).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (9.17%) is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the Town of Eatonville has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 125 | — | |
| 1910 | 108 | −13.6% | |
| 1920 | 125 | 15.7% | |
| 1930 | 136 | 8.8% | |
| 1960 | 857 | — | |
| 1970 | 2,024 | 136.2% | |
| 1980 | 2,185 | 8.0% | |
| 1990 | 2,170 | −0.7% | |
| 2000 | 2,432 | 12.1% | |
| 2010 | 2,159 | −11.2% | |
| 2020 | 2,349 | 8.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census Florida Department of Agriculture |
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2010 and 2020 census
| Race | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White (NH) | 147 | 265 | 6.81% | 11.28% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1,788 | 1,692 | 82.82% | 72.03% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 0 | 6 | 0.00% | 0.26% |
| Asian (NH) | 16 | 7 | 0.74% | 0.30% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 1 | 1 | 0.05% | 0.04% |
| Some other race (NH) | 2 | 10 | 0.09% | 0.43% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 9 | 47 | 0.42% | 2.00% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 196 | 321 | 9.08% | 13.67% |
| Total | 2,159 | 2,349 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,349 people, 849 households, and 437 families residing in the town.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,159 people, 709 households, and 514 families residing in the town.
Transportation
Interstate 4 passes through the city limits, but there is no exit. The closest exits are Florida State Road 423 (to the south) and Florida State Road 414 (to the north).
Education
The Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School was founded in 1897 for vocational education for Black students by Professor and Mrs. Russell C. Calhoun, a graduate of Tuskegee Institute. At that time, segregation in the South provided few opportunities for non-whites. The 160 acres (65 ha) land was donated by E.C. Hungerford of Chester, Connecticut in memory of his physician son, Robert, who died of yellow fever. Cash donations came from across the country, including $400 from Booker T. Washington. The school was successful and more than 100 students were boarding in 1927, as well as local children attending and adult classes offered at night. Ten years later, Orange County provided bus transportation for black children from nearby Winter Park to attend the school. The school provided both vocational and college preparation, teaching English, Latin, history, general science, biology, algebra, geometry, industrial arts and home economics. Students could also learn bookkeeping and typing, physical education and agriculture. Programs for drafting and radio were added during the 1940s. The campus included girls & boys dormitories, a dining hall, library, chapel, laundry, industrial training shops, home economics laboratory, equipment barn and farmland. To keep expenses down, students were assigned various duties around the campus including jobs at the school's dairy, chicken coops, gardens and janitorial/maintenance of the institution's classrooms and buildings. The school had been privately funded until the Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) took control in 1950. The Hungerford School was closed in 2010.
Land
The Hungerford campus had grown to 300 acres (120 ha) in 1950, and was held in trust for the school. That land was almost 40% of the town of Eatonville. However, OCPS purchased the land from the trust in 1951 for about $16,000 with the stipulation that it be used "for the education of Black children". Since the original purchase, OCPS has petitioned the courts multiple times to reduce the number of acres required to be used for the education of black children from 300 to 100 with OCPS receiving almost $8 million. The remaining 100 acres (40 ha) parcel was appraised in 2019 for $20 million, but the OCPS announced their intention to sell the land to a developer for $14 million on March 31, 2023. The plans include a "new community" of 350 homes, apartments, retail businesses and restaurants. Existing residents claim the new development would wipe out the historic community and violate the land agreement, so locals are in a fight with the school board.
Notable people
- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, NFL football safety
- Zora Neale Hurston, folklorist and author
- Deacon Jones, NFL football defensive end
- Norm Lewis, actor and baritone singer
See also
In Spanish: Eatonville (Florida) para niños
