Orange Park, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Town of Orange Park
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| Orange Park, Florida | |
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View of the St. Johns River behind Club Continental
Club Continental
Doctors Lake
Orange Park Town Hall
Orange Park Mall
Winterbourne
Grace Episcopal Church
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Location in Clay County and the state of Florida
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Clay |
| Incorporated | 1877 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.32 sq mi (13.78 km2) |
| • Land | 3.64 sq mi (9.42 km2) |
| • Water | 1.68 sq mi (4.36 km2) |
| Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 9,089 |
| • Density | 2,498.35/sq mi (964.51/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
32000-32099
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| Area code(s) | 904, 324 |
| FIPS code | 12-52125 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0288219 |
Orange Park is a town in Clay County, Florida, United States. As a suburb of Jacksonville in neighboring Duval County, it is formally a part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,089 at the 2020 census, up from 8,412 from the 2010 census. The name "Orange Park" is additionally applied to a wider area of northern Clay County outside the town limits, covering such communities as Lakeside, Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace and Oakleaf Plantation.
The town's name reflects the hope of its founders for a fruit-growing industry, but their crops were destroyed in the Great Freeze of 1894–1895. Despite recovery elsewhere, the crops never came back to Orange Park.
Contents
History
Orange Park in the late 18th century was known simply as Laurel Grove. The name Laurel Grove comes from Sarah and William Pengree, who received a land grant from the Spanish governor. Laurel Grove was sold to Zephaniah Kingsley, of the Kingsley Plantation, upon William's death. Zephaniah developed Laurel Grove into a model farming plantation for over 10 years. In 1813, General Matthews invaded East Florida, triggering the Patriots' Rebellion. After Mathews left East Florida, Zephaniah's wife, Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley, burned down Laurel Grove to keep it out of Patriots' hands.
The Town of Orange Park was founded, in 1877, by the Florida Winter Home and Improvement Company. After the Civil War, the company bought several thousand acres of the McIntosh plantation at Laurel Grove, for the purpose of creating a southern retreat and small farming community. The property was divided into building lots and small farm tracts, division that involved laying out the present street system, including Kingsley Avenue and Plainfield Avenue. The town was incorporated in 1879 by a special act of the Florida Legislature. In January 1880, Ulysses S. Grant and Philip Sheridan visited Orange Park. A large hotel was built at Kingsley Avenue along with a 1,200-foot pier. In 1895, the local fruit-growing industry was destroyed in the Great Freeze of 1895.
In October 1891, the Orange Park Normal & Industrial School was opened. The school was founded by the American Missionary Association and allowed for both black and white students to attend, the only unsegragated school in Florida at the time. However, by the end of 1913, the school was closed due to Jim Crow laws.
Orange Park Elementary School, built in 1927, continues to operate a few blocks from the river. It is near Moose Haven, in the River Road Historic District, a stretch of road parallel to the Saint Johns River and dotted with century-old trees, where many locals come to walk and jog in the afternoon. About a quarter of a mile away is Club Continental, previously called Mira Rio. Mira Rio, whose name was Spanish for "River Watch", was the winter palazzo of Caleb Johnson, son of the founder of the Palmolive Soap Company, now the billion-dollar Colgate-Palmolive company.
In 1930, Robert Yerkes, with the support of Yale University, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Carnegie Foundation, established a research station in Orange Park to study primate biology and behavior. Originally called the Yale Laboratories for Primate Biology, it was renamed the Yerkes Laboratory of Primate Biology after Yerkes retired in 1941. In 1956, ownership of the laboratory was transferred to Emory University. The laboratory became the Yerkes National Primate Research Center; it was moved to the Emory University campus in Georgia in 1965.
Geography
Orange Park is in the northeast corner of Clay County, on the St. Johns River, at 30°10′7″N 81°42′31″W / 30.16861°N 81.70861°W (30.168569, –81.708479). Orange Park is a suburb of Jacksonville which borders it to the north. Greater Orange Park encompasses the unincorporated communities of Fleming Island, Ridgewood, Doctors Inlet, Orange Park South, Lakeside, and Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km2), of which 3.6 square miles (9.4 km2) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) (31.71%) is water.
Many households are affiliated with the military; NAS Jacksonville is less than 6 miles (10 km) away. Many others are in the medical field.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 134 | — | |
| 1890 | 228 | 70.1% | |
| 1900 | 245 | 7.5% | |
| 1910 | 372 | 51.8% | |
| 1920 | 333 | −10.5% | |
| 1930 | 661 | 98.5% | |
| 1940 | 668 | 1.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,502 | 124.9% | |
| 1960 | 2,624 | 74.7% | |
| 1970 | 5,019 | 91.3% | |
| 1980 | 8,766 | 74.7% | |
| 1990 | 9,488 | 8.2% | |
| 2000 | 9,081 | −4.3% | |
| 2010 | 8,412 | −7.4% | |
| 2020 | 9,089 | 8.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 and 2020 census
| Race | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 5,968 | 5,976 | 70.95% | 65.75% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1,199 | 1,337 | 14.25% | 14.71% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 26 | 27 | 0.31% | 0.30% |
| Asian (NH) | 263 | 269 | 3.13% | 2.96% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 5 | 17 | 0.06% | 0.19% |
| Some other race (NH) | 7 | 48 | 0.08% | 0.53% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 204 | 424 | 2.43% | 4.66% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 740 | 991 | 8.80% | 10.90% |
| Total | 8,412 | 9,089 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,089 people, 3,361 households, and 2,271 families residing in the city.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 8,412 people, 3,524 households, and 2,079 families residing in the city.
Education
Orange Park is in the Clay County School District and has three public elementary schools, two public junior high schools, and three public high schools. Another ten public elementary schools, two public junior high schools, and three public high schools are outside the town limits. Orange Park also has several private schools. Fortis College, a for-profit two-year college is in Orange Park, as is a campus of St. Johns River State College.
Orange Park High School is the closest public high school, 1 mile (2 km) west of the town limits. Oakleaf High School is the second closest public high school, about two miles southwest of the town limits. Ridgeview High School is the third, about three miles south of the town limits.
Notable people
- Kat Cole, former CEO of Cinnabon
- Dane Dunning, MLB baseball player
- Steve Gaines, former member of Lynyrd Skynyrd who is buried in Jacksonville Memory Gardens Cemetery in Orange Park
- Hank Garland, guitarist and songwriter
- Nassir Little, NBA player
- Terrance Plummer, former NFL linebacker
- Billy Powell, keyboardist of Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Shaquille Quarterman, NFL linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Ronnie Van Zant, former member of Lynyrd Skynyrd who is buried in Jacksonville Memory Gardens Cemetery in Orange Park
- Adrian White, NFL defensive back and former coach for the Buffalo Bills
- Dez White, retired NFL wide receiver
- Slim Whitman, country music singer-songwriter
Transportation
Roadways
The Town of Orange Park is built around the intersection of 2 Major Roads: US 17 and Florida SR 224.
US 17 / Park Avenue
SR 224 / Kingsley Avenue
Park Avenue is Orange Park's main street and connects the town northbound to the city of Jacksonville and I-295, and southbound to the bridge to Fleming Island. Kingsley Avenue is the other main street and connects Orange Park to the neighboring Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace. Other major roads include Wells Road connecting the northern half of Orange Park to the northern half of Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace. Deberry Avenue connects Kingsley Avenue in Orange Park to Wells Road in Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace. Doctor's Lake Road also directly connects Kingsley Ave. in Orange Park to Lakeside to the southwest.
Utilities
Electrical Power
The Town of Orange Park has a virtual 100% electrification rate and the sole electrical provider within the city limits is JEA, located in neighboring Jacksonville in Duval County. The cost and usage is about 8₵ per kWh for both residential and commercial customers. The main electrical provider for customers in the surrounding area is Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc., in Keystone Heights, FL. The average household uses about 1,000 kWh of electricity per month, while commercial businesses use an average of 6,600 kWh per month and industrial entities use 78,000 kWh per month.
See also
In Spanish: Orange Park (Florida) para niños
