Carrabelle is a city in Franklin County along Florida's Panhandle, United States. It is located east of Apalachicola at the mouth of the Carrabelle River on the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,606 as of the 2020 census.
History
In 1528, the first Spanish expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez passed through the area on its way from Tampa Bay to the Rio Grande. From the late 17th century through early 18th century, a few passages referring to the area are mentioned. Carrabelle, Dog Island, and St. George Island served as points to stage raids on local ports, as well as San Marcos de Apalache in 1677 and 1682.
In 1876, explorer Nathaniel Holmes Bishop of Medford, Massachusetts, navigated the Crooked River through the lowlands east to the Ochlockonee River. In 1877, Oliver Hudson Kelley from Massachusetts founded the town and named it "Rio Carrabella", after his niece, Caroline Hall.
The city was chartered and incorporated by the Florida Legislature in May 1893.
On August 1, 1899, the 2nd hurricane of the season struck the area, almost destroying the town and leaving just nine homes.
Carrabelle is the eastern terminus of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
Climate
The climate for the City of Carrabelle is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Carrabelle has a humid subtropical climate zone, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
The population of Carrabelle rose from 1,303 in 2000 to 2,778 in 2010 with the expansion of the city limits to the northeast to include the Franklin Correctional Institution.
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+Carrabelle racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|1,724
|1,567
|62.06%
|60.13%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|754
|707
|27.14%
|27.13%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|7
|4
|0.25%
|0.15%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|11
|6
|0.40%
|0.23%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|1
|0
|0.04%
|0.00%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|0
|16
|0.00%
|0.61%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|40
|77
|1.44%
|2.95%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|241
|229
|8.68%
|8.79%
|-
|Total
|2,778
|2,606
|
|
|-
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Carrabelle had a population of 2,606. The median age was 41.2 years. 8.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 272.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 307.2 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 608 households in Carrabelle, of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.5% were married-couple households, 22.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,778 people, 878 households, and 489 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,303 people, 562 households, and 370 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 790 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.48% White, 5.68% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.
In 2000, there were 562 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. Of all households 30.6% were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83.
In 2000, in the city the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $23,749, and the median income for a family was $27,955. Males had a median income of $26,719 versus $19,018 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,677. About 14.8% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 24.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
thumb|Carrabelle City Hall and Police Department
The current city hall began operations prior to September 30, 2019.
A former city hall facility, which was built in 1938, later became the Carrabelle History Museum, which began operations in April 2009.
Previously the city government used the Carrabelle City Complex, which it owned, as its city hall. This facility was formerly used as the Carrabelle School. In 2015 the city government only used about of that space for municipal function, while it rented other portions to the Camp Gordon Johnston Museum. That year, Keisha Messer, the city clerk, stated that the city government was considering moving to another space that is less costly to use.
- Caroline Hall, one of the eight founders of The Grange
- John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil (1911–2006), Negro league baseball player and coach for the Kansas City Monarchs
- Jack Rudloe, naturalist and cofounder of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory at nearby Panacea, Florida
Attractions and geological features
thumb|alt=Front of the current building for Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum in Carrabelle|Current photo of the Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum across from Carrabelle Beach (the museum moved to a new location in 2018).
- Boat Parade of Lights
- Camp Gordon Johnston Museum
- Carrabelle Beach
- Carrabelle History Museum
- Carrabelle–Thompson Airport
- Carrabelle Riverfront Festival
- Crooked River Lighthouse
- Historic deepwater fishing village
- McKissack Ponds, five small ponds owned by Franklin County, near the Carrabelle–Thompson Airport
- St. James Bay Golf Club
- Tate's Hell State Forest
- Waterway to Dog Island, St George Sound, and eastern start point to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
- World's Smallest Police Station
World's Smallest Police Station
thumb|The World's Smallest Police Station
Carrabelle is the home of the "World's Smallest Police Station",
The Camp Gordon Johnston World War II Museum is located at 1873 Highway 98 West, across the street from Carrabelle Public Beach, and admission is free. The museum was named after Colonel Gordon Johnston, an American soldier who served in the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and World War I.
Crooked River Lighthouse, constructed in 1895, is located west of town, just past the Carrabelle Beach RV Park. It is the tallest lighthouse on the Forgotten Coast, standing 103 feet tall. The Carrabelle Lighthouse Association manages the Keeper's House Museum and a gift shop.
Education
thumb|Library
Carrabelle is a part of the Franklin County Schools system. Students attend the Franklin County K–12 School, in Eastpoint, that was built in 2008. The former school later was used as a city hall.
Franklin County Public Library maintains the Carrabelle Branch.
Gulf Coast State College operates the Gulf/Franklin Campus in Port St. Joe in Gulf County.
Government and infrastructure
Franklin Correctional Institution, a prison of the Florida Department of Corrections, is within the city of Carrabelle.
Gallery
<gallery widths="170px" class="center">
File:Post Office Carrabelle.jpg|Post office
File:Carrabelle Fire Department.jpg|Fire station
File:Franklin County Carrabelle Courthouse Annex.jpg|Courthouse annex
File:Florida Department of Health in Franklin County, Carrabelle.jpg|Florida Department of Health facility
File:Old City of Carrabelle Municipal Complex direct view.jpg|Former City of Carrabelle municipal complex (Also formerly the school of Carrabelle)
</gallery>
See also
- Camp Gordon Johnston
- Crooked River Light
- Florida Panhandle
- Forgotten Coast
- Lanark Village