Grand Ridge is a town in Jackson County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida Panhandle and North Florida. The population was 882 at the 2020 census.
History
In 1860, Judge John Thomas Porter and his wife Phoebe J. Porter (née Finley) moved from New Salem, Fayette County, Pennsylvania to Illinois with their son Ebenezer F. Porter (born 1859), close to Grand Ridge, Illinois in LaSalle County, Illinois, where they lived on a farm until 1872. Porter was at first a farmer, and afterward a lumberman and grain dealer. In 1872, he moved into Grand Ridge, Illinois proper, and built and operated two grain elevators. In 1881, he moved to Florida and engaged in the lumber business. He founded the Town of Grand Ridge, Florida, naming it in honor of his old Illinois home.
John T. Porter also owned the West Florida Echo, a newspaper in Grande Ridge. He was a Republican and it is reported as the only Republican newspaper in the northwestern panhandle of Florida at the start of the 20th century. His son Ebenezer F. Porter became a state legislator in Kansas.
The Town of Grand Ridge was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1951, despite being settled since 1881.
Geography
The approximate coordinates for the Town of Grand Ridge is located in southeastern Jackson County.
U.S. Route 90 travels through the northern side of the town, leading east to Chattahoochee and northwest to Marianna, the county seat. Florida State Road 69 runs through the center of town as Porter Avenue, leading north to Two Egg and south to Interstate 10 at Exit 152.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Grand Ridge has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.85%, are 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 Grand Ridge has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).
Demographics
2010 and 2020 census
{| class="wikitable"
|+Grand Ridge racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|806
|725
|90.36%
|82.20%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|45
|101
|5.04%
|11.45%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|12
|3
|1.35%
|0.34%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|0
|3
|0.00%
|0.34%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|0
|0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|1
|0
|0.11%
|0.00%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|17
|35
|1.91%
|3.97%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|11
|15
|1.23%
|1.70%
|-
|Total
|892
|882
|100.00%
|100.00%
|-
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 882 people, 359 households, and 229 families residing in the town.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 892 people, 277 households, and 203 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the census