Wauchula, Florida

Wauchula is a city and the county seat of Hardee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 4,900. Wauchula has been called the "cucumber capital of the world", although citrus has become a more important agricultural crop over the past few decades. It is home to the downtown's Wauchula Historic District and Albert Carlton Estate.

Geography

Wauchula is located in north-central Hardee County. U.S. Route 17 passes through the city, leading north to Bartow and south to Arcadia. Within the county, Zolfo Springs is to the south on US 17 and Bowling Green is to the north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Wauchula has an area of , all land.

Hurricane Charley

Hurricane Charley hit Wauchula at on Friday, August 13, 2004, causing more than $750 million in damage. Sustained winds of , with gusts of over , were clocked in downtown Wauchula. The entire area had either no running water, or contaminated water for one week. Power was lost to many sections for nearly three weeks, with school canceled for two weeks. The area was declared a federal disaster area after 85% of its buildings were either damaged or destroyed. There was a curfew set for the area for weeks after from 8 pm to 7 am.

Climate

thumb|Confederate Memorial Day parade on Main Street, 1912

thumb|[[Hardee County Courthouse]]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and warm winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Wauchula has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable"

|+Wauchula racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>

!Race

!Pop 2010

!Pop 2020

!% 2010

!% 2020

|White (NH)

|2,179

|2,008

|43.57%

|40.98%

|Black or African American (NH)

|281

|358

|5.62%

|7.31%

|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)

|17

|0.34%

|0.08%

|Asian (NH)

|49

|41

|0.98%

|0.84%

|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)

|0.02%

|0.04%

|Some other race (NH)

|0.08%

|0.10%

|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)

|42

|97

|0.84%

|1.98%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|2,428

|2,385

|48.55%

|48.67%

|Total

|5,001

|4,900

|100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Wauchula had a population of 4,900. The median age was 31.5 years. 31.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.5 males age 18 and over.

99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,604 households in Wauchula, of which 43.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.6% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

According to the American Community Survey 5-year estimates, there were 5,001 people, 1,574 households, and 1,035 families residing in the city in 2010.

2000 census

As of the census

Notable people

Doyle E. Carlton (1885–1972), 25th governor of Florida
Tom McEwen (1923–2011), sportswriter
B. J. McLeod (born 1983), NASCAR driver
Zeke Mowatt (born 1961), NFL football player and Super Bowl XXI champion

References

External links