Baker County was founded in 1861. It was named for James McNair Baker, a judge and Confederate senator. In 1864 the Battle of Olustee was fought near Lake City in Baker County. This was the only major American Civil War battle in Florida. Much of the area was originally covered with pine flatwoods and cypress swamps, as was Columbia County to the west. Parts of both counties are included in Osceola National Forest. A timber industry developed here, with sawmills constructed along rivers and waterways, where lumber was brought out by water. Turpentine was also produced. These industries employed many African-American laborers.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The extreme northern part of the county lies within the Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected areas. The St. Mary's River passes through Baker and numerous other counties. The St. Marys River is a remote blackwater river, rising in southeastern Georgia and flowing into northeastern Florida, where it forms the easternmost border between the two states.
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,259 people, 7,043 households, and 5,599 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile. There were 7,592 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 84.04% White, 13.92% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.5% were of American, 9.9% Irish, 8.6% English and 6.6% German ancestry according to Census 2000. Those claiming "American" ancestry are of predominantly English ancestry but most people in Baker County who are Anglo-European tend to identify simply as American. 97.2% spoke English and 2.5% Spanish as their first language. There were 7,043 households out of which 41.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couplesliving together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.50% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.20. In the county, the population was spread out with 27.50% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median agewas 34 years. For every 100 females there were 119.79 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,035, and the median income for a family was $43,503. Males had a median income of $30,240 versus $21,279 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,164. About 11.40% of families and 14.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Baker County School District serves public school students in the county. The main library serving Baker County is the Emily Taber Public Library. The building used to be the Old Baker County Courthouse, built in 1908. The library director is April Teel.
Politics
Voter registration
As of February 28, 2019, the county had a Republican majority, with a large Democratic minority.
