History
Alachua was established in 1884 on a railroad line, after the railroad had bypassed nearby Newnansville, Florida. Alachua got a post office in 1887 and was incorporated as a city on 12 April, 1905, at which time it had a population of 526 people.
Geography
Alachua is located at 29°46'45" North, 82°28'47" West (29.779286, -82.479849)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 75.2 km² (29.0 mi²). 74.9 km² (28.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.52% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 6,098 people, 2,348 households, and 1,751 families residing in the city. The population density is 81.5/km² (211.0/mi²). There are 2,501 housing units at an average density of 33.4/km² (86.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 67.56% White, 29.08% African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.13% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 3.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,348 households out of which 34.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% are married couples living together, 19.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% are non-families. 19.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.59 and the average family size is 2.97.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $38,075, and the median income for a family is $49,542. Males have a median income of $36,315 versus $28,018 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,299. 16.0% of the population and 14.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 22.3% are under the age of 18 and 11.6% are 65 or older.