Bell is a town in Gilchrist County, Florida, United States. The population was 349 at the 2000 census. Gilchrist County holds two towns, Bell & Trenton. It is situated in the northern part of the county. The Middle/High School is home to approximately 750 students. Bell was once the site of "Swamp Shooters", an alumni game where former Gator football players participated in many different basketball activities. Akin's BBQ, which is noted in many southern restaurant magazines, is a very popular place to dine.
One thing Bell has come to be noticed for is the excellent Bell High-Q teams. During the 07-08 season, the Varsity team held an undefeated record, and the JV team has won the district championship for the past three years (06-07, 07-08, 08-09).
Jady Gray has been elected twice (2008-2009 and 2009-2010) from Bell High School to serve as the Northern VP - Secondary for the Florida Health Occupations Students of America.In the year 2007, Jeffrey Lee Williams Jr. was elected to serve the Florida FFA Association as the Area II State Vice President. Jeffrey is one of the few to ever be elected to State FFA Office.
Another thing that Bell High School is known for is its excellent Criminal Justice Program. Each year it participates in the Florida Public Service Association Competitiion won First place in State 2008-2009. Also, three of the BHS Criminal Justice Program Members are State Officers for F.P.S.A, including Sarah Nesmith, President, Larana Wingate, Historian, and Bobby Brito, Parlimentarian.
Geography
Bell is located at 29°45′16″N 82°51′42″W / 29.75444°N 82.86167°W / 29.75444; -82.86167 (29.754443, -82.861712)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 349 people, 125 households, and 91 families residing in the town. The population density was 213.5 people per square mile (82.7/km²). There were 149 housing units at an average density of 91.2/sq mi (35.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.99% White, 2.01% African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.43% from other races, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.43% of the population.
There were 125 households out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,156, and the median income for a family was $30,987. Males had a median income of $21,250 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,790. About 13.1% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65.
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