Clay

Formed December 31, 1858 (37^th county)

Clay County (218,250), Green Cove Springs (9,782)

The Modern style red brick and concrete courthouse of Clay County is on Orange Avenue between Houston and Lamont streets.  United States Highway 17 is Orange Avenue through the city.  It was built in 1974 and enlarged in 1980.  Allen Frye and Associates are the courthouse architects.  The courthouse was remodeled in 1993 and enlarged in 2008.  An Administration Center was built in 1991.  The structure features a dome with working clock and columns.  There was an 1889 courthouse in Green Cove Springs.  Middleburg (1858), Whitesville (1859), and Green Cove Springs (1871) have all been the county seats.  Clay County is named for United States Secretary of State Henry Clay.  The county seat is named for a local spring located in a cove of St. Johns River.  The county was created on December 31, 1858 from part of Duval County as the 37^th county. 

Clay County government consists of a manager, sheriff, and appraiser (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Thirty-four Circuit Court Judges serve Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties and Two County Court Judges, clerk, and county attorney serve Clay County (judicial.) The county is in northeast Florida just to the southwest of Jacksonville, Florida.  The St. Johns River forms the eastern border of the county.  The center of the county is 7.6 miles West of Green Cove Springs nearer Penney Farms.  The county is surrounded by Duval, St. Johns, Putnam, Bradford, and Baker counties. 

The area of the county is 601 square miles.  It is 44 out of 67 counties in the state.  It ranks 25 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 363.1 persons per square mile making it 22 out of 67 in the state.  Clay County has 9.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 17 crosses north to south through the county from Duval County to Putnam County.  United States Highway 301 cuts the extreme northwest corner from Duval County to Bradford County, north to west.  The county shape is a plow.  Green Cove Springs is located in the extreme east central part of the county.  Green Cove Springs is the county seat and the largest city.  Green Cove Springs is 4.5% of the county population.  This county is in the Jacksonville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Penney Farms