234 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY-I3TH ANNUAL REPORT

 POPULATION

 DENSITY

 When the first census of Florida was taken, in 1830, the peninsular portion of the State was practically uninhabited, except for a few small settlements along the east coast. Not until about the middle of the century were there enough people or enough counties in the area under consideration to make it possible to estimate the density of population. In 1850 there was about one inhabitant 'to three square miles; and as at present, there were about twice as many whites as negroes. The changes in density of population since then, for the whole area and as many of the regions as we can get satisfactory data for from the census returns, are shown graphically in figure 42, which is based on both Federal and State censuses, the latter taken midway between the former, beginning in 1885The number of inhabitants more than doubled between i88o and 1890, the decade when phosphate was discovered and comINHABITANTS PER SQUARE MILE
 TOTAL
 RURAL----- ----I -% 7 I0


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 Tcr~j F TV 0OVS
 R E4AL F~ (Osc low CO(850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920
 Fig. 42. Historical graph showing density of total and rural population in central Florida, some of its subdivisions, and the whole State, from 1850 to 1920, or as far as can be ascertained from the census returns.