Perry is a city in Taylor County, Florida, United States. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,017. It is the county seat. The city was named for Madison Perry, fourth Governor of the State of Florida and a Confederate colonel during the American Civil War. Geography Perry is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Perry is approximately southeast of Tallahassee. Climate History In 1922, Perry was a very small town of less than 2,000 people. During this time, a murder happened and three people were hanged for the crimes. Private retribution against the suspected families and those that gave them support ensued. The Perry Massacre occurred in Perry on 14 and 15 December 1922, during which whites hung Charles Wright and attacked the black community of Perry after the murder of a white schoolteacher. On the day following Wright's lynching two more black men were shot and hanged; whites then burned the town's black school, Masonic lodge, church, amusement hall, and several families' homes. According to media, Perry was the first municipality in Florida to observe the eclipse within its direct path during the solar eclipse of March 7, 1970. Firefighters battling a blaze at a natural gas plant in August 1998 were injured when an explosion ripped through the area, sending a mammoth fireball into the sky. The flames destroyed at least six houses and several vehicles and forced the evacuation of 100 homes within two miles of the plant. Four firefighters were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Demographics 2020 census Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,898 people, 2,572 households, and 1,856 families residing in the city. 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 7,017 people, 2,661 households, and 1,828 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,073 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the city was 55.0% White, 40.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.4% Asian and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 2,661 households, out of