Port St. Joe is a city located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 98 and State Road 71 and the county seat of Gulf County, Florida. As of the 2020 census,the population was 3,357. This was a decline from 3,644 as of the 2000 census. History St. Joseph was founded in 1835 by businessmen from nearby Apalachicola, which was troubled by legal conflict over land titles. It was mostly abandoned in 1841 after a yellow fever epidemic; a storm surge produced by a hurricane in 1844 destroyed what structures remained. During the Civil War, Florida was a leading producer of salt for the Confederate army. On September 15, 1862, a Union officer on board the USS Kingfisher wrote that he an his men had sent a demand to the extensive salt works at Saint Joseph that they cease production. When the work was not halted, the Kingfisher went into Saint Joseph bay, sent at least 50 men in land, and destroyed the salt works. In the early 20th century a new settlement was founded close to the original after the arrival of the Apalachicola Northern Railroad in 1909. It appears that the more informal "Port St. Joe" was adopted for official use around this time. The community was extensively damaged by Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018. Geography Port St. Joe is located in southern Gulf County at (29.807968, –85.297684), within the Florida Panhandle and along the Emerald Coast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 21.86%, is water. The city limits extend into St. Joseph Bay, an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Route 98 passes through Port St. Joe as Monument Drive in the north and Constitution Drive in the south. US 98 leads northwest along the Gulf shore to Panama City and southeast to Apalachicola. Florida State Road 71 (Cecil G. Costin Sr. Boulevard) leads northeast to Wewahitchka. Port St. Joe averages only above sea level. At its highest point it is only above sea level. This portion of the town has been dubbed "Highland View". Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 3,644 people, 1,402 households, and 1,030 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,571 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 68.52% White,