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Baker, Florida

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1949 and the latest in 1978. It stands in the Baker census division. It lies in ZIP code area 32531. It stands on Gum Springs Branch. The Survey maps it on the Baker quadrangle.

Baker within Okaloosa County

Then and now

1949 to 1978

The same ground, surveyed 29 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Baker, surveyed 1978
Topographic sheet of Baker, surveyed 1949

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 13 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

213 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 213 fires within 5 miles of Baker between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,773 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 11 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning59
Railroad operations and maintenance57
Missing data/not specified/undetermined40
Arson/incendiarism11
Equipment and vehicle use11
Smoking10
Misuse of fire by a minor8
Power generation/transmission/distribution8
Recreation and ceremony3
Natural3
Other causes2
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 1997Railroad operations and maintenanceunder an acreFlorida Forest Servicenot named
30 September 1993Debris and open burning1.6 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
3 September 2020Arson/incendiarism17 acresFlorida Forest ServiceBONE CREEK (46)
28 September 2008Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreFlorida Forest Service120
24 September 2004Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFlorida Forest ServicePICKENS CIRCLE FIRE - 1116
24 September 2004Power generation/transmission/distribution4.0 acresFlorida Forest ServiceSHOE FIRE - 1117
23 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined500 acresEglin Air Force BasePINCH
21 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresFlorida Forest ServiceMEGAN LN (46)

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Okaloosa County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Baker: 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Okaloosa Co. Comm. - South Baker MineClayUnknown

Every working recorded in Okaloosa County

Storms near this place

23 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Baker in 23 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 15 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 lightning, 2 tornado. The reports record 2 deaths and 14 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 1999LightningBaker1 killed, 1 hurtA fatal lightning strike occurred while 2 men were on a boat on Hurricane Lake 10 miles Northwest of Baker or 6 miles North of Highway 4 off of Beaver Creek Road. One of the occupants was killed while the other was injured. Upon the approach of a storm, the occupants moved the boat to beneath some trees to escape the rain and were struck.
July 2017LightningBaker1 killedA lightning strike killed a camper at the Wilderness Landing campground along the Blackwater River.
January 2006Tornado (F0)Baker13 hurt, $2,000,000A weak tornado touched down along State Highway 4 in Baker near the Post Office. The tornado tracked northeast and tore part of the roof off the Baker School. The winds from the storm funneled into part of the school and peeled sections of the roof off. Kids inside quickly got underneath their desks. Water from the rain fell into the classrooms and caused part of the ceiling to collapse. Thirteen kids suffered minor injuries. At least four classrooms at the school were damaged. The weak tornado continued tracking northeast and damaged several more homes before lifting back into the clouds near Old River Road.
January 1997Thunderstorm WindBaker$20,000no account filed
October 2004Thunderstorm WindBaker$15,000High winds from a line of thunderstorms blew down several trees near Baker. The high winds also caused roof damage to a manufactured home.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindBaker$5,000Winds estimated at 60 mph downed several powerlines down on State Road 189.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindBaker$5,000Several sheds were damaged by high winds near the community.
August 2000Tornado (F0)Baker$5,000A weak tornado was observed near the community. The tornado only briefly touched down, blowing down one tree and producing other vegitative damage in the area. The weak tornado was captured on video.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindBaker$5,000Storm spotters reported that high winds blew numerous trees down near the area.
October 1997Thunderstorm WindBaker$5,000Several trees and power lines were blown down around the Baker community.
April 1996Thunderstorm WindBaker$5,000no account filed
September 2011Thunderstorm WindBaker$2,000Winds estimated at 60 mph downed a tree on a house on Wadsworth Blvd.
January 1997Thunderstorm WindBaker$1,500no account filed
June 1997Thunderstorm WindBaker$1,000Several trees were blown down near the Baker community.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindBaker$500Several trees and power lines were blown down along Highway 4 just west of Baker.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindBaker-Multiple large trees uprooted/downed in the community of Baker.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindBaker-High winds downed multiple trees and caused widespread power outages.
January 2020Thunderstorm WindBaker-Trees down near the vicinity of Reeves Road and Griffith Mill Road.
April 2011Thunderstorm WindBaker-Numerous trees and power lines blown down by severe thunderstorm winds near 60 mph around the Baker area. The heaviest damage was reported on Dairy Road just northeast of Baker, with significant tree damage, two homes with structural damage, and power lines down with the poles snapped.
October 2004Funnel CloudBaker-A funnel cloud was observed near Baker. The funnel cloud never touched down and went back into the cloud.
June 1997HailBaker-Dime size hail was reported in the Baker community.
March 2001HailBaker-no account filed
January 1997HailBaker-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Okaloosa County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Nubbin Ridge3.0 miles13
Milligan3.8 miles13
Cannon Town4.0 miles13
Galliver5.2 miles16
Crestview6.4 miles14
Kellys Mill6.5 miles18
Holt6.6 miles16
Silver Springs6.9 miles14

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on BakerAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q4849091The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 278045. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.