- Sopchoppy is known as a small quiet town with lots of history that neighbors work to maintain.
- The city has a land area of 1.7 square miles, but the population is growing.
- Watch the video to see what neighbors and business owners think about the growth.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I spoke to neighbors hearing why some are worried that could change.
Corey Benedict grew up in Sopchoppy and says there’s no place like it.
“Sopchoppy is dear to my heart I love it.”
After living there for decades, he’s noticed changes.
“I see a lot more housing, coming out of our small area and it seems to be growing at a rapid rate.”
Its population is growing. I found that in 2020, Sopchoppy had a population of 426 people. That rose to 480 this year.
That’s a large increase for a city that has a land area of just 1.7 square miles.
With the growing population comes more development. One reason Benedict ran for the Sopchoppy Commission a couple years ago.
He hopes the number of lots built in Sopchoppy will be limited to avoid too much development.
“That’s why I ran is because some of the stuff that was placed was way back in time the lots are very small and currently you can come in and in build one to two per lot and that’s a lot for such a small area.”
Another thing Sopchoppy neighbors have noticed is more people driving through the city.
“There’s a lot more traffic than they’re used to be.”
Robert Pilkington owns a reality business in downtown Sopchoppy. He thinks maps send more traffic here, but says fewer are likely to stop and visit the shops.
“The issue in this area with the traffic is they just kind of zoom out from point A to point B they’re not really getting off the beaten path to come here.”
I’ve reported about Sopchoppy losing its only grocery store and accessible food options.
Despite these challenges, some Sopchoppy neighbors like Benedict say they like it the way it is.
“Sopchoppy has a special charm and it’s a very sacred land and a wonderful environment and I think if you over-develop it, it’s gonna lose its charm.”
I checked recent real estate listings in Sopchoppy and found two newly constructed homes for sale.
