| Newberry in a city located on the west of Alachua County. As of 2004, the population was 3,630. The current mayor is John R. Glanzer and much of Newberry borders Gilchrist County. The city's total area is 46 square miles, of which 1 square mile is water. After phosphate was discovered in the western part of Alachua County in 1889, Newberry developed as a mining town. A post office that was established in March 1894 was named Newton, which changed to Newberry in August later that year. There were fourteen mines in 1896 with hotels, boarding houses and saloons to accommodate the town's population. When war was declared against Germany in 1914, the demand for phosphate ended abruptly, since Germany was the principal customer. Newberry then became successful at agriculture, particularly watermelons. The Watermelon Festival is an annual event that started in 1946. |