Havana is a town in Gadsden County, Florida, United States, and a suburb of Tallahassee. The population was 1,753 at the 2020 census, almost even from 1,754 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named after Havana, Cuba, located about 530 miles (850 km) to the south.
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History
The cultivation of shade tobacco began in Gadsden County, Florida around 1829. In 1902, following the completion of the Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad, many settlers moved a mile east to the present site of Havana, and platted it as their new community. A local teacher, James Mathewson, proposed the name "Havana". He believed the hand-rolled cigars made in this region of Florida were comparable to those from Havana, Cuba. On December 5, 1906, the Town of Havana was officially incorporated as a municipality. The railway town was important to the export of farming and tobacco.
