Lake City, Florida

Encyclopedia : L : LA : LAK : Lake City, Florida

Lake City is a city in Columbia County, Florida, United States. It is the Columbia County seat. The population was 9,980 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,699 [link]. It is the county seat of Columbia County^{[Geographic references#6GR6]}.

Contents

1 Geography
2 History
3 Notable Natives
4 Demographics
5 External links

Geography

Lake City is located at [30°11′23″N, 82°38′23″W] (30.189640, -82.639654)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}. Lake City is near the intersection of Interstate highways I-10 and I-75.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.7 km² (11.1 mi²). 27.4 km² (10.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (4.69%) is water.

History

The site of Lake City was an Indian village of the Seminole Tribe named Alpata Telophka, meaning "Alligator Town". By 1830 a white American town called Alligator was adjacent to the Seminole town. The city was incorporated and changed to its current name in 1856. The name was changed because the mayor's wife, who had recently moved to the town, refused to hang her lace curtains in a town named Alligator. The American Civil War Battle of Olustee took place near Lake City in February of 1864.

By the early 20th century Lake City had became an important railroad junction, served by the Seaboard Air Line, Atlantic Coast Line, Georgia Southern, and the Florida Railroad. Agricultural products of the area include tobacco, maize, peanuts, cotton, melons, and various fruits and vegetables. By 1950 it had a population of 7,467 people.

Every February since 1976 Lake City has hosted the Olustee Battle Festival & Re-Enactment. Lake City also holds its Alligator Fest each October.

Lake City is the headquarters for the Oceola National Forest.

Lake City and Columbia County, Florida are known as "The Gateway to Florida" because Interstate 75 runs though them, carrying a large percentage of Florida's tourist and trade traffic, and Lake City is the first sizable town/city in Florida on Interstate 75. Although Lake City has fewer than 10,000 residents, it serves as the only significant city in Columbia County (pop. ~60,000) and is thriving and growing rapidly.

Notable Natives

Gerard Warren - National Football League defensive tackle

Pat Summerall - American football player and well-known television sportscaster

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 9,980 people, 4,043 households, and 2,429 families residing in the city. The population density was 364.9/km² (944.8/mi²). There were 4,536 housing units at an average density of 165.8/km² (429.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.32% White, 37.46% Black, 0.23% Indian, 1.02% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.82% of the population.

There were 4,043 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.5% were married couples living together, 20.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,161, and the median income for a family was $31,920. Males had a median income of $27,369 versus $21,290 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,697. About 16.7% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.8% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

External links

[City of Lake City] official site
[Lake City Journal community news online]
[Lake City Online]
[Lake City Reporter newspaper]

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