Lake City is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 12,329, up from 12,046 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, composed of Columbia County, as well as a principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida. Lake City is 60 miles west of Jacksonville. Lake City has the moniker The Gateway to Florida because it is adjacent to the intersection of Interstate 75 and Interstate 10.
History Timucua and Spanish Florida In 1539, Hernando de Soto and his Spanish expedition arrived in Tampa Bay. The de Soto expedition proceeded north from Tampa Bay looking for gold. His expedition met a large Native American group called the northern Utina, possibly near present-day Lake City, who were part of the western Timucua people. Some northern Utina were led by powerful chiefs. In the 17th century Spanish missionaries established missions in this area, west of the site of present-day Lake City. Called Santa Cruz de Tarihica, it was used by the Spanish to develop agriculture and bring Native Americans within their sphere.
Alligator In the 18th century, a Seminole community called Halapata Telofa (also spelled Alapata Telophka) occupied this area, which translated into English, was "Alligator Town". Historians do not know when it was established, but its existence was documented by the US Army in 1821. A February 1821 report, by Captain John H. Bell, mentions that the mico (chief) of Alligator Town had recently died and missed a gathering of chiefs. The most famous resident of Alligator Town was Halpatter Tustenuggee ("Alligator Warrior"), also known as Chief Alligator. He led Seminole warriors in the Second Seminole War (1835–1842) to resist their people's relocation to the Arkansas Territory (now known as Oklahoma).
After Florida became the Florida Territory of the United States in 1821, American settlers formed their own settlement adjacent to Alligator Village and called it Alligator. Following the 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek, the residents of Alligator Village relocated to the banks of the Peace River (Peas Creek) in the newly established Seminole reservation, leaving Alligator Town. When Columbia County was formed in 1832 from Duval and Alachua counties, Alligator was designated as the seat of the county government.
During the Second Seminole War, several forts were established in the area, including Fort White on the Santa Fe River, and Fort Alligator, also called Fort Lancaster, in present-day downtown Lake City. By 1845, the last of the Seminole left the area of present-day Lake City or were forcibly removed by the US Army.
In 1847, Company C of the Florida Volunteers, which was composed of Lake City members, served in the Mexican–American War.
In November 1858, a railroad was completed connecting Jacksonville to Alligator, which opened the town to more commerce and passenger traffic. Alligator Town was incorporated and its name changed to Lake City in 1859; M. Whit Smith was elected as the town's first mayor. According to an urban legend, the name was changed because the mayor's wife Martha Jane, who had recently moved to the town, refused to hang her lace curtains in a town named Alligator.
Civil War During the American Civil War the railroad between Lake City and Jacksonville was used to send beef and salt to Confederate soldiers. During the summer of 1862, the 8th Florida Infantry Regiment was mustered in at Lake City. The unit was soon deployed to Virginia and fought as part of the Army of Northern Virginia.
In February 1864, Union troops under Truman Seymour advanced west from Jacksonville. His objective was to disrupt Confederate supplies, and obtain African-American recruits and supplies. Confederate General Joseph Finnegan assembled troops and called for reinforcements from P. G. T. Beauregard in response to the Union threat. On February 11, 1864, Finnegan's troops defeated a Union cavalry raid in Lake City. After the Union cavalry was repulsed, Finnegan moved his forces to Olustee Station about ten miles east of Lake City. The Confederate presence at Olustee Station was reinforced to prepare for the Union troops coming from Jacksonville.
Union forces engaged the Confederates at the Battle of Olustee on February 20, 1864, near the Olustee Station. It was the only major battle in Florida during the war. Union casualties were 1,861 men killed, wounded or missing; Confederate casualties were 946 killed, wounded or missing. The Confederate dead were buried in Lake City. In 1928 a memorial for the battle was established in downtown Lake City.
The Civil War badly damaged Florida's railroads, including the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad. The railroad was rebuilt by carpetbagger George William Swepson and was renamed the Florida Central Railroad in 1868. In 1869, the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad was merged with a railroad from Jacksonville to Lake City to form the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad.
1874–1949
In 1874, a fire destroyed most of the wooden buildings in Lake City. That same year, Lake City's first newspaper, the Lake City Reporter, was published. In 1876, the Bigelow Building was completed; it later was adapted for use as the City Hall. In 1891, Lake City became the first city in Florida to have electric lights from a local power and light company.
By the early 20th century, Lake City had become an important railroad junction, served by the Seaboard Air Line, Atlantic Coast Line, and Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad. Hotel Blanche was built in 1902 as an attraction for expected tourists. The hotel was Lake City and Columbia County's major hotel and central business center from 1902 to 1955. The population of Lake City in 1900 was 4,013; in 1905 was 6,509; and 1910 was 5,032.
Florida Agricultural College was established as a land grant college in 1884 as part of the Morrill Land Grant Act; in 1904 it became a full university with 25 instructors. In 1905 the Florida Agricultural College was moved to Gainesville in accordance with the Buckman Act, becoming part of the University of Florida. Columbia High School constructed a second building in 1906 that was used until 1922. In 1907, Lake City officials leased the former property of the Florida Agricultural College to the Florida Baptist Convention; they founded Columbia College, a Baptist college. It lasted for ten years until overwhelmed with debt. Columbia College deeded the land and buildings back to Lake City in 1919. During World War I, the campus was used as a training site for local troops. The facility was adapted for use as US Hospital No. 63, the predecessor of the Veterans Hospital constructed in Lake City. More than 34 Lake City soldiers were killed in World War I.
In 1940, the population of Lake City was 5,836. During World War II, a number of institutions were established to help with the war effort as well as those in Lake City. The Lake Shore Hospital was dedicated in 1940 to provide medical care for those in the Lake City area. The Lake City Woman's Club became the United Service Organizations (USO) headquarters to entertain service personnel stationed in Lake City. Naval Air Station Lake City was commissioned in 1942 on the site of the Lake City Flying Club air field. NAS Lake City was a support facility for Naval Air Station Jacksonville and trained pilots to fly the Lockheed Ventura. Military operations at NAS Lake City ended in March 1946, and it was decommissioned as an active naval air station.
After World War II a local air base was converted for use in 1947 as the Columbia Forestry School. The Columbia Forestry School had low enrollments and funds, forcing the school to seek help from the Florida legislature. The University of Florida assumed management of the school, and in 1950 it became the University of Florida Forest Ranger School. As part of the network of community colleges established in Florida, the school became the Lake City Junior College and Forest Ranger School in 1962. Lake City Junior College was renamed to Lake City Community College in 1970; in 2010, it was renamed as Florida Gateway College.
1950— By 1950, the population of Lake City was 7,571. The forestry products industry (turpentine, lumber, and pulpwood) had become a mainstay of the local economy. During the Korean War, five Lake City soldiers were killed. A monument was dedicated in 1985 in their honor and memory. In 1958, the Columbia Amateur Radio Society was formed by a group of amateur radio operators who enjoyed the ability to communicate worldwide. This radio club continues to exist. Lake City's centennial was celebrated in 1959 with parades, fireworks, and A Century in the Sun, a 58-page book documenting 100 years of progress. The citizens of the town dressed in period attire, complete with whiskers. A good-natured clash arose between the men with additional facial hair and the women who did not like it.
In 1963, Interstate 75 and Interstate 10 were opened, intersecting at Lake City. In the 1960s, Columbia County schools were not desegregated. In 1970, a judge ordered all Columbia County public schools to integrate. During the Vietnam War, 23 local Lake City soldiers were either killed or missing in action (M.I.A.).
In 1978, the Columbia County Public Library was established. Downtown Lake City was revitalized in the 1990s with new businesses, shops, and restaurants. In 2000, Lake City had a population of 9,980. The city's sesquicentennial was held in 2009.
On 10 June 2019, Lake City was hit by a cyber ransomware attack that rendered many of the city's communication systems inoperative. On 25 June 2019, the City's insurance company, the Florida League of Cities, paid 42 bitcoins—over US$480,000—for a mechanism to retrieve the City's files and data.
Geography Lake City is located in northern Florida near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 75. Jacksonville is to the east, Tallahassee is to the west, Gainesville is to the south, and Valdosta, Georgia, is to the northwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Lake City has a total area of , of which is land, and or 3.20%, is water.
Climate Lake City is part of the humid subtropical climate zone of the Southeastern United States. Due to its latitude and relative position north of Florida's peninsula it is subject at times to continental conditions, which cause rare cold snaps that may affect sensitive winter crops. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the city was on June 4, 1918, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was on February 13, 1899.
Demographics
Lake City first appeared in the 1850 U.S. Census as "Alligator", with a total recorded population of 131.
Racial and ethnic composition +Lake City racial composition (Hispanics excluded from racial categories) (NH = Non-Hispanic)RacePop 2010Pop 2020% 2010% 2020White (NH)6,4535,88653.57%47.74%Black or African American (NH)4,4324,31236.79%34.97%Native American or Alaska Native (NH)47370.39%0.30%Asian (NH)1923141.59%2.55%Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)090.00%0.07%Some other race (NH)25910.21%0.74%Two or more races/multiracial (NH)2474932.05%4.00%Hispanic or Latino (any race)6501,1875.40%9.63%Total12,04612,329100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Lake City had a population of 12,329. The median age was 37.8 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.1 males age 18 and over.
99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas.