Lake City

Lake City began as the town of Alligator in 1821 near the Seminole settlement known as Alligator Village. Alligator became the seat of Columbia County in 1832 when it was formed from Duval and Alachua counties. In 1858 Alligator was incorporated and renamed Lake City. The largest American Civil War battle in Florida took place near here in the Battle of Olustee in 1864; the Confederates won. Florida Agricultural College was established in Lake City as a land grant college; it was relocated to Gainesville in 1905 to form part of the University of Florida. Lake City is known as "The Gateway to Florida" because it is adjacent to the intersection of Interstate 75 and Interstate 10. The city is the site of Lake City Gateway Airport, formerly known as NAS Lake City, and Florida Gateway College is located in the city. In the 17th century Spanish missionaries established missions in this area, west of the site. Called Santa Cruz de Tarihica, it was used by the Spanish to develop agriculture and bring Native Americans within their sphere. In 1539 Hernando de Soto and his Spanish expedition arrived in 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 the western Timucua people. By 1845 the last of the Seminoles left the area of present- day Lake City or were forcibly removed by the US Army. In November 1858 a railroad was completed connecting Jacksonville to Alligator, which opened the town to more commerce and passenger traffic.

History

In 1539 Hernando de Soto and his Spanish expedition arrived in Tampa Bay. Spanish missionaries established missions in this area, west of the site of present-day Lake City. In the 18th century, a Seminole community called Alligator Village occupied this area. During the American Civil War the railroad between Lake City and Jacksonville was used to send beef and salt to Confederate soldiers. The Battle of Olustee on February 20, 1864 was the only major battle in Florida during the war. Lake City became the first city in Florida to have electric lights from a local power station in 1891. In 1874 a fire destroyed most of the wooden buildings in the Lake City building. In 1928 a memorial was established in downtown Lake City for the dead of the Civil War. The first newspaper was published in Lake City in 1876, called the Bigelow Reporter. It was later adapted for use by the Florida Gulf Central Railroad in 1868. The railroad was rebuilt in 1869 and renamed the Florida Central Railroad by the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad. It later was merged with a railroad from Jacksonville to form the Jacksonville and Pensacula and Mobile Railroad. The city's name was changed to Alligator Town in 1859; M. Whit Smith was elected as the town's first mayor. According to an urban legend, the mayor's wife Martha Jane, who had recently moved to the town, refused to hang her lace curtains in a town named Alligator because she refused to call it Alligator.

Geography

Lake City is located in northern Florida at 30°11N 82°38W (30.1896, 82.6397). It lies near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 75. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the city was 106 °F (41 °C) on June 4, 1918. 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 city has a total area of 12.4 square miles (32.2 km²), of which 12.0 squaremile (31.1 km²) is land, and 0.39 square mile (1.0km²) or 3.20% is water. It has a population of 2,827. The coldest temperature ever record was 6 °F on February 13, 1899. The hotest temperature was 106°F (41 °C), on June 5, 1918, and the coldest was 6°F on June 6, 1918 (June 4, 1868, June 5th, 1869, June 6th, June 7th, and June 7, 1871). Lake City has a latitude of 30.11 N 82.38W and a longitude of 82.4 W. It is located near the junction of I-10 and I-75 in the northern part of Florida.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 12,046 people, 4,650 households, 2558 Family households, residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 56.6% White, 37.3% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.6%. The city's median income was $28,533, and the median income for a family was $39,133. Around 40% of the people of Lake City are affiliated with a religion.Mountaintop Ministries Worldwide, formerly End Time Ministries and commonly called End Timers, was established near Lake City by Charles Meade in 1984. The basis of the ministry was that Lake City would be the only place to survive Armageddon and believers were to stay in an underground bunker on Meade's property. The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Lake City, Florida are: French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, and Native American. The city is home to the Florida Panhandle Museum of Art and History, which was founded in 1875. The museum is located on the banks of the Kissimmee River, which runs through Lake City. The Museum is open to the public and has a collection of works of art, including works by Picasso, Van Gogh, and T.S. Eliot, as well as other works by famous artists such as Picasso and M.C. Escher. It is also home to a museum of Florida history, which dates back to the 17th century.

Economy

Lake City and Columbia County are known as "The Gateway to Florida" because Interstate 75 runs through them. Lake City is the northernmost sizable town/city in Florida on Interstate 75 and the location where I-10 and I-75 intersect. The city relies on travelers for a considerable part of its economy. The top employers in the Lake City area are: Hunter Panels, New Millennium and United States Cold Storage. Target built their first company-owned and third-party-operated perishable food distribution center in Lake City in 2008. The Osceola National Forest's administrative offices are located in the city. In 2011, the city's unemployment rate was 3.7%. The city's population is 2,827. The average household income is $50,000. The town's population in 2010 was 2,715. The area's unemployment rates are 3.8%. The town has a population of 2,632. The state's unemployment Rate is 3.9%. The area has a unemployment rate of 3.6%. The state has a poverty rate of 4.1%. The U.S. national unemployment rate is 4.2%. The region's economy is 2.7% and the state's GDP is 1.8%. The city is located in Columbia County, Florida, which is part of Florida's Bootheel region. The county is home to the Osceolas National Forest, which includes the city of Lake City and the town of Columbia. It is also the location of the Florida Panhandle.

Arts and culture

Every February since 1976, Lake City has hosted the Olustee Battle Festival. The festival begins with a memorial service at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Lake City to honor those who died from both sides. The Alligator Warrior Festival is held each year on the weekend of the 3rd Saturday in October to recognize the early history of Columbia County prior to the Civil War. Starting in 2010 the annual festival has been held at O'Leno State Park 20 miles (32 km) south of Lake City where the appropriate facilities exist for a full-scale battle reenactment, historic camping and large crowds. The first Alligator Festival was held in 1995 at Olustees Park in downtown Lake City. The 2014 festival will be held at the O’Leno Battlefield Historic State Park, 20 miles from Lake City, on the third weekend in October. It will be the first time that the festival has taken place in a state park since it was first held in 2010. The event will feature live entertainment, exhibits and exhibits from local businesses and artisans. It is expected to attract a crowd of around 2,000 people on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival. The 2015 festival will take place on the second weekend of October, and will run through the Sunday morning of the third Sunday. The final day will be on the fourth Sunday in October, when the festival will conclude with a parade through the downtown area and the final day of the battle re-enactments at the state park.

Parks and recreation

Parks and recreation in Florida include Alligator Lake Park, Olustee Park, Wilson Park, Osceola National Park, Southside Sports Complex, and Youngs Park. The parks are open to the public.

Government

Lake City is governed by a council/city manager form of government. The city council consists of five members, with four representing four city districts. The Mayor serves at-large throughout all of Lake City. The Lake City Police Department was founded around 1861 during the Civil War. The first fire department was established in 1883 to complement the police department. Argatha Gilmore has been the Chief of Police since 2009 after serving 25 years with the Tallahassee Police Department. The administration consists of The City Manager's Office, The Assistant City Manager, Human Resources, Procurement, Finance and Technology. The City Council has a majority of African-American voters. Lake City is home to a population of 4,000. It is the largest city in the state of Florida, with an estimated population of 6,500. The mayor is a Republican, and the city council has a Republican majority of 40%. The city has a black population, with a black mayor and a black assistant city manager. It has a Hispanic population of 2,000, and a white population of 1,200. It also has an Asian population, which is the second largest in the city after the U.S., with a white city population of 3,100. It was the first city in Florida to have a white mayor, and it has the second-largest Hispanic population in the country, after the city of Pensacola. It had a black police chief, who has been in office since 2009, and an Asian-American police chief since 2008.

Education

The Columbia County School District operates nine elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools and an alternative school. Lake City also has one higher education institution, Florida Gateway College, that offers associate degrees and four-year bachelor's degrees. The school district also has a middle school, high school, elementary school, middle school and high school. The district's website is: http://www.columbia-county-schools.org/schools/Columbia-County-School-District.html.

Infrastructure

The Lake City Gateway Airport is a local center of business. The airport is classified as a general aviation facility, but two on-site operations are somewhat unusual. The U.S. Forest Service uses C-130 transport aircraft in support of its forest fire-fighting operations in the southeastern United States. Lake City was a scheduled stop for Amtrak's Sunset Limited between Los Angeles and Orlando from 1993 to 2005, when damage to railroad lines and bridges by Hurricane Katrina caused the curtailment of all service east of New Orleans. The Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, which acquired most of the former CSX main line from Pensacola to Jacksonville on June 1, 2019, will provide freight service from Lake City to Jacksonville in the future. The city is home to the Lake City International Airport, which is a major hub for air travel in the area. The town is also home to a number of small businesses, such as a local bank, a restaurant, a bank, and a beauty salon. It is located on the Florida Gulf Coast, which was once known as the Port of St. Augustine, and is now known as Port St. Lucie. It has a population of about 2,000, with the majority of its residents living in or near the town of Lake City. The area is located in the eastern part of the Florida panhandle, between the cities of Orlando and Pensacolas. It also has a small portion of Florida Beach, where the city's population is about 1,000.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Lake City, Columbia County, Florida = 94.4. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 80. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Lake City = 5.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 12,329 individuals with a median age of 37.7 age the population grows by 16.94% in Lake City, Columbia County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,040.60 residents per square mile of area (401.79/km²). There are average 2.3 people per household in the 4,723 households with an average household income of $33,561 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.50% of the available work force and has dropped -0.96% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 28.58%. The number of physicians in Lake City per 100,000 population = 169.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Lake City = 52.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 115. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 222. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 42.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 29, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Lake City, Columbia County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 50.72%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 35 years with median home cost = $94,840 and home appreciation of -13.96%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $10.08 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,286 per student. There are 15.6 students for each teacher in the school, 509 students for each Librarian and 377 students for each Counselor. 5.96% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 8.12% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.15% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).