In addition to being the County Seat of Columbia County, Florida, Lake City, FL is also known as “The Gateway” to Florida because it is the first city you approach when driving into Florida from Georgia on I-75. Lake City is conveniently located at the intersection of two major interstate highways, I-75 and I-10, making it a convenient location for transportation to any part of Florida. Driving to Jacksonville, Gainesville, or Tallahassee is convenient with easy access to these thorofares. Columbia County is also home to natural attractions such as the Suwannee River,

Lake City began as a Seminole Indian village, was settled in 1830 as Alligator Town and was later incorporated as a city in 1859. The name was said to be changed in 1859 because the Mayor’s wife would not “hang her curtains” in a town called Alligator, so it was more aptly named for its numerous bodies of water, including Alligator Lake, Lake DeSoto, Gwen Lake, Lake Hamburg, Lake Harper, Lake Isabella, and Watertown Lake.

Helpful Links for Lake City, Florida:

• City of Lake City Official Site
• Lake City Reporter Local Lake City Newspaper
• LakeCityWeather.Com LIVE Weather Conditions in Lake City
• Lake City Journal Online Community News
• Lake City Online Online Community News
• Columbia Amateur Radio Society Established in 1958 and all are still welcome to join
• Suwannee Online Suwannee Area
• Florida Index, historical newspaper for Lake City, Florida

City historical information was adapted from Lake City’s Wikipedia Page where you can find additional demographic and historical information.