Lake City, FL
| Lake City, Florida | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Top, left to right: Lake De Soto, Battle of Olustee monument, Columbia County Courthouse, City Hall, Florida Gateway College, Osceola National Forest
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| Motto: Gateway to Florida | |
 Location in Columbia County and the state of Florida |
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| Coordinates: 30°11′N 82°38′W / 30.183°N 82.633°WCoordinates: 30°11′N 82°38′W / 30.183°N 82.633°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Columbia |
| Settled | 1830 |
| Incorporated | 1859 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Stephen M. Witt |
| • City Manager | Wendell Johnson |
| Area | |
| • City | 12.4 sq mi (32.2 km2) |
| • Land | 12.0 sq mi (31.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) 3.20% |
| Elevation3 | 188 ft (57 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 12,046 |
| • Density | 1,002/sq mi (387.0/km2) |
| • Metro | 67,531 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 32024-32025, 32055-32056 |
| Area code(s) | 386 |
| FIPS code | 12-37775 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0305917 |
| Website | www |
Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County,Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 12,046. It is the principal city of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had a 2010 population of 67,531. The city's sesquicentennial was held in 2009.
The site of present-day Lake City began as a Seminole community called Alligator Village (Alpata Telophka). Historians don't know when it was established, but its existence was documented by the U.S. Army in 1821. A February 1821 report by Captain John H. Bell mentions that the recent death of the micco (chief) of Alligator Village prevented the micco's attendance at a gathering of chiefs. After Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, pioneer and immigrant settlers from the United States 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 Peace Creek in the newly established Seminole reservation, leaving Alligator Town on its own. When Columbia County was formed in 1832, Alligator Town became the seat of the county government.
The most famous resident of Alligator Village was Alligator Warrior (Halpatter Tustenuggee) or simply Chief Alligator. He was the grandson of Micanopy (King) Payne (Mekk-Onvpv Pin) and led Seminole warriors in the Second Seminole War (1835–1842) to prevent the relocation of Florida's Indians to the Arkansas Territory (now known as Oklahoma). Although Alligator Warrior was certainly a leader of warriors, the U.S. military mistakenly referred to him as a chief because they did not understand Seminole culture.
Alligator Town was incorporated and changed to Lake City in 1859. 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. Local bodies of water include Lake DeSoto, Lake Isabella, Alligator Lake, Lake Hamburg, Gwen Lake, Lake Harper and Watertown Lake.
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