Live Oak, Florida
| Live Oak, Florida | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Suwannee County Courthouse, Old Post Office, Old Live Oak City Hall, Downtown Live Oak, ACL Freight Station
|
|
| Nickname(s): The city of nature | |
| Motto: "A Caring Community " | |
 Location in Suwannee County and the state of Florida |
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| Coordinates: 30°17′40″N 82°59′9″W / 30.29444°N 82.98583°WCoordinates: 30°17′40″N 82°59′9″W / 30.29444°N 82.98583°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Florida
|
| County | Suwannee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 11.39 sq mi (29.5 km2) |
| • Land | 11.39 sq mi (29.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 105 ft (32 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 6,480 |
| • Density | 925.7/sq mi (360/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 32060, 32064 |
| Area code(s) | 386 |
| FIPS code | 12-40875 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0285862 |
| Website | www.cityofliveoak.org |
Live Oak is a city in Suwannee County, Florida, United States. The city is the county seat of Suwannee County and is located east of Tallahassee. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,850.
U.S. Highway 90, U.S. Highway 129 and Interstate 10 are major highways running through Live Oak.
It is served by the Suwannee County Airport as well as many private airparks scattered throughout the county.
One other Florida county also has a community named Live Oak, which is located in Washington County.
The founding of Live Oak dates back to shortly before the Civil War. Established in 1858, Live Oak was located at a junction between two strategically important railways: one operating between Jacksonville and Tallahassee, and another running south from Dupont, Georgia. A large live oak tree located off the railways was a gathering and resting spot for many of the workers on the line, and gave the new cityscape its name. The tree was formerly located where the now-present Pepe's Mexican Grocery on U.S. 90 is located.
In 1879, the state legislature founded a normal school for blacks for the training of teachers; it developed as Florida Memorial University, now based in Miami.
In 1952, the city attracted national attention with the trial and conviction of Ruby McCollum, a wealthy, married black woman, charged with the shooting and murder of Dr. C. Leroy Adams, a prominent married white physician and state senator. Her husband Sam McCollum had made a fortune in gambling, and there were rumors Dr. Adams was in business with him. Ruby McCollum testified that Adams had repeatedly forced her to have sex and to bear his child. The case has been described as demonstrating white men's assumption of "paramour rights" in the segregated society. Her trial was covered by journalist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston for the Pittsburgh Courier, among others. In 1944, Willie James Howard, a 15 year old African American resident of Live Oak, was lynched for sending a Christmas card to a white girl.
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