Live Oak

Live Oak is a small city in North Central Florida not far from the Georgia border.

History
Around the beginning of the Civil War, while a railroad was being built in northern Florida, an oak tree that provided workers with shade gave the new town its name. The tree was chopped down to make way for what is now a grocery store.

As the town grew around the new railroad depot, it became part of the Confederacy's rail network, and work was done on the railroad to shield it from the advance of Union troops. In 1865, a new railroad line was completed to connect Live Oak to Georgia to the north in order to ease the Confederates' supply chain problems, increasing settlement in Live Oak despite their surrender that same year.

Live Oak was elected seat of Suwannee County just after the war and was incorporated in 1878, and again &mdash; this time as a "city" &mdash; in 1903. The local sulfur springs brought economic boom to the city and two years after its incorporation as a city, it was the largest city in interior Florida. However, multiple factors, including the failure of cotton-growing, the Great Depression, and two world wars took their toll on the city, its population falling by several hundred as other parts of the state grew rapidly.



African-American Willie J. Howard was lynched in Live Oak in 1944 by Phil Goff and several other white men, who made Howard jump off a bridge. However, the subsequent media attention led to increased concern among many Americans. Racial tensions again rose in 1952 when Ruby McCollum, a Black woman, shot Clifford Adams, Jr., a state legislator-elect, although the conviction of murder was overturned due to her mental health.

Following a second period of rapid population growth from the Great Depression to 1960, during which the population of Live Oak more than doubled, its population has since stabilized below 7,000. Poverty remains a concern in Live Oak, with almost a quarter of the population living below the poverty line.

Climate
Live Oak has suffered from storms and hurricanes, having been badly flooded during Hurricane Dora in 1964 and Tropical Storm Debby in 2012. Summers are hot and humid, while winters are cool. Precipitation is high throughout the year, except for the months of May, November, and December.

Get in
There is an airport, Suwannee County Airport, near the city, but the main regional airports are in major cities some distance from Live Oak, most importantly Orlando International Airport.

By car
I-10, a major U.S. interstate that crosses the U.S. from west to east, bypasses Live Oak to the north. US-129 (Ohio Ave) connects I-10 to the city of Live Oak. Many of the amenities and hotels are on US-129 near I-10.

Go next

 * Lake City, to the southeast, is a similar-sized city.
 * The Florida Panhandle to the west.