Palatka

Palatka is a town of 20,000 people (2020) on the banks of St. Johns River in North Central Florida. One of the earliest cities to develop in the state, the city is home to charming historic neighborhoods and notable state landmarks. The area also offers numerous outdoor activities. These range from skydiving and kayaking to boating and golfing. Home to many festivals throughout the year, one event in particular pays homage to the city's most popular flower, the azalea. The flower can be viewed prominently throughout the city in early March, coinciding with riverfront festivities. The unique mixture of southern hospitality and Florida culture make Palatka a "must experience" destination for the roaming traveler.

Climate
Palatka has a humid subtropical climate, with mild weather during winters and hot weather during summers. High temperatures average 64 to 91 °F (18-33 °C) throughout the year. High heat indices are not uncommon for the summer months in the Palatka area. High temperatures can reach mid to high 90s with heat index ranges of 105-115 °F. It is common for daily thunderstorms to erupt during a standard summer afternoon. These are caused by the heating of the land and water, combined with extremely high humidity.

During winter, the area can experience hard freezes during the night. Such cold weather is usually short lived, as the city averages only 15 nights below freezing. Even rarer in Palatka than freezing temperatures is snow. When snow does fall, it usually melts before touching the ground, or upon making contact with the ground.

Palatka has suffered less damage from hurricanes than most other east coast cities. Palatka has experienced hurricane or near-hurricane conditions more than a dozen times due to storms passing through the state from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, or passing to the north or south in the Atlantic and brushing the area. Rainfall averages around 50 inches a year, with the wettest months being June through September.

Airports

 * Jacksonville International Airport is the closest major international airport in the region. It is about 69 miles north of Palatka
 * Palatka Municipal Airport, also known as Lt. Kay Larkin Field, is public-use general aviation airport just west of the city.

By train
Amtrak serves Palatka wth its Silver Meteor and Silver Star trains running between New York and Miami, with the two trains taking slightly different routes along the way. While the trains are comfortable, they are quite slow and delays are common.



By car
In order to access the full amenities, services, and recreational areas offered by the region, vehicle accommodations are a must.

Car rentals:



Historic Neighborhoods

 * North Historic District is bounded by the St. Johns River, Bronson, North 1st, North 5th, and Main Streets. It contains 76 historic buildings, including the Bronson-Mulholland House and St. Mark's Episcopal Church.
 * South Historic District is bounded by the St. Johns River, Oak, South 9th, and Morris Streets. It contains 243 historic buildings.

Buy
Downtown and Historic Lemon Street offer a variety of specialty shops, boutiques, and restaurants. Accentuated by parks and public spaces this pedestrian friendly area is a perfect place to spend an afternoon.



State Road 19 ("FL-19 commercial corridor") is the big box retail corridor. Here you will find Publix, Winn Dixie, and Wal-mart. The Palatka Mall and movie theater are also in this area.

Go next

 * Florida Trail is a National Scenic Trail more than 1,500 miles across the state of Florida. The Palatka area portion of the trail is renowned for its wetland and forest environments.
 * Etoniah Creek State Forest The forest is home to a variety of wildlife and is part of a wildlife corridor that offers the black bear a vast roaming area, a necessity for their existence. Other types of wildlife which are commonly found on the forest include: white-tailed deer, bobcat, fox squirrel, wild turkey, eastern diamondback rattlesnake and great horned owl
 * Welaka State Forest is located along the east bank of the beautiful and historic St. Johns River. The Division of Forestry maintains the integrity of the natural systems while allowing limited outdoor recreation use and environmental education, especially in the areas of forestry, botany, soils and wildlife ecology. In 1935, under the Federal Resettlement Administration, the United States government started the Welaka Forestry and Wildlife Conservation Project. The Welaka property was later transferred to the University of Florida as a Florida Conservation Reserve for the study of forestry and outdoor wildlife, projects started in the 1940s are still being managed today. Welaka State Forest was acquired for management by the Florida Division of Forestry in 1992 through a transfer of lease from the University of Florida.
 * Rice Creek Conservation Area Rice Creek Swamp covers approximately 70 percent of the property. Together with Palmetto Branch, Oldtown Branch and Hickory Branch — which are all just west of the conservation area — the swamp forms the headwaters of Rice Creek, a large tributary of the St. Johns River. The area was an indigo and rice plantation during the 18th century, and most of the uplands were managed as commercial pine plantations before District ownership. The site has a variety of natural communities, including floodplain swamp, flatwoods, dome swamp, floodplain forest and upland mixed forest. The area is also a key parcel for connecting Etoniah State Forest to the Cross Florida Greenway.
 * Ocala National Forest is in North Central Florida between the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers. Encompassing approximately 383,000 acres, it is the southernmost forest in the continental United States and protects the world's largest contiguous sand pine scrub forest. Despite its high, dry, central scrub ridges, the Ocala National Forest is rich in water resources with more than 600 lakes, rivers, and springs