Located 84 miles west of Jacksonville, Live Oak was Florida's fifth largest city in 1905.

About Live Oak

Named for a southern live oak tree where railroad workers rested during the 1860s, Live Oak is the county seat of Suwannee County. Incorporated in 1878, it emerged as the largest community in the county, serving as a minor railroad hub for the surrounding region.

By 1905, Live Oak was considered the largest inland, and fifth-largest overall city in Florida. At the time, resorts along the Suwannee River drew thousands into the region. During the early 20th century, it was also believed that sulphur springs contributed to health benefits. Live Oak’s status declined with the realization that that sulphur water did nothing to combat various illnesses, a boll weevil epidemic to the city’s cotton industry and the emergence of South Florida during the 1920s.

Today, Live Oak lives on as a small town of 7,000 residents roughly halfway between Jacksonville and Tallahassee.

The Pilgrims Pride Live Oak Feed Mill along U.S. 90, just west of downtown.

U.S. 90 is also known as Howard Street as it travels through the City of Live Oak. It travels the length of Florida’s Panhandle, connecting Jacksonville Beach to the Alabama State Line.

The Brown Lantern is a popular local restaurant at 417 Howard Street East.

U.S. 129 is Ohio Avenue through the City of Live Oak. The highway runs 88 miles in Florida, from Chiefland north to the Georgia State line.

The Suwannee County Courthouse was completed in 1904 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1998. The courthouse is located at the intersection of Court Street at Ohio Avenue.

Worknest is an all inclusive office and co-working space at 100 Court Street SE.

The First United Methodist Church at 409 South Ohio Avenue.

The former US Post Office Building at 440 South Ohio Avenue.

Driving west on Conner Street NE.