Live Oak (pop. 6,332)
is the most prominent of the charming towns that dot the landscape
of North Florida, a region often described as the "Original
Florida." Live Oak is situated
just off I-10 at the junction of US 90 and 129, Live Oak is about
midway between Tallahassee and Jacksonville.
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Live Oak is the seat of Suwannee
County, situated just off I-10 at the junction of US 90 and 129, a
few miles west of I-75. It is about midway between Tallahassee on
the west and Jacksonville on the Atlantic coast, about an hour and a
half drive to either city.
To the south is Gainesville and the
beginning of many of Florida's most famous tourist attractions.To the
northwest of Live Oak is Suwannee River State Park. Picnic and camping
areas dot the region, and part of Osceola National Forest is in
Hamilton County.
Live Oak Florida is not literally "way down upon the Suwannee River."
Instead, the fabled stream encircles the city on the north, west and
south, as it flows from its source north of Georgia's Okefenokee
National Wildlife Refuge all the way to Lower Suwannee Wildlife
Refuge, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Much of life in the
Suwannee River Valley centers around the river, which touches parts of
Suwannee, Lafayette and Hamilton Counties.
Suwannee County was
created in 1858. The exact source of the name is unknown; it is
either a corruption of the Spanish "San Juan" or is derived from the
Cherokee word "sawani," meaning "echo river." The town name of "Live
Oak" comes from the trees which line the area's roads.Spanish explorers
referred to these as "live oaks" simply because they were not
deciduous. |
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