Formed December 21, 1858 (35th county)
Suwannee County (43,472), Live Oak (6,736)
The classic Renaissance Revival light tan brick courthouse was built in 1904 and enlarged in 1965. It is situated at Ohio and Warren streets. United States Highway 129 is in front of the courthouse. Benjamin B. Smith is the designer of the courthouse. The building features a tower with a working clock. An annex was built in 1948. Houston (1858) and Live Oak (1868) have served as the county seat. The county is named for the river which is Native American for “echo river.” Live Oak was named for a large tree which was the community’s meeting place. The county was established on December 21, 1858 from Columbia County as the 35th county.
Suwannee County government consists of a manager, sheriff, and appraiser (executive). It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.) Seven Circuit Court Judges serve Suwannee, Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, and Taylor counties and a County Court Judge, clerk, and county attorney serve Suwannee County (judicial.) Suwannee County is in northern Florida. Tallahassee, Florida is west and Jacksonville, Florida is east of the county. The Suwannee River is the south and west borders. The center of the county is 7.4 miles South of Live Oak nearer McAlpin. The county is surrounded clockwise by Hamilton, Columbia, Gilchrist, Lafayette, and Madison counties.
The area of the county is 688 square miles. It is 36 out of 67 counties in the state. It ranks 44 out of 67 in population in the state. It has a density of 63.2 persons per square mile making it 45 out of 67 in the state. Suwannee County has 17.1% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 10 travels east to west, Columbia County to Madison County. United States Highway 27 crosses the southern tip of the county from Gilchrist County to Lafayette County. United States Highway 90 parallels Interstate Highway 10 from Columbia County to Madison County. United States Highway 129 comes in from the north Hamilton County and goes south into Gilchrist County. The county looks like a boxing glove. Live Oak is in the northern quarter of the county. Live Oak is the county seat and the largest city. It is 15.5% of the county population.
Branford
Live Oak
