North Central Florida
North Central Florida includes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Marion, Putnam, Sumter, Suwannee, and Union counties.Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Essential Destinations
Top destinations include Gainesville and Ocala.
Gainesville
Gainesville is in North Central Florida. It is home to the University of Florida, and Santa Fe College.
Ocala
Photo: DanTD, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ocala is a city in North Central Florida. Here, rolling green pastures lead to crystal springs, gentle rivers and unspoiled lakes, and hundreds of horse farms gallop with thoroughbred natural charm and beauty.
Palatka
Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Palatka is a town of 20,000 people 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.
Destinations to Discover
Explore places such as Lake City and Live Oak.
Lake City
Photo: Excel23, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lake City is a city of 12,000 people in North Central Florida. Lake City is known as "The Gateway to Florida" because it is adjacent to the intersection of Interstate 75 and Interstate 10. It was founded as the "Town of Alligator" in 1821.
Live Oak
Photo: Mjrmtg, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Live Oak is a city and the county seat of Suwannee County, Florida, United States. The city is midway between Tallahassee and Jacksonville. As of the 2020 census, Live Oak had a population of 6,735.
Starke
Starke is a town in North Central Florida with a population of about 6,000, between Gainesville and Jacksonville.
Bushnell
Photo: DanTD, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bushnell is in Sumter County on the fringes of North Central Florida. The small settlement has a population of approximately 3,000 as of 2018, and the city dates back to the late 19th century, when a post office was established.
Wildwood
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Wildwood is a city in Sumter County, Florida, United States. Its population was 15,730 at the 2020 census.
The Villages
The Villages is an active retirement community in sunny Inland Florida. With about 115,000 residents as of 2015, it is still growing and new homes are being built across three Florida counties: Lake, Sumter and Marion.
Osceola National Forest
Photo: Geoff Gallice, CC BY 2.0.
Osceola National Forest is a National Forest located in northeast Florida. It is named in honor of the noted Seminole warrior, Osceola. The forest also has a history of Native American presence, in which they inhabited and traveled through this area.
Ocala National Forest
Photo: Ianare, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Ocala National Forest is in North Central Florida. It is the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi and contains the largest forest of sand pines in the world.
North Central Florida
- Type: region
- Description: region of Florida, United States
- Also known as: “north central Florida” and “North central Florida”
- Location: Inland Florida, Florida, United States, North America
- View on OpenStreetMap
Latitude of center
29.8155° or 29° 48′ 56″ northLongitude of center
-82.3645° or 82° 21′ 52″ westWikidata ID
Q2916367
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Satellite Map
Discover North Central Florida from above in high-definition satellite imagery.
In Other Languages
From French to Vietnamese—“North Central Florida” goes by many names.
- French: “North Central Florida”
- Galician: “Florida do Norte Central”
- Galician: “North Central Florida”
- German: “Florida Nord-Zentral”
- Hebrew: “צפון מרכז פלורידה”
- Portuguese: “Centro-Norte da Flórida”
- Slovenian: “Severna osrednja Florida”
- Vietnamese: “Trung Bắc Florida”
Inland Florida: Must-Visit Destinations
Delve into Orlando, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot.
Explore These Curated Destinations
Discover places selected for their distinct character and enduring appeal.