Discover Palatka
For the average American, North Central Florida is home to the Happiest Place on Earth. Perhaps to a college football junkie, this region of Florida is home to the Florida Gators or the University of Central Florida Knights. But about an hour and 45 minutes north of Orlando, and about an hour east of Gainesville, is the town of Palatka. No, Palatka does not house Disney World or over zealous college football teams. Instead, it’s the town located gracefully along the St. John’s River with a modest population of over 10,000 people, according to the 2010 census. By no means is this river town the smallest populated city in Florida, but according to The Washington Post, an expert hired by th e Florida League of Cities called the town Florida’s only “dying city.” The expert dubbed this title onto Palatka after researching to find the death and move-out rate higher than the birth and move-in rate of the city. The title seemed appropriate in August, when the article was published
