Map of Fort White town

Fort White is a town in Columbia County, Florida, United States, named after a military fort built in the 1830s. It is the closest town to Ichetucknee Springs State Park. Fort White High School and the Fort White Public School Historic District are located within the town’s borders. The original school building was constructed in 1915.

As of the 2020 census, the population of Fort White was 618.

Fort White town overview:
Name:	Fort White town
LSAD Code:	43
LSAD Description:	town (suffix)
State:	Florida
County:	Columbia County
Elevation:	69 ft (21 m)
Total Area:	2.41 sq mi (6.25 km²)
Land Area:	2.41 sq mi (6.25 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	618
Population Density:	256.01/sq mi (98.86/km²)
ZIP code:	32038
Area code:	386
FIPS code:	1224500
GNISfeature ID:	0282713
Website:	fortwhitefl.com

Online Interactive Map

Fort White online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Fort White location map. Where is Fort White town?

Fort White location on the U.S. Map. Where is Fort White town. — Fort White location on the U.S. Map.

Fort White location on the Florida map. Where is Fort White town. — Location of Fort White in Florida.

History

Fort White was originally constructed as a military fort during the Second Seminole War in 1836 to protect the Cow Creek settlement. Supplies were brought in by steamboat on the Santa Fe River and distributed to other area forts. Due to sickness, flooding along the river and rumors of the railroad coming to the area, the settlement was moved 4 miles (6 km) east to its present location.

The town was incorporated in 1884 still named after the military fort Fort White and grew steadily following the arrival of the railroad in 1888. Phosphate mining, turpentine and agriculture (cotton and oranges) were the foundation of the economy, and the population grew to nearly 2,000. The boom turned to bust as severe freezes in the winters of 1896 and 1897 destroyed the local citrus industry. By 1910, the largest phosphate deposits were depleted and mining ceased. The boll weevil ended cotton farming before World War I, and the population shrank to a few hundred people, primarily farmers, ranchers and foresters. The town’s population in 1979 was 365.

Fort White Road Map

Fort White city Satellite Map

Geography

Fort White is located in southern Columbia County at 29°55′23″N 82°42′51″W / 29.92306°N 82.71417°W / 29.92306; -82.71417 (29.923001, –82.714299), at the intersection of U.S. Route 27 and Florida State Road 47. SR 47 leads north 20 miles (32 km) to Lake City, the Columbia County seat, and south 23 miles (37 km) to Trenton. US 27 leads southeast 16 miles (26 km) to Alachua and Interstate 75, and west 13 miles (21 km) to Branford.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Fort White has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km), all land. Most of the land surrounding the town is family farms and/or forests.