Keystone Heights, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keystone Heights, Florida
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| City of Keystone Heights | ||
   Images top, left to right: City Hall, Motosurf Racing on Lake Geneva, Keystone Beach
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| Motto(s):
"Progress Since 1925"
"In God We Trust" |
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Location in Clay County and the state of Florida
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Florida |
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| County | Clay | |
| Settled (Brooklyn) | 1917 | |
| Incorporated (City of Keystone Heights) | 1925 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council-Manager | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1.09 sq mi (2.82 km2) | |
| • Land | 1.07 sq mi (2.78 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.04 km2) | |
| Elevation | 141 ft (43 m) | |
| Population
(2023)
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| • Total | 1,536 | |
| • Density | 1,435.51/sq mi (552.52/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code |
32656
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| Area code(s) | 352 | |
| FIPS code | 12-36475 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0285088 | |
Keystone Heights is a city in Clay County, Florida, USA. It's known for its many lakes and is a main city in the "Lake Region" of Florida. This area includes parts of Bradford, Putnam, and Alachua counties. Its name comes from Pennsylvania's nickname, the "Keystone State". In 2020, about 1,446 people lived there.
Contents
Discovering Keystone Heights: A Look at its Past
How Keystone Heights Began
In 1917, the area that is now Keystone Heights was a small community called Brooklyn. It was located near Lake Brooklyn. Back then, Brooklyn had a hotel, a general store with a post office, and a few small houses.
A property developer named John J. Lawrence from Pennsylvania visited Lake Brooklyn. He loved the area right away. In 1920, the Lawrence family built the first house in Keystone Heights. It overlooked Lake Geneva and is still there today. More families moved to the area because of its natural beauty and many lakes. In late 1921, C. Ray Lawrence helped by planning out the streets and lots for the new community.
The town officially became the "City of Keystone Heights" in 1925. It was named after Lawrence's home state, Pennsylvania, which is known as the "Keystone State."
Important Times in Keystone Heights
The Keystone Inn Era
A very important event in the city's early days was the opening of the Keystone Inn on New Year's Day in 1923. The inn became a central place for festivals and social gatherings. A nearby outdoor theater, called a Chautauqua, brought in musicians, artists, and speakers from all over.
Within two years, the Keystone Inn and Keystone Heights were welcoming visitors from across the country. The small community had a public beach, picnic areas, and a golf course. Even the University of Florida's football team stayed at the inn before their homecoming games. Sadly, the inn burned down in October 1954 and was never rebuilt. The land where it stood is now a park in front of City Hall.
From the 1960s to Today
In 1984, a special sycamore tree seedling was planted at the Keystone Heights Library. This "Moon Tree" had traveled into space with Stuart Roosa on the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. Roosa, a former U.S. Forest Service smokejumper, took five types of seeds with him. These seeds orbited the Moon 34 times! The seedlings from these seeds were planted in many places around the United States and the world.
In the early 2000s, tourism in Keystone Heights slowed down. This happened because many of the surrounding lakes, which feed into the Floridan aquifer, nearly dried up. Luckily, more rainfall in the 2010s helped many lakes, like Lake Brooklyn and Lake Geneva, recover.
A big project called the Black Creek Pipeline is underway. It will pump extra water from Black Creek to Alligator Creek, which is north of Lake Brooklyn. This project is expected to help lake levels even more. It started in August 2022.
Keystone Heights has also hosted exciting events recently. In 2021, it hosted the internationally televised Nitro Rallycross North America Championship at the Florida International Rally & Motorsports Park. In April 2022, Keystone Beach hosted the Motosurf Games. This was a motorized surfboard racing contest on Lake Geneva, and it was shown on CBS Sports. The games returned to the city in April 2023.
Where is Keystone Heights Located?
Keystone Heights is in Northeast Florida, in the southwest corner of Clay County. It is located at 29°47′14″N 82°1′59″W / 29.78722°N 82.03306°W.
The city is on the north shore of Lake Geneva. To its west is Bradford County, and to its north is Lake Brooklyn. State Road 21 goes northeast about 30 miles (48 km) to Green Cove Springs, which is the county seat. It also goes south about 18 miles (29 km) to Hawthorne. SR 100 crosses SR 21. It leads northwest about 12 miles (19 km) to Starke and southeast about 26 miles (42 km) to Palatka. Keystone Lake is the only lake completely inside the city limits.
The city covers about 1.09 square miles (2.82 km2) in total. Only a very small part, about 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2), is water.
What is the Climate Like?
Keystone Heights has hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. This type of weather is known as a humid subtropical climate.
How Many People Live in Keystone Heights?
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 107 | — | |
| 1940 | 145 | 35.5% | |
| 1950 | 307 | 111.7% | |
| 1960 | 655 | 113.4% | |
| 1970 | 800 | 22.1% | |
| 1980 | 1,056 | 32.0% | |
| 1990 | 1,315 | 24.5% | |
| 2000 | 1,349 | 2.6% | |
| 2010 | 1,350 | 0.1% | |
| 2020 | 1,446 | 7.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 1,536 | 13.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Population Changes Over Time
| Race | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White (NH) | 1,256 | 1,210 | 93.04% | 83.68% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 5 | 25 | 0.37% | 1.73% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 10 | 4 | 0.74% | 0.28% |
| Asian (NH) | 14 | 20 | 1.04% | 1.38% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Some other race (NH) | 0 | 7 | 0.00% | 0.48% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 24 | 96 | 1.78% | 6.64% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 41 | 84 | 3.04% | 5.81% |
| Total | 1,350 | 1,446 |
In 2010, there were 1,350 people living in Keystone Heights. By 2020, the population had grown to 1,446 people.
In 2020, the average age in Keystone Heights was about 34 years old. About 29% of residents were 19 years old or younger.
The median income for a household in the city was $61,250 in 2020. This means half of the households earned more than this, and half earned less. About 15.7% of the population lived below the poverty line.
Most residents (96.4%) speak only English at home. Over half of the people (59.2%) were born in Florida. Most of the others were born in different states, especially in the southern USA. A small number of people (3.5%) are immigrants.
Education in Keystone Heights
The schools in Keystone Heights are managed by the Clay County School District (Florida).
- Keystone Heights Junior/Senior High School
- Keystone Heights Elementary School
Higher Education Opportunities
- Santa Fe College's Watson Center is located just outside the city. It serves as an important learning center for students in southern Clay and Bradford counties.
See also
In Spanish: Keystone Heights para niños
