Levy County, Florida

Levy County is a county in Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico coast between the Suwannee and Withlacoochee rivers. It had a population of 42,915 at the 2020 census and covers 1,118 square miles (2,900 km2) of land, centred near 29°17′N 82°47′W.

Bronson is the county seat, and its postal code is 32621. The county has eight incorporated municipalities, a handful of census-recognized communities, and no civil townships. It sits in the Eastern time zone.

Towns & Villages in Levy County

Levy County has 31 named places on record, split between 8 incorporated towns and cities and a larger number of unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs). “CDP” below means a place the Census Bureau recognizes and tracks separately even though it has no city government; “Unincorp.” means a locally known place name with no municipal boundary or separate census count.

Fanning Springs straddles the Levy–Gilchrist county line, so part of the city sits in each county; its municipal population figure above covers the whole city. Rosewood, once a majority-Black settlement on County Road 345, is remembered today as a historical community rather than an active town centre — see History below.

ZIP Codes

• 32621 — Bronson (also serves East Bronson)
• 32696 — Williston (also serves East Williston, Williston Highlands)
• 32626 — Chiefland (also serves Ellzey)
• 32644 — Chiefland (PO Box addresses only)
• 34449 — Inglis (also serves Port Inglis)
• 32625 — Cedar Key
• 34498 — Yankeetown
• 32683 — Otter Creek
• 32668 — Morriston
• 32639 — Gulf Hammock

Small unincorporated places without their own post office, including Andrews, Crackertown, Hardeetown, Manatee Road, Merediths, Montbrook, Raleigh, Sumner, Tidewater, Usher and Vista, use the ZIP code of the nearest larger town.

Geography

Levy County occupies Florida’s Nature Coast, a low, largely undeveloped stretch of the Gulf shoreline built on salt marsh, hammock and pine flatwoods rather than sand beach. The Suwannee River forms much of the county’s western and northwestern boundary, the Withlacoochee River marks part of the southern line, and Waccasassa Bay and the offshore Cedar Keys give the coastline its shallow, island-studded character. The 53,000-acre Goethe State Forest, in the county’s east-central interior, is the largest single block of public land.

Levy County borders Gilchrist County to the north, Alachua County to the northeast, Marion County to the east, Sumter County to the southeast, Citrus County to the south, and Dixie County to the west.

Demographics

Levy County’s 2020 census population was 42,915, spread across a mostly rural county at a density of about 38 people per square mile. Williston (2,976) and Chiefland (2,316) are the two largest incorporated communities. Median household income in the county runs below the Florida median of $73,311, consistent with its rural, agriculture- and fishing-based economy.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture and forestry anchor the county’s interior — peanuts, watermelons, cattle and pine timber are longstanding crops, alongside the pastureland typical of Florida’s Nature Coast. Cedar Key runs one of the state’s largest hard clam aquaculture industries, supplying farmed clams well beyond Florida. Chiefland and Williston, along the US 19/98 and US 41 corridors, carry most of the county’s retail and services. Springs-based tourism is a growing draw: Manatee Springs State Park near Chiefland and Fanning Springs State Park both attract paddlers, divers and, in winter, manatees seeking the springs’ constant 72°F water.

History

Levy County was created on March 10, 1845, out of Alachua County, and named for David Levy Yulee, Florida’s territorial delegate to Congress and later one of its first two U.S. senators. In January 1923, a mob from the nearby community of Sumner burned the predominantly Black town of Rosewood to the ground after a false accusation against a Black resident, killing an unknown number of residents and permanently emptying the settlement. The Florida legislature formally acknowledged the massacre in 1994 and created a compensation program for survivors and descendants.

Getting There

US 19/98 runs the length of the county north-south through Chiefland and Fanning Springs; US 27/41 crosses through Williston and Bronson; State Road 24 runs southwest to Cedar Key.

• Gainesville — about 30 miles northeast of Bronson
• Ocala — about 30 miles east of Williston
• Crystal River — about 25 miles south of Chiefland
• Cedar Key — about 25 miles southwest of Chiefland

The nearest commercial airport is Gainesville Regional Airport, roughly 35 miles from Bronson.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Levy County?
It is on Florida’s Gulf coast, roughly halfway between Gainesville and Crystal River, between the Suwannee and Withlacoochee rivers.

What is the population of Levy County?
42,915 people at the 2020 census.

How big is Levy County?
1,118 square miles (2,900 km2) of land.

What is the county seat of Levy County?
Bronson.

How many towns and cities are in Levy County?
Eight incorporated municipalities — Bronson, Williston, Chiefland, Inglis, Fanning Springs, Cedar Key, Yankeetown and Otter Creek — plus about two dozen unincorporated communities and CDPs.

What ZIP codes are in Levy County?
Ten ZIP codes, including 32621 (Bronson), 32696 (Williston), 32626/32644 (Chiefland), 34449 (Inglis), 32625 (Cedar Key) and 34498 (Yankeetown).

What happened at Rosewood?
A white mob destroyed the Black community of Rosewood in January 1923; the site is now marked by a state historical marker and Florida later created a compensation program for survivors’ descendants.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Florida.