Living in Palatka, Florida
Palatka is a city in Putnam County, with about 10,650 people.1 It feels small-town or low-density suburban, at 1,081 people per square mile.1,3
Nearest 24-hour emergency room
HCA Florida Putnam Hospital, listed in Palatka.2
Straight-line distance from the town's center; driving is longer. Freestanding ERs and urgent care aren't counted.
Life in North Central Florida
Florida's college-town and horse-country middle: Gainesville and the University of Florida, Ocala's thoroughbred farms, and The Villages, the giant retirement community.4,5,6,7,8
Hazards: Hurricanes arrive weaker than on the coast, but wind, falling trees, long power outages and flooding still reach inland. Mobile and manufactured homes should evacuate; Marion County's own hurricane guidance says so.9,10
Read the free North Central Florida preview, including the region's state-certified visitor centers.
The full Palatka town card
Choosing Your Place has the complete card for Palatka and 779 other places:
- How its home values, rent, age and income compare with the rest of North Central Florida
- Household income, and how many ER hospitals are within 15 miles
- The nearest airline airport and the nearest big airport
- The full region profile, side-by-side compare and the monthly-cost calculator
Other places in Putnam County
- Crescent City · 1,944 people · home value $192,600
- Interlachen · 1,923 people · home value $152,500
- East Palatka · 1,494 people · home value $246,600
- Welaka · 1,082 people · home value $283,100
"Median" means half are above and half below. Figures are U.S. Census Bureau estimates for Palatka as a Census-defined place; the area a mailing address calls Palatka can be larger.
Notes
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024
- CMS Hospital General Information (Care Compare)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (places)
- Gainesville climate, 1991–2020 normals (Wikipedia, from NOAA)
- University of Florida (Wikipedia)
- Ocala, Florida (Wikipedia)
- The Villages, Florida (Wikipedia)
- Ocala National Forest (Wikipedia)
- Marion County QuickFacts (U.S. Census Bureau)
- Hurricane Preparedness (Marion County Sheriff's Office)