Lake Butler
Start with Lake Butler to understand the established center, nearby services and everyday rhythm within Union County.
Complete Florida county guide
Union
County
A compact rural county with close-knit towns, lakes and access to larger North Florida employment centers.
Rivers, springs and old FloridaNorth Florida & First Coast
REGIONNorth Florida & First Coast
COMMUNITIES TO START WITHLake Butler · Raiford · Worthington Springs
LIFESTYLE SIGNALSSmall towns · Lakes · Rural
Start with daily life
What Union County feels like before you choose a neighborhood.
A compact rural county with close-knit towns, lakes and access to larger North Florida employment centers.
Use this guide as a first-pass planning tool. On a scouting trip, compare actual commute routes, insurance requirements, medical access, school or training options and the places you would use in an ordinary week—not only the best-known attraction.
The numbers that matter if you are moving
- Population
- 15,701Census estimate
- At the last full count
- 16,1472020 Census
- Median age
- 39.6
- Aged 65 and over
- 16.6%
- Under 18
- 21.7%
- Median household income
- $64,146
- Median home value
- $169,500what owners estimate
- Homeownership
- 74.7%
- People per household
- 2.60
- Average commute
- 37.2 minutes
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, published January 2026, read September 19, 2026. Survey figures are estimates; median home value is what owners estimate their home is worth, not a sale price.
COUNTY LIFESTYLE THEMES
Small townsLakesRural
Relocation decision desk
Six checks before you choose a county.
Property cost, flood and wind, schools, healthcare, daily travel and storm readiness.
How to research a Florida county →Communities to compare
Begin with the county’s major places.
These are starting points, not a ranking. Add nearby towns and neighborhoods as you learn your daily route and housing priorities.
Raiford
Use Raiford to compare housing patterns, main-road access and the shopping or medical stops used during a normal week.
Worthington Springs
Walk or drive through Worthington Springs at different times of day to judge traffic, neighborhood character and access to outdoor space.
Hospitals in Union County
One hospital with an emergency room.
From the state's own hospital list. Each card opens the state's record for that hospital: its address, phone, services and inspection reports.
The state licenses one more hospital in Union County with no emergency room; its list names it.
How do I compare hospitals in Florida? →How do I find a doctor who takes Medicare? →Search the state's hospital list ↗
Source: Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, FloridaHealthFinder, Locate a Facility (hospitals), read September 25, 2026.
Evergreen county experiences
5 places that reveal the county.
Use enduring natural, historic and cultural places to understand the area beyond a real-estate showing.
Lake Butler
Settlers platted the ground in 1859 and a post office opened in 1860, though the city was not formally incorporated until May 1893. The name comes from the lake, and the lake was named for Robert Butler, a United States Army colonel who served as acting governor of East Florida.
Lakeside Park
A U-shaped concrete fishing dock runs out over the water, far enough to clear the shallows. A public ramp launches boats and kayaks. There is a swimming beach on the freshwater lake with a marked swim area, which is uncommon in a state where most public swimming is in springs or salt water.
Lake Butler Heritage Trail
This is the northernmost finished section of the Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail, and people in town treat it as a walk of its own. It runs from State Road 237 to the old Union Depot at the edge of downtown.
Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail
It follows the abandoned right-of-way of the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway, later part of the Norfolk Southern system, and it crosses four counties: Putnam, Clay, Bradford and Union. The towns on the line are Palatka, Florahome, Keystone Heights and Lake Butler.
Union County Historical Museum
The building went up around the turn of the last century and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 1992. It is a two-part commercial block in an Italian Renaissance style, with arched windows and decorative brickwork, which is more ornament than a farm town of this size usually put on a storefront.
Official planning desk
Check current public information before making the move.
Florida disaster preparedness mapsOfficial evacuation-zone, route and storm-surge planning maps.
Open official source ↗
Florida school accountability reportsCurrent state school and district accountability information.
Open official source ↗
Florida community health dataCounty-level public health indicators and community reports.
Open official source ↗
Florida housing resourcesState resources for homebuyers, renters and local assistance programs.
Open official source ↗QUESTIONS THAT NAME THIS COUNTY
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See the alternatives before you narrow the map.
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