Keystone Heights is a city located in southwestern Clay County, Florida, United States. It is the southwesternmost city in the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the principal city and primary economic driver of the Lake Region, a region in Florida consisting of southwestern Clay County and parts of Bradford, Putnam, and Alachua counties, known for its many lakes. The population of the city was 1,446 at the 2020 census, up from 1,350 at the 2010 census.
History
Early years and founding
In 1917, the area that would eventually become known as the city of Keystone Heights was a small community known as "Brooklyn" located along present day State Road 100, about one mile north of the present location of Keystone Heights on Lake Brooklyn.
The community consisted of a large unpainted building called the Brooklyn Hotel; a combination general store and post office; and several small houses scattered about. Property developer John J. Lawrence, who hailed from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, noticed the area on a visit to Lake Brooklyn, and instantly became attracted to the region.
In the early 2000s, the city saw its tourism industry decline as many of its surrounding lakes, which serve as a primary inflow point for the Floridan aquifer, nearly disappeared. Increased rainfall totals in the 2010s have helped in the recovery of many area lakes including Lake Brooklyn and Lake Geneva.
The Black Creek Pipeline, a $43.3 million project to pump excess water from Black Creek in central Clay County to Alligator Creek just north of Lake Brooklyn, is expected to further restore lake levels. The project began in August 2022.
In fall of 2021, Keystone Heights served as the host of the internationally televised Nitro Rallycross North America Championship at the Florida International Rally & Motorsports Park at the Keystone Heights Airport. In April 2022, the city's lakefront park, Keystone Beach, hosted the Motosurf Games, a motorized surfboard racing contest on Lake Geneva that was nationally televised on CBS Sports. The games returned to the city in April 2023 as the first race of the 2023 season.
Geography
The approximate coordinates for the City of Keystone Heights is located in Northeast Florida in the southwest corner of Clay County.
The city overlooks the north shore of Lake Geneva and is bordered to the west by Bradford County and to the north by Lake Brooklyn. State Road 21 leads northeast (via SR 16) to Green Cove Springs, the Clay County seat, and south to Hawthorne. SR 100 crosses SR 21 and leads northwest to Starke and southeast to Palatka. Located in the center of town, Keystone Lake is the only lake entirely within the city limits.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 1.16%, is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Keystone Heights has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).
Transportation
Airport
The Keystone Heights Airport is a public use airport located 3 miles north of the city in Clay and Bradford counties.
Owned by the Keystone Heights Airport Authority, the airport is categorized as a general aviation facility.
Roadways
The City of Keystone Heights is built around the intersection of two major roads: Florida SR 21 and Florida SR 100.
- (Lawrence Boulevard) is Keystone Heights' main thoroughfare and runs north to south, connecting the city to Jacksonville.
- (Walker Drive) runs west to east through the city.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+Keystone Heights Racial Composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|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
|
|
|-
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Keystone Heights had a population of 1,446. The median age was 38.1 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.8 males.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 556 households in Keystone Heights, of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.0% were married-couple households, 12.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Demographic estimates
According to the 2020 ACS, 29.2% of residents were 0–19 years, 10.9% were 20–29, 17.2% were 30–39, 9.8% were 40–49, 12.2% were 50–59, and 20.8% were 60 years and over.
According to the 2020 ACS, there were 366 families in the city. 36% of households had children under 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, and 40.9% were individual householders with no spouse or partner present. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.13.
!
!Foreign-born
Population in
Keystone Heights
!Percentage of
Keystone Heights
Population
!Foreign-born
Population in
Florida
!Percentage of
Florida
Population
|-
|Philippines
|28
|1.9%
|88,318
|0.4%
|-
|Scotland
|11
|0.7%
|6,305
|0.03%
|-
|Honduras
|4
|0.3%
|112,160
|0.5%
|-
|Dominican Republic
|3
|0.2%
|152,970
|0.7%
|-
|England
|3
|0.2%
|43,439
|0.2%
|-
|Other Northern Europe
|3
|0.2%
|2,715
|0.01%
|}
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,349 people, 515 households, and 374 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 562 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.07% White, 0.44% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 1.19% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.67% of the population.
In 2000, there were 515 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09.
In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $39,519, and the median income for a family was $47,404. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $24,886 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,157. About 5.1% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government
thumb|right|Keystone Heights post office
Keystone Heights has a council–manager form of government, with a mayor, vice mayor and three council members, all elected at large. They serve three-year terms.
As of 2026, the current office holders are:
- Kristi Overton Johnson (born 1970), former water skiing champion
- Johnell Smith (born 1980), professional basketball player
References
External links
- Official Website for the City of Keystone Heights
- Keystone Heights Airport
- Keystone Heights history and demographics