Welaka is a town situated on the St. Johns River in Putnam County, Florida, United States. The town is part of the Palatka, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 714 as of the 2020 census, up from 701 at the 2010 census.
History
thumb|left|[[Mount Royal (Florida)|Mount Royal]]
It is not known when the area was first settled, but the nearby Mount Royal archaeological site is a possible remnant of a Timucua tribal village from c. 1250 CE to 1500 CE, and may have a connection to the town of Enacape, an important center of the Utina tribe.
The settlement was originally a 500-acre tract purchased by James William Bryant on July 6, 1852, and was known as "Mt. Tucker". Prior to the war, there were large orange groves and cotton plantations. In 1860, Welaka's population was slightly over 100. At the end of the Civil War, fewer than 20 remained. The community grew again, voted to become a municipality on April 23, 1887, and was officially incorporated on June 21, 1887, and was named the "Town of Welaka";
2010 and 2020 census
{| class="wikitable"
|+Welaka racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|508
|497
|72.47%
|69.61%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|159
|123
|22.68%
|17.23%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|1
|2
|0.14%
|0.28%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|2
|2
|0.29%
|0.28%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|0
|0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|0
|3
|0.00%
|0.42%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|7
|33
|1.00%
|4.62%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|24
|54
|3.42%
|7.56%
|-
|Total
|701
|714
|100.00%
|100.00%
|-
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 714 people, 501 households, and 160 families residing in the town.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 701 people, 227 households, and 149 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the census