Why visit Waldo
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail, 3 places to eat and 2 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Waldo Historic District.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 91°F; January lows average 43°F.
Weather in Waldo
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Waldo
Waldo is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2020 census, the population was 846, down from 1,015 at the 2010 census.
From the Wikipedia article Waldo, Florida (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks3
Waldo Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Waldo, Florida
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes3
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Where to stay2
History
William Sparkman, the "father of Waldo", was the first non-indigenous, English-speaking settler in the early 1800s, who in the 1820s, made it easier for more settlers to reside in Waldo when he built Bellamy Road, which connected St. Augustine to Pensacola. Bellamy Road was the first major U.S. federal highway in early territorial Florida and was constructed in the 1820s through the 1830s passing through Waldo from around Lake Santa Fe to the east and on towards the Santa Fe River in the west, where it passed over the river on a natural land bridge at modern O'Leno State Park. During this time, the community was known as "Bellamy Station".
In 1853, the Florida Legislature chartered the Florida Railroad to build a line from Fernandina Beach to Tampa, with a branch running to Cedar Key. U.S. Senator David Levy Yulee, president and chief stockholder of the Florida Railroad, made the decision to build the Cedar Key branch first. The section up to Gainesville was completed by 1859, with the intersection of Bellamy Road and the Florida Railroad named Waldo Station, after Senator Yulee's friend, Benjamin Waldo, a doctor and politician. And that same year, the Bellamy Station community was renamed "Waldo". In 1876, the railroad branch from Waldo to Ocala was completed.
The City of Waldo was incorporated as a municipality in 1907.
From the History section of Waldo, Florida on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship3
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries4
Map of Waldo
19 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67°F | 43°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 71°F | 46°F | 2.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 76°F | 50°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 82°F | 56°F | 2.7 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 87°F | 63°F | 3.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 90°F | 70°F | 7.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 91°F | 72°F | 6.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 90°F | 72°F | 6.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 88°F | 69°F | 5.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 82°F | 61°F | 2.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 75°F | 51°F | 1.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 69°F | 45°F | 2.9 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Gainesville Rgnl Ap 74756 (10 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Alachua County has had 30 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-10-11: Hurricane Milton (Hurricane)
- 2024-10-07: Hurricane Milton (Hurricane)
- 2024-09-28: Hurricane Helene (Hurricane)
- 2024-09-24: Tropical Storm Helene (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-08-10: Hurricane Debby (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-08-03: Tropical Storm Debby (Tropical Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 9 miles away.
- Keystone Heights 8 mi east, about 13 min by car
- Gainesville 13 mi southwest, about 21 min by car
- Hawthorne 14 mi south, about 23 min by car
- Alachua 19 mi west, about 31 min by car
- Lake Butler 19 mi northwest, about 30 min by car
- Interlachen 20 mi southeast, about 32 min by car
- Middleburg 24 mi northeast, about 38 min by car
- Asbury Lake 29 mi northeast, about 46 min by car
- Palatka 31 mi east, about 50 min by car
- Oakleaf Plantation 33 mi northeast, about 53 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Waldo Hist Dist City Hall01, ( Ebyabe ), CC BY 2.5
- Waldo, Florida (34890868721), peteselfchoose, CC BY 2.0
- Waldo Hist Dist bldg01a, ( Ebyabe ), CC BY 2.5
- Lake Alto Panoramic, Aeotas, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.