Starke is located at the intersection of US Highway 301 and State Road 100. It is one of the area’s oldest communities and has more than 5,700 residents. Starke is the county seat of Bradford County.
Starke was founded on April 4th, 1870. Like other cities in this area, Starke's history is tied to the railroad that still runs through the heart of the community. Starke served as the halfway point on Florida’s first railroad, the Fernandina to Cedar Key Railroad. The opening of nearby Camp Blanding brought a boom in population during the late 1940s, helping the City grow into one of the largest cities between Jacksonville and Ocala.
