Welaka

History

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"; the name Welaka is said to have been derived from the word local Native Americans used for the St. Johns River. By the 1880s, Welaka had become a resort town, marketing itself to visitors seeking medicinal cures from the mineral water of the local springs. The Welaka Mineral Water Company was incorporated in 1907.

Geography

Welaka is approximately 90 miles south of Jacksonville and is accessible by highway or the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Johns River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (2.86%) is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the Town of Welaka has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  859
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  840
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  824
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  757
• Red-shouldered/Broad-winged Hawk

  Buteo lineatus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  666
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  643
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  639
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  602