Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. It is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County

Lake City and Columbia County, Florida are known as "The Gateway to Florida" because Interstate 75 runs though them, carrying a large percentage of Florida's tourist and commercial traffic. Lake City is the northernmost sizable town/city in Florida on Interstate 75 and the location where I-10 and I-75 intersect. Interstate 10 is the southernmost east-west major interstate highway and traverses the country from Jacksonville, Florida to Santa Monica, California.

Every February since 1976, Lake City has hosted the Olustee Battle Festival and reenactment of the Battle of Olustee. The 31st Annual event was February 13 & 14th, 2009.  The Miss Olustee Pageant is held two weeks prior to the Battle Festival. 

The city was originally named Alligator, after Halpatter Tustenuggee, the Seminole known as Chief Alligator in what is now Columbia County. The Festival tries to educate and entertain by demonstrating how Native American, European and Black settlers survived in the frontier wilderness. Programs are scheduled to demonstrate how to load and fire black powder rifles, tan hides, cook using primitive methods, make flint tools and utilize native materials to build shelter. The social life of Native Americans will be shared through their music and dancing.