Palatka is a city in and the county seat of Putnam County, in northeastern Florida, situated on the west bank of the St. Johns River. With a population of 10,446 at the 2020 census, it is the principal city of the Palatka Micropolitan Statistical Area and part of the larger Jacksonville combined statistical area. Its position on the river, roughly between Jacksonville, Gainesville, and St. Augustine, has defined its history and continues to shape its character. The area began as a trading post and later hosted Fort Shannon in the early 1840s. By the 1850s, Palatka had become a port of entry into the Florida interior, and the arrival of multiple railroad lines in the 1880s propelled a late-19th-century boom driven by timber and citrus. That prosperity left a legacy of historic architecture, including the South Historic District. Today, tourism and wood-products manufacturing — pulp, paper, furniture, and plywood — form the core of the local economy. Palatka hosts several notable institutions and attractions. St. Johns River State College and the St. Johns River Water Management District headquarters are located in the city, and Ravine Gardens State Park, a New Deal-era park of steep ravines and seasonal azalea blooms, is among the region's distinctive outdoor destinations. The annual Florida Azalea Festival and Blue Crab Festival anchor the community calendar. The city's housing stock is largely established and affordable relative to Florida as a whole, ranging from historic homes to mid-century neighborhoods and rural acreage across the county. Public schools are part of the Putnam County School District, and Amtrak rail service stops in Palatka along the state's eastern corridor. For those seeking a genuine Florida river town with history, waterfront recreation, and a lower cost of living, Palatka offers an accessible base within reach of Jacksonville, Gainesville, and the Atlantic coast.