Dixie County (pop. 16,422) is bordered by the Steinhatchee River on the west, the Suwannee River on the east, and the Gulf of Mexico on the south.
Dixie County is in the middle of the eight-county area known as the “Nature Coast” – a term created in 1991 to promote this less-developed area of Florida.
The county seat of Dixie County is the city of Cross City (pop. 1,737), which got its name because two roads crossed there.
The town of Horseshoe Beach (pop. 169) is south of Cross City, on the Gulf of Mexico.
The nine-mile Dixie Mainline Trail goes on an old logging road, paralleling the coast southeast from Horseshoe Beach to the fishing village of Suwannee. Biking, hiking, and slow driving (25 mph maximum) are allowed.
Suwannee is located near the mouth of the Suwannee River.
In the unincorporated community of Old Town, the former Old Town Elementary School (1910) is now the home of the Dixie County Cultural Center.
Near Old Town, the steamship “City of Hawkinsville” was abandoned in the Suwannee River in 1922. It is now a Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve, and can be visited by certified divers.