A Dixie County Florida map makes the most sense when U.S. 19/98 is treated as the inland spine. From that corridor, CR 351 runs to Horseshoe Beach, CR 357 reaches the Shired Island area, and CR 349 descends from Old Town toward Suwannee. These Gulf destinations look close on a small map but belong to separate road branches.
The Steinhatchee River marks the northwestern edge near Jena, while the Suwannee River outlines much of the east and southeast. Between those rivers, settlement is concentrated at a few inland junctions and waterfront termini. Pine flatwoods, river floodplain, salt marsh, and tidal creeks account for the long gaps between labeled communities.
Download the Dixie County map
- Map file: County reference map
- File format: ZIP
Table of Contents
Quick Facts
- State and county: Dixie County, Florida (FIPS 12029)
- County seat: Cross City
- Incorporated municipalities: Cross City and Horseshoe Beach
- Principal unincorporated communities: Old Town, Suwannee, Jena, and Shamrock
- 2025 population estimate: 18,038 (U.S. Census Bureau)
- Land area: 705.03 square miles (1,826 square kilometers; 2020)
- Main routes: U.S. 19/98, State Road 349, County Road 349, and County Road 351
- Defining physical features: Suwannee estuary, Steinhatchee River, tidal marsh and creeks, and low pine forest
The Census Bureau counted 16,759 residents in 2020 and estimates 18,038 residents for 2025, a 7.6 percent increase from the 2020 estimate base. With 705.03 square miles of land, the 2020 density was 23.8 people per square mile. That pattern appears as a compact government center at Cross City, small communities at junctions or waterfront endpoints, and broad forest or wetland tracts between them.
Place labels do not all represent the same legal unit. Cross City is the incorporated town that serves as county seat, and Horseshoe Beach is an incorporated city. Old Town, Suwannee, Jena, and Shamrock are unincorporated communities, so their names locate settlements without implying separate municipal governments.
What the Map Shows
On FDOT’s 2026 county highway map, U.S. 19 and U.S. 98 share the SR 55 alignment. The route enters from Taylor County, crosses the county-seat area at Cross City, passes the Old Town vicinity, and continues toward Levy County. It functions both as the through route and as the baseline for describing every major trip to the coast.
CR 351 leaves the Cross City area for Horseshoe Beach. Farther southeast, CR 349 runs from the Old Town side to Suwannee, while CR 357 serves the Shired Island approach between them. Each road penetrates marsh country from inland and terminates independently; none forms part of a continuous public shoreline loop.
Old Town contains a potentially confusing route-number transition. North of U.S. 19/98, SR 349 leads toward Lafayette County. South of the corridor, CR 349 leads toward Suwannee and the estuary. The number remains 349, but the prefix, jurisdiction, and destination change, so map annotations should retain SR or CR.
Jena supplies a northern waterfront reference that Horseshoe Beach and Suwannee do not. It occupies the Dixie County side of the Steinhatchee River, facing the Taylor County community of Steinhatchee. Labeling both sides of the river clarifies why the county boundary cuts between two nearby place names.
County Layout and Location
Dixie County occupies Florida’s Big Bend, bordered by Taylor County on the northwest, Lafayette County on the northeast, Gilchrist County on the east, and Levy County on the southeast. The Steinhatchee and Suwannee rivers make large portions of those borders legible without relying solely on straight survey lines.
The Gulf edge is a broad transition of salt marsh, shallow flats, tidal creeks, and small islands rather than a continuous beach. Water channels reach inland through the marsh, so a simple coastline symbol understates the width and complexity of the estuarine zone.
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge spans the lower river and estuary in Dixie and Levy counties. The Fish and Wildlife Service identifies the Dixie Mainline and CR 357 as principal Dixie County approaches, with additional refuge roads off CR 349. Across the refuge, about 194 miles of roads and trails provide access, but maintained lime-rock roads and grass roads behind locked gates have different vehicle rules.
North of Horseshoe Beach, the Jena Unit belongs to the five-unit Big Bend Wildlife Management Area. Florida FWC places that managed landscape along the Taylor and Dixie coast from the Aucilla River area to beyond Horseshoe Beach. Large green tracts with few roads should therefore be read as managed forest and wetland, not missing map detail.
Local Context
Cross City combines county-government functions with a strategic highway position near the Horseshoe Beach branch. Old Town plays a different geographic role: it marks the split among northbound SR 349, southbound CR 349, and U.S. 19/98 continuing southeast. One is the administrative reference; the other is the directional reference.
Old Town also belongs to a non-road corridor. The paved Nature Coast State Trail passes through the area and continues toward Fanning Springs, with an equestrian path paralleling part of the Old Town–Fanning Springs segment. The former rail alignment and Suwannee River trestle show a crossing pattern that differs from the highway network.
Horseshoe Beach is an incorporated Gulf city at the CR 351 terminus. Suwannee is an unincorporated community among river channels at the Suwannee delta, and Jena is a northwestern river settlement opposite Steinhatchee. Treating all three as one coastal strip would erase their different waterways and separate inland approaches.
Cypress and floodplain hardwoods follow freshwater reaches, salt marsh and tidal flats dominate the estuary, and pine flatwoods occupy higher interior ground. Relief is modest, yet drainage conditions change sharply. Tide, storm surge, river flooding, gate status, and unpaved-road conditions can all affect access.
Ways to Use This Map
- Color the coastal branches: Trace CR 351, CR 357, and CR 349 separately from U.S. 19/98, then label each coastal terminus.
- Classify place names: Mark Cross City and Horseshoe Beach as incorporated municipalities and Old Town, Suwannee, Jena, and Shamrock as unincorporated communities.
- Study river boundaries: Trace the Steinhatchee River on the Taylor side and the Suwannee River along the Gilchrist and Levy sides.
- Overlay protected land: Add Lower Suwannee refuge and Big Bend WMA boundaries to interpret the sparsely roaded coast.
- Build a geography worksheet: Add distinct symbols for highways, rivers, the state trail, neighboring counties, communities, and protected areas.
This is a county-scale orientation resource. Current FDOT information, Dixie County emergency guidance, and the responsible refuge or wildlife agency should control decisions about driving, evacuation, boat launching, gated roads, flood conditions, or protected-land access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are SR 349 and CR 349 the same road?
No. North of U.S. 19/98 near Old Town, SR 349 is a state route leading toward Lafayette County. South of the corridor, CR 349 is a county road leading toward Suwannee and the lower river. Writing only “349” can point a reader in the opposite direction, so the route prefix and destination are essential.
Can drivers follow the shoreline directly from Horseshoe Beach to Suwannee?
No continuous public shoreline road connects them. A driver leaves Horseshoe Beach on CR 351, returns to the U.S. 19/98 corridor, and then turns south from the Old Town area on CR 349 to reach Suwannee. Shired Island is a third independent endpoint on CR 357; marsh, tidal creeks, and managed land separate all three branches.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau: Dixie County QuickFacts
- Florida Department of Transportation: 2026 County General Highway Maps
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
- Florida FWC: Big Bend Wildlife Management Area
- U.S. Census Bureau: current Dixie County QuickFacts
- Official Dixie County website
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Dixie County refuge access
- Florida State Parks: Nature Coast State Trail
Related County Maps
- Taylor County Florida map
- Lafayette County Florida map
- Gilchrist County Florida map
- Levy County Florida map
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