Starke, FL Homes for Rent

Starke, FL sits between Jacksonville and Gainesville, surrounded by lakes and open land, and has a population of about 5,800 people. Many residents have deep roots here, while others are moving in from more built-up parts of north-central Florida for the rural, small-town setting and the chance to have more space. It’s common to find homes on an acre or more, which can be harder to find closer to major cities. Housing in Starke includes ranch-style homes, bungalows, and manufactured homes on narrow, quiet streets with grassy yards and mature trees, plus a small number of older Victorians and Arts and Crafts houses that rarely come up for sale. Local parks like Wainwright Park and Thomas Street Park provide things to do such as basketball, tennis, playground time, and walking trails, and nearby lakes like Sampson, Crosby, and Rowell are popular for fishing and boating. The Starke/Gainesville N.E. KOA Holiday campground and the semi-private Starke Golf & Country Club add more recreation options. Historic downtown Call Street has shops, services, and casual spots like Grannie’s Country Cookin’, Powell’s Dairy Freeze, and The Downtown Grill, along with the long-running Florida Twin Theatre. In March, residents look forward to the Bradford County Fair and the Strawberry Festival. Most people get around by car, using main streets that connect to U.S. Route 301 for trips to Gainesville about 30 miles away and Jacksonville about 50 miles away, where the nearest international airport is located.