Paxton, FL

Paxton is a Walton County town on the Alabama-Florida line, near Britton Hill, the highest natural point in Florida at 345 feet above sea level. Florala, Alabama, lies just north, and Paxton is part of the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metropolitan area. The town’s position gives it an unusual map: a state-line community in the northern Panhandle, close to a geographic landmark that draws visitors from across Florida. The 2020 census counted 556 residents.

ATTRSkye Marthaler / CC BY-SA 4.0

Paxton’s local history grew from farming and the area’s first sawmill, which opened in 1903 as commerce around the mill increased. Lakewood Park surrounds Britton Hill, while Paxton School has served the surrounding community since 1939. Lakewood Park gives the landmark a regular public setting near town for visitors. The school, the state-line road network, and the high point just outside town organize Paxton’s present-day connections. It is a small Florida town whose identity comes from the meeting of timber history, school life, and the state’s highest ground.