Webster, FL

Webster is a Sumter County city with 778 residents in the 2020 census, settled in 1855 and incorporated in 1957. Its story comes from the market grounds on the north side of town. The surrounding farms first built Webster around citrus, then vegetables after the freezes of 1894-95; cucumbers became such a major crop that the city picked up the nickname "Cucumber Capital." The old agricultural economy is still easy to read in the way market days bring people into town. The Sumter County Farmers Market began in 1937 and now combines a Monday flea market with a Tuesday livestock auction, one of the few surviving cattle markets in the country.

ATTRDanTD / CC BY-SA 4.0

Those two days give Webster a regional working rhythm: produce and bargains on Monday; cattle buyers and sellers on Tuesday. Roy "Bug" Story Park adds a 29-acre lakeside spot with a boat ramp and fishing pier, while Croom-A-Coochee Park handles ball fields, basketball, and playground use. Webster's calendar also includes Founders Day, an Ethnic Festival, and Light Up Webster.