Waldo, Florida  Waldo is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. According to the 2010 census the population was 1,015, up from 821 in 2000. The first major U.S. federal highway in early territorial Florida, Bellamy Road, was constructed in the 1820s-1830s and passed through Waldo from around Lake Santa Fe to the east and on towards the Santa Fe River in the west, where it passed over the river on a natural land bridge at modern O'Leno State Park. In 1853, the Florida Legislature chartered the Florida Railroad to build a line from Fernandina to Tampa, Florida, with a branch running to Cedar Key. U.S. Senator David Levy Yulee, president and chief stockholder of the Florida Railroad, made the decision to build the Cedar Key branch first. The section up to Gainesville was completed by 1859, with the intersection of Bellamy Road and the Florida Railroad named Waldo Station, after Senator Yulee’s friend Benjamin Waldo, a doctor and politician. In 1876, the railroad branch from Waldo to Ocala was completed. Waldo is located at (29.789831, -82.170881). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.74%, is water. Lake Alto is a freshwater lake averaging 573 acres in surface size located east of Waldo. It is roughly 4500 ft wide (east to west) by 8600 ft long (north to south) and is 18 feet deep at the lowest point. According to LakeWatch, the water quality of Lake Alto is excellent. Harmful nutrient concentrations are low, indicated by low total phosphorus, low total nitrogen and low chlorophyll a. Bass, brim and catfish catches are commonly reported. Lake Alto is connected to Little Lake Santa Fe and Lake Santa Fe to the east by a man-made canal. It is possible to take a small boat or kayak from Waldo to Melrose through the canal and lakes. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,015 people, 413 households, and 245 families residing in the city. Of the 489 housing units 413 were occupied for an occupancy rate of 84.5%. The racial makeup of the city was 70.2% White, 25.9% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 1.6% some other race, and 1.8% from two or more races.