Dixie County was created in 1921 from the southern portion of Lafayette County. The county was named for “Dixie”, the common nickname for the southern United States. Its county seat is Cross City.

Dixie County is bordered by the Steinhatchee River on the west, the Suwannee River on the east and the Gulf of Mexico on the South. It is one of only 35 Florida counties with coastlines. The county has a total area of 864 square miles, of which 705 square miles is land and 159 square miles (18.4%) is water.