Altoona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in northern Lake County, Florida, on State Road 19 at the edge of the Ocala National Forest. The 2020 census counted just 98 residents, making it one of the smallest named places in the county. It lies a few miles north of Umatilla and roughly 34 miles from Orlando. The community's identity is inseparable from the Ocala National Forest, the southernmost national forest in the continental United States, which begins at Altoona's doorstep and covers hundreds of thousands of acres of pine flatwoods, sandhills, springs, and lakes. The forest's Pittman Visitor Center is located in Altoona, making the community a formal gateway for visitors heading into the forest's recreation areas. Buck Lake lies a few miles to the north, and the U.S. Forest Service's Seminole Ranger District manages the surrounding landscape from stations nearby. Altoona itself is little more than a crossroads, with a post office and a scattering of homes and businesses along State Road 19. Its residents rely on nearby Umatilla, Eustis, and Mount Dora for groceries, schools, medical care, and services, while the forest provides both recreation and a degree of rural employment tied to outdoor tourism and land management. The broader region is known as Florida's lake country, with the Harris Chain of Lakes and the St. Johns River shaping the terrain, and Altoona occupies its quieter, forested northern edge. For residents, the community offers a quiet, nature-centered way of life, with Orlando and the region's attractions within commuting distance. The combination of forest access, rural privacy, and central-Florida location gives this tiny community a distinctive niche among the county's many lake towns.