[4] DeFuniak Springs serves as a hub for residents in surrounding rural and unincorporated communities.

Areas such as Paxton, Mossy Head, Ponce de Leon, and others in between utilize the services of DeFuniak Springs.

Like much of Northwest Florida, DeFuniak Springs was settled mainly by Scots from Virginia and the Carolinas.

The Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood, an auditorium seating 4,000, was constructed on Lake DeFuniak in the center of town.

A chicken processing plant operated by Perdue Farms at DeFuniak Springs was closed in April 2004.

DeFuniak Springs, Florida has several neighborhoods, including the Historic District, Paxton, Mossy Head, and other unincorporated communities: The Historic District is the center of the city, featuring the 260-acre Chipley Park and Lake DeFuniak, which is fed by natural springs.

Paxton is a family-friendly community with agricultural history, lakes for kayaking, and Britton Hill, which is home to Florida's highest point.

DeFuniak Springs has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with abundant precipitation, particularly during the summer months, due to its location on the Gulf Coast and consequent vulnerability to tropical storms and hurricanes.

The surrounding landscape of Lake DeFuniak is decorated for the holidays between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day; this is known to locals as the "Christmas Reflections".

[citation needed] Historic sites include: At the time of planning, the founders of DeFuniak Springs were interested in the adult education movement.

For DeFuniak Springs, this movement did not only include the Chautauqua center, McCormick University and Academy, and the State Normal School, but also a community library.

[16] The Ladies Library Association chose a plot of land adjacent to the Chautauqua center and signed a lease for ninety-nine years.

It was not until the 1960s when the subscription fees were finally eliminated, and the county and city assumed total responsibility for its maintenance and collection development.

[16] Today, the Walton-DeFuniak Library contains antiquities, a medieval weapon collection, and many first-edition books.