Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a major city in, and the county seat of, Hillsborough County, Florida, United States.[11] It is on the west coast of Florida on Tampa Bay, near the Gulf of Mexico, and is the largest city in the Tampa Bay Area. The city had a population of 335,709 at the 2010 census,[5] and an estimated population of 377,165 in 2016.[12]

Archaeological evidence indicates the shores of Tampa Bay were inhabited by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The Safety Harbor culture developed in the area around the year 1000 AD, and the descendant Tocobaga and Pohoy chiefdoms were living in or near the current city limits of Tampa when the area was first visited by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. Interactions between native peoples and the Spanish were brief and often violent, and although the newcomers did not stay for long, they introduced European diseases which brought the collapse of native societies across the Florida peninsula over the ensuing decades. Although Spain claimed all of Florida and beyond as part of New Spain, it did not found a colony on the west coast. After the disappearance of the indigenous populations, there were no permanent settlements in the Tampa Bay area until after the United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1821.

In 1824, the United States Army established a frontier outpost called Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, near the site of today's Tampa Convention Center downtown. The first civilian residents were pioneer ranchers and farmers who settled near the fort for protection from the nearby Seminole population. The town grew slowly, and had become a minor shipping port for cattle and citrus by the time of the United States Civil War. Tampa Bay was blockaded by the United States Navy during the war, and Tampa fell into a long period of economic stagnation that continued long after the war ended. The situation finally improved in the 1880s, when the first railroad links, the discovery of phosphate, and the arrival of the cigar industry jump-started its development, helping Tampa to grow from an isolated village with less than 800 residents in 1880 to a bustling city of over 30,000 by the early 1900s.

Venus, Florida

Wewahitchka, Florida

Wewahitchka is a city in Gulf County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,981 as of the 2010 census.[6] This was up from 1,722 as of the 2000 census. From the creation of Gulf County in 1925 until 1965, it served as the county seat before the county seat was moved to Port St. Joe. The city took its name from an American Indian word meaning "water eyes". Two lakes along the edge of town look like a perfect pair of eyes.[7]

Wewahitchka is located in northeastern Gulf County at the junction of Florida State Roads 71 and 22. SR 71 leads north 27 miles (43 km) to Blountstown and south 24 miles (39 km) to Port St. Joe, while SR 22 leads west 28 miles (45 km) to Panama City. According to the United States Census Bureau, Wewahitchka has a total area of 7.7 square miles (20.0 km2), of which 6.5 square miles (16.8 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.2 km2), or 15.80%, is water.[6] It is located west of the Chipola River, a tributary of the Apalachicola River, and southwest of Dead Lake.

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 1,722 people, 696 households, and 483 families residing in the city. The population density was 277.4 people per square mile (107.1/km²). There were 894 housing units at an average density of 144.0 per square mile (55.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.61% White, 7.55% African American, 7.64% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.

Youngstown, Florida

Youngstown is an unincorporated community in Bay County, Florida, United States. It was the site of an unsolved deadly train derailment in 1978.[1] It is part of the Panama City–Lynn Haven–Panama City Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area. The main road through Youngstown is US 231, which is the eastern terminus of County Road 388.

Tangerine, Florida

Tangerine is a census-designated place (CDP) in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,865 at the 2010 census.[3] It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km2), of which 4.6 square miles (11.8 km2) is land and 0.73 square miles (1.9 km2) (13.85%) is water.[5]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 826 people, 323 households, and 256 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 715.9 inhabitants per square mile (277.3/km²). There were 348 housing units at an average density of 301.6 per square mile (116.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.65% White, 3.27% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 2.42% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.99% of the population.

Vernon, Florida

The geographical center of Washington County, Florida, Vernon is named for George Washington's Virginia home, Mt. Vernon. The quaint, pioneer town was also the site of a major Indian settlement. Vernon held the county seat until 1927 when the seat was moved to Chipley. The move was approved by a margin of one vote.

Vernon became known as "nub city" in the 1950s and 1960s for a high number of limb loss insurance claims made in the area. Vernon was featured in the Errol Morris documentary film Vernon, Florida (produced in 1981) highlighting the eccentricities of the people who lived there. The movie angered many residents of the city and surrounding areas who felt the documentary portrayed Vernon in a negative light. Morris had originally intended to document on the "Nub City" aspect of the town, but re-focused his subject after claiming to receive death threats from residents.[5] The area's history is exhibited at the Vernon Historical Society Museum in Vernon City Hall.

The city sits on the Holmes Creek where during the 1880s the creek was used as a shipping route to Bonifay and other nearby towns. The creek was also used to ship gopher tortoises due to the high value their shell carried at that time. The town gained infamy in the late 1950s and early 1960s due to the improbably high percentage of residents who put out insurance claims on lost limbs, to the point that many speculated that residents of the town were intentionally dismembering themselves for the insurance money. Although there is no real evidence to support these speculations, these insurance claims from Vernon, with a population of 500–800, accounted for as many as 2/3 of claims nationally. The town was referred to as "Nub City".[5]

White Springs, Florida

White Springs is a town in Hamilton County, Florida, United States, on the Suwannee River. The population was 777 at the 2010 census,[5] down from 819 at the 2000 census. Home of the annual Florida Folk Festival, it is a tourist destination noted for historic charm, antique shops and river recreation.

The Suwannee River was once the boundary between the Timucuan tribe to the east and the Apalachee tribe to the west. When Spanish explorers visited the area in the 1530s, it was inhabited by the former, who believed its springs possessed healing powers.[6] The Indians considered the springs as a sacred healing ground. Any tribe member could bathe and drink the mineral waters without fear of being attacked.[7] The spring water flows through rocks embedded with sulfur crystals and acquires a "rotten egg" smell.

The settlement was incorporated in 1831 as "Jackson Springs" by businessmen Joseph Bryant, James T. Hooker, his brother William B. Hooker, John Lee, and James D. Prevatt. In addition to the spring, they planned to build a ferry across the Suwannee River.[6]

Yulee, Florida

Yulee is a Census county division (CCD) in Nassau County, Florida, United States. The population is currently 28,798 as of April 2018.[4] Yulee is part of the Jacksonville metropolitan area, which was home to 1,504,980 people in 2017.[5] Today, the Yulee CCD is a residential bedroom community for those who commute to Jacksonville, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, or other locations in Southeast Georgia, but is working to diversify its tax base.[6]

Yulee is located within 15 miles of Amelia Island and the Jacksonville International Airport and is home to the Florida State College at Jacksonville's Nassau Center, the White Oak Conservation, two renown golf courses, the Nassau Wildlife Management Area, Robert M. Foster Justice Center, Four Creeks State Forest, the Yulee Branch Library, Nassau County Sheriff's Office Headquarters, and the Florida Welcome Center on Interstate 95.[7] In addition the Yulee CCD is provided regional services by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.[8]

The racial makeup of Yulee in 2014 was 89.2% White, 7.0% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.[15] 77.9% of the population was 18 years of age or older.

Tarpon Springs, Florida

Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 23,484 at the 2010 census.[6] Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the US.[7] Downtown Tarpon has long been a focal point and is currently undergoing beautification.[8]

The region, with a series of bayous feeding into the Gulf of Mexico, was first settled by white and black farmers and fishermen around 1876. Some of the newly arrived visitors spotted tarpon jumping out of the waters and so named the location Tarpon Springs. In 1882, Hamilton Disston, who in the previous year had purchased the land where the city of Tarpon Springs now stands, ordered the creation of a town plan for the future city.[1] On February 12, 1887, Tarpon Springs became the first incorporated city in what is now Pinellas County.[1] Less than a year later on January 13, 1888, the Orange Belt Railway, the first railroad line to be built in what is now Pinellas County, arrived in the city.[9] During this time the area was developed as a wintering spot for wealthy northerners.

In the 1880s, John K. Cheyney founded the first local sponge business. The industry continued to grow in the 1890s. Many blacks and whites from Key West and the Bahamas settled in Tarpon Springs to hook sponges and then process them. A few Greek immigrants also arrived in this city during the 1890s to work in the sponge industry.

Vero Beach, Florida

As of the 2010 census,[3][7] there were 15,220 people, 7,505 households, and 3,946 families residing in the city. There were 10,258 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 87.5% White, 4.8% Black, 0.30% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.7% of the population.

There were 7,505 households out of which 16.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.4% were non-families. 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older with 4.8% being 85 years and older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.65.

In the city the population was spread out with 14.1% under the age of 16, 84.1% over 18, 4.3% from 15 to 19, 4.9% from 20 to 24, 5.5% from 20 to 25 and 29.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.9 years.