Brandon, Florida
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Brandon is an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
and
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP) in
Hillsborough County, Florida Hillsborough County is located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. In the 2020 census, the population was 1,459,762, making it the fourth-most populous county in Florida and the most populous county outside the Miami metrop ...
, United States. It is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 114,626 at the 2020 census, up from 103,483 at the 2010 census.


History


Founding

Its history began on January 20, 1857, when John Brandon arrived at
Fort Brooke Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native Seminoles who had been confined ...
(now
Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
) from
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
with his first wife Martha and six sons. At first he moved his family to what is now the Seffner area. Then in August 1858, John Brandon purchased in the New Hope area (now Brandon) and later on and then named his land "Brandon". John and his second wife Victoria's house was located on what would become the corner of Knights Avenue and Victoria Street. Four years later, the New Hope Church was built on land donated by Brandon. Besides being the first church in the community, it also served as Brandon's first school. In 1890, the
Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad The Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad was the final name of a system of railroads throughout Florida, becoming part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900. The system, including some of the first railroads in Florida, stretched from Jacks ...
came through the area, encouraging the people of New Hope to build a depot on Moon Avenue. Charles S. Noble, an engineer for the FC&P, was asked to plat approximately forty acres of land north of present-day State Road 60, south of Lake Meade, east of Kings Avenue, and west to Parsons Avenue. Filed on April 24, 1890, the surveyor named the community in honor of John Brandon and Noble Street for himself. Stowers Funeral Home is a famous landmark in Brandon, in a building erected by John Brandon's son James.


Early 20th century

Since then, Brandon has grown in spurts, beginning with the first general store opened by Dan Galvin on the corner of Moon Avenue and Victoria Street. In 1905 a school was built on Parsons Avenue, and Victoria Brandon allowed new teachers to board with her. At the time, Valrico began to develop to the east as Victoria's son Lovic moved there and opened a general store. Lovic and Victoria's other son, Mark, organized the Valrico Baptist Church in 1915, which later moved to Brandon and became the First Baptist Church in 1930. By 1914, the community needed a large central school to house all of the area's students, so the Brandon Grade School (now McLane Middle School) was built on Knights Avenue to house grades 1 through 12. In 1919 Brandon Grade School enrolled the largest class to date totaling 119 students. The school's first Principal, John T. Bushong was responsible for expanding the school to grade 12 and in 1923 it graduated four seniors. The first Brandon census was taken in 1922 when the population was 100. In 1925, Hopewell Road became a paved road, and residents such as Clarence Hampton began building businesses along it in 1927. Hampton opened the first gas and service station. During the 1920s, the eastern border of Brandon was Pinewood Avenue. Beyond that was the Kingsway Poultry Colony, where chickens were raised during the winter to be sold in
Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly ...
. During the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
the poultry farms closed, until around 1946, when Bill and Ann Hollash moved to Brandon and started Brandon Egg (which later became Hollash Eggs), the largest egg producers in eastern Hillsborough County. Hollash Eggs closed in the late 1990s. The original farm, over , was sold to what is now Bell Shoals Baptist Church. Most local residents worked in the two orange packing houses in Valrico. The center of town remained at Moon Avenue and Victoria Street, where the train depot, post office, school, and grocery store were all located. For entertainment and everything else, the train to Tampa was the way to go, as only a few paved roads existed, with most being dirt- or shell-topped, making the drive to Tampa very difficult. World War II was an interesting time in Brandon, with little growth, but a definite edge as they had the food they raised on their farms. After the war, new businesses began to open. A drug store and soda fountain at the corner of Parsons Avenue and Hopewell Road quickly became a popular teenage hangout. In 1950, Scogin's opened their famous variety store on Hopewell Road, and in 1953 Brandon got its first physician, Dr. V. R. Hunter. The 1950s were the beginning of the real growth period for Brandon. Yates Elementary was built in 1954, followed by Mann Junior High School in 1957. Brandon Grade School, on Knights Avenue, became the first Brandon High School. At the time, there were fewer than 100 graduates a year. In 1956, Hopewell Road was connected to Adamo Drive, which made access to Tampa easier, thus turning Brandon into a bedroom community. With commuters came subdivisions, the first of which was Hill-Dale Heights on Kingsway Avenue. The ''Brandon News'' was established in 1958 as a one-page newsletter and advertisement for Scogin's clothing store, written by Al & Chris Scogin. Brandon's first honorary mayor's race was held in 1959 and was won by Nat Storms.


Era of rapid growth

In 1959, the Brandon Chamber of Commerce was formed to help promote business and growth. By the early 1960s, Brandon's population was 8,000, and it was estimated that one new family moved into town every day. Brandon began spreading out into the bordering communities of Limona, Seffner, and Valrico; Hopewell Road became four lanes wide and was designated State Road 60. Soon, the town's first shopping center, Brandon Center, was built, and Brooker Elementary School and the Brandon Swim and Tennis Club opened in 1961 and 1963 respectively. In the next few years, Kingswood Elementary School, the Brandon Public Library, and many housing developments, shopping centers, and golf courses further fueled or reflected the influx of new residences and businesses. By the 1970s, growth was causing traffic congestion, as approximately 430 commercial and service businesses, three malls and a population of 40,000 were all contained within a radius. In the mid-1970s,
Hillsborough Community College Hillsborough Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Hillsborough County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. History HCC was one of the last community colleges to be created in Florida, founded in 1968. Only P ...
moved to Brandon by holding classes at public schools. More indications of the increasing population were the building of Brandon Community Hospital and the Brandon Cultural Center (now the Center Place Fine Arts and Civic Association). Brandon took off rapidly during the 1980s. Development of the southern area of Brandon brought thousands of new residents. On September 27, 1986,
Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
began to bring traffic through the Brandon area, dramatically changing the community and helping its population reach nearly 58,000 by 1990.


Geography

Brandon's census boundaries include Palm River-Clair Mel to the west across U.S. Route 301, Valrico to the east, Riverview and Bloomingdale to the south, and East Lake-Orient Park,
Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
, and Seffner to the north. Brandon is east of
downtown Tampa Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area. It is second only to Westshore regarding employment in the area. Companies with a major presence downtown ...
and southwest of
Plant City Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 39,764 at the 2020 census. Despite many thinking it was named for flora ...
.
Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
passes through the western part of the Brandon CDP, with access from Exits 256 (US 301) and 257 (
Florida State Road 60 State Road 60 (SR 60) is an east–west route transversing Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The western terminus of SR 60 is at the ''Sunsets at Pier 60'' site in Clearwater Beach. The eastern terminus is in Vero Beach n ...
/Brandon Boulevard). Interstate 4 passes north of the center of Brandon, with access from Exits 7 (US 301), 9 (I-75), and 10 ( State Road 579/Mango Road). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the Brandon CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 5.42%, are water. Neighborhoods within Brandon include Barrington Oaks East, Brandon Hills, Kensington Estates, La Viva, and Limona.


Climate

Brandon, like the Tampa Bay area, has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
. Unlike Tampa and
Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg– Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical ...
, Brandon will typically have a few nights below freezing each year due to its greater distance from the coast. The summers are long and hot, and average ; winters are mild and dry, averaging . Brandon, like the rest of the Tampa Bay area, receives abundant rainfall, around of rain annually. Brandon's winters may have low temperatures in the 30s for more than four days, while Tampa can have low temperatures in the 40s and 50s in that same period of time.


Demographics

As of 2010, there were 43,352 households, out of which 8.1% were vacant. As of 2000, 38.1% households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.10. In 2000, in the CDP the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $51,639, and the median income for a family was $56,931. Males had a median income of $37,454 versus $28,935 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the CDP was $22,080. About 6.9% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.


Languages

As of 2000, English spoken as a first language accounted for 85.24% of all residents, while 14.75% spoke other languages as their
mother tongue A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
. The most significant were Spanish speakers who made up 11.07% of the population, while
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
came up as the third most spoken language, which made up 0.57%, and Tagalog was at fourth, with 0.44% of the population.


Economy

Known for being a bedroom community for Tampa, Brandon boasts many characteristic establishments that have lasted over a quarter of a century. Brandon is the birthplace of
Beef O'Brady's Beef O'Brady's (styled as Beef 'O' Brady's Family Sports Restaurant) is an American restaurant franchise, established in 1985 by Jim Mellody in Brandon, Florida, and headquartered in Tampa. History Jim Mellody moved from his native Pennsylvania ...
, a family-oriented bar and grill chain restaurant with locations throughout the southeastern United States.


Arts and culture

Brandon is home to
Westfield Brandon Westfield Brandon, formerly known as Brandon Town Center and Westfield Shoppingtown Brandon, is a shopping mall located eight miles (13 km) east of Tampa, Florida, in the suburban community of Brandon. The mall is owned by Unibail-Rodamco-We ...
(originally Brandon Town Center), the AMC Regency 20 movie theatre and the Florida Academy for the Performing Arts based at Music Showcase. Although street addresses indicate their locations in Tampa, the multilevel entertainment facility
TopGolf Topgolf is a golf driving range game with electronically tracked golfballs and automatically scored drives that started in 2000 and grew to become a multinational sports entertainment company. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, it has locations i ...
, and the arcade restaurant attraction
Dave and Buster's Dave & Buster's is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas. Each Dave & Buster's has a full-service restaurant and a video arcade. As of October 2022, the company has 151 locations in the United States and two ...
are closely associated to Brandon due to their proximity to Westfield Brandon.


County fair

The Hillsborough County Fairgrounds sits on the west side of Brandon on SR 60. In 2011-2012, the Hillsborough County Fair made its permanent home here on a plot of land on a rural part of State Road 60. Throughout the years, the fair was held at various locations. The Fair takes place from October 16–20.


Brandon Regional Library

The Brandon Regional Library is a two-story library in Brandon that caters to the communities of Brandon, Valrico, and Lithia. It is a branch of the
Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System The Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System (THPL) is a public library system based in Hillsborough County, Florida. THPL is part of two larger library networks, the Tampa Bay Library Consortium, and the Hillsborough County Public Libr ...
. It opened at its current location on March 10, 1991, and the building is approximately 25,000 square feet. The library shares a building with Center Place Fine Arts and Civic Association, however, both organizations remain autonomous in operation. Planning and land acquisition for a new Brandon library is underway. The existing site is constrained and offers limited options for building expansions to both the library and to on-site parking, which is currently inadequate for the number of customers who visit the facility. As a result, the Board of County Commissioners approved funding for the acquisition of a new site to relocate and expand the facility. The project will be funded with ad valorem tax proceeds from the Special Library Taxing District and a Public Library Construction Grant through the Florida Department of State.


Education

Brandon's public schools are operated by the Hillsborough County Public School system. There is one public high school in Brandon: * Brandon High School, established in 1914 and was the second high school created in Hillsborough County. Public middle schools include: *Burns *McLane *Mann Public elementary schools include: *Brooker *Buckhorn *Kingswood *Limona *Schmidt *Yates *Mintz Private schools: *Bell Shoals Baptist Academy *
Brandon Academy Private School Brandon Academy Private School, or simply "Brandon Academy" or "BA," is a coeducational private day school located on a campus in Brandon, Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bo ...
*Central Baptist School *Faith Baptist *Nativity Catholic School *Immanuel Lutheran School *Providence Christian School Colleges: * Emmaus Baptist College is located in Brandon *
Hillsborough Community College Hillsborough Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Hillsborough County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. History HCC was one of the last community colleges to be created in Florida, founded in 1968. Only P ...
Brandon campus had an enrollment of over 12,000 in the 2015 school year. *
Southern Technical College Southern Technical College is a private for-profit technical college with multiple locations in Florida. It was founded in 2001 and provides diploma and associate degree programs. Locations Southern Technical College has campuses in the foll ...
operates a campus in Brandon.


Infrastructure

Brandon is served primarily by four local and three express
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (also known as the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART)) provides public transportation for Hillsborough County, Florida. The agency provides fixed-route local and express bus service, door-to-door paratransit ...
bus lines.


Notable people

*
Brooke Bennett Brooke Marie Bennett (born May 6, 1980) is an American former competition swimmer and three-time Olympic champion. Swimming career 1996 Summer Olympics ' Bennett's first gold medal came in the 800-meter freestyle race at the 1996 Summer Olymp ...
, Olympic swimmer *
Tony Cristiani Tony Cristiani is a former American football defensive lineman who played college football for the University of Miami. He was a two-time All-American and a consensus All-American in 1973. Cristiani was also a member of the Chicago Fire, Detr ...
, football player *"Nasty" Ronnie Galetti, professional wrestler and founding vocalist of the
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band
Nasty Savage Nasty Savage is an American thrash metal band from Brandon, Florida, formed in 1983 by vocalist "Nasty" Ronnie Galletti. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Galletti and guitarist David Austin remaining the only constant members ...
, formed in Brandon in 1983 * Chris Gannon, football player, was born in Brandon * Franklin Gómez, freestyle wrestler *
Joey Graham Joseph Graham (born June 11, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career Graham played college basketball for the University of Central Florida (2 ...
, professional basketball player * Stevie Graham, professional basketball player *
Sterling Hitchcock Sterling Alex Hitchcock (born April 29, 1971) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played from to , mostly with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. Early life Hitchcock was born in Fayetteville, North Caro ...
, professional baseball player * Toney Mack, professional basketball player * Admiral
Charles D. Michel Charles David Michel (born April 7, 1963) is a former United States Coast Guard admiral who last served as the 30th vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. He is the first vice commandant to hold the rank of admiral while in office. Originall ...
, 30th
Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard The vice commandant of the Coast Guard serves as the second-in-command of the United States Coast Guard, behind only the commandant of the Coast Guard. Since 1929, 31 officers have served as Vice Commandant, or, as the position was referred to b ...
*
Paul Orndorff Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. (October 29, 1949 – July 12, 2021), nicknamed "Mr. Wonderful", was an American professional wrestler and college football player, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Cham ...
, professional wrestler *
Dwayne Schintzius Dwayne Kenneth Schintzius (October 14, 1968 – April 15, 2012) was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player. He was born in Brandon, Florida and attended the University of Florida, where he helped lead the Florida Gat ...
, professional basketball player * Shannon Spruill, professional wrestler, valet, commentator, and ring announcer, known as Daffney *
Brent Underwood Brent Underwood is an American entrepreneur and owner of Cerro Gordo Mines. Career After graduating from Columbia University, Underwood worked briefly for an investment bank in New York City. After one month, he quit and backpacked across Central ...
, entrepreneur


References


External links


Brandon Chamber of CommerceBrandon City Guide
{{authority control 1857 establishments in Florida Census-designated places in Hillsborough County, Florida Populated places established in 1857 Census-designated places in Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida