Inverness is a city in
Citrus County
Citrus 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 153,843. Its county seat is Inverness, and its largest community is Homosassa Springs.
Citrus County compris ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, United States. As of the
2020 census,the population was 7,543. It is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Citrus County
and is home to the
Citrus County Courthouse
The Old Citrus County Courthouse (constructed in 1912) is a historic site in Inverness, Florida located at 1 Courthouse Square. On April 17, 1992, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The building was designed by J. R. ...
and near the
Flying Eagle Preserve.
Geography
Inverness is located in eastern Citrus County, on the western shore of the connected
Tsala Apopka and Henderson lakes. 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 t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.01%, is water.
Within the city are of land reserved for passive and active park usage.
Climate
Inverness has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), typical of the southeastern United States, with hot, humid, summers and mild, mainly dry winters.
History
Archaeological digs showed that the
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...
resided in the area that is now Inverness. The Seminole leader
Osceola
Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Muscogee language, Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a S ...
made his wartime camp, known as Powell's Town, in the area during the
Second Seminole War.
The city of Inverness was originally named "Tompkinsville." White settlement of the area dates back to 1868. Tompkins, later known as "Uncle Alf", started the community. To attract newcomers to the town, he established a mail service and helped erect the first
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
in the county. He gave his brother-in-law, Frank M. Dampier Sr., a lot to build a store, with Dampier becoming the first merchant in town. Dampier is credited with laying out the town and naming it Tompkinsville.
Not many years later, the town of Tompkinsville was sold to a firm in
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
, and the name was changed to "Inverness". According to the late historian Mary McRae of
Homosassa
Homosassa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,578 at the 2010 census.
History
Homosassa is derived from a Seminole Indian name meaning either "river of fishes" or "pepper ridge".
I ...
, Inverness is named directly after a
Scottish city of the same name.
Inverness is
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
's most northerly city, and "the capital of the Highlands", with a population of 46,870. The story goes that Inverness, Florida got its name from a lonely Scotsman, far away from his home, who gazed upon the blue waters of the Native American-named
Tsala Apopka Lake and thought the area looked like the headlands and
lochs of the area surrounding
Inverness in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. ''Inver'' is a
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
word meaning "mouth of the river", the
River Ness flows through the Scottish city Inverness, so Inverness literally means the mouth of the
River Ness, which flows from
Loch Ness
Loch Ness (; gd, Loch Nis ) is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for claim ...
, which is one of Scotland's most visited areas. Since the Florida city lies at the foot of one of the chain of lakes in Citrus County, Inverness seemed an appropriate name.
According to official city documentation, Inverness was incorporated on September 18, 1919.
Over twelve downtown buildings have been recognized by the historic plaque program and are presently active places for business. Central Business Development grants have helped to retain the historic character of the city. In 1961 the historic courthouse downtown was used to film the courtroom scene of "
Follow That Dream
''Follow That Dream'' is a 1962 American musical film made by Mirisch Productions and starring Elvis Presley. The film was based on the 1959 novel '' Pioneer, Go Home!'' by Richard P. Powell. Producer Walter Mirisch liked the film's song "Follo ...
", featuring
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
.
The city has been designated a "Gateway Community" by the
Florida Trail Association. Since 1995, Inverness has been recognized as a
Tree City USA
The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 350 million trees in neighborhoods, communities ...
by the
National Arbor Day Foundation and the
US Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
. In 2009, Inverness was named "City of the Year" by the
Forty and Eight, a national veterans' organization.
Events
The last full weekend in October is reserved for the Great American Cooter Festival, named after the Florida
cooter turtle. A family-focused event of music, games, crafts and more is held at the adjoining Liberty and Wallace Brooks parks on Lake Henderson.
Since 1971 the first weekend in November marks the Festival of the Arts, a juried
fine art
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
show that has grown to include over 100 artists.
Every year in March, there is a Seminole War re-enactment at
Fort Cooper State Park
Fort Cooper State Park is a 710-acre historic site in Inverness, Florida, United States. It is located two miles (3 km) south of Inverness, off of U.S. Hwy. 41 on South Old Floral City Road. On June 13, 1972, it was added to the United Sta ...
called Fort Cooper Days.
The Great American Cooter Festival has since been replaced with the
Inverness Country Jam as of 2022 which takes place on the last weekend of October.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 6,789 people, 3,190 households, and 1,805 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,635 dwelling units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.83%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
(non-Hispanic), 5.20%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.38%
Native American, 0.57%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.06%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.77% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.19% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 4.42% of the population.
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, the racial makeup of the city was 92.93%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
(non-Hispanic), 4.10%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.38%
Native American, 0.54%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 1.46%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.77% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.19% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 3.05% of the population.
There were 3,190 households, out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.60.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.6% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 19.3% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 38.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,604, and the median income for a family was $35,342. Males had a median income of $27,255 versus $21,052 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 city was $17,211. About 9.6% of families and 14.8% 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 27.5% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation and recreation
Inverness Airport
Inverness Airport ( gd, Port-adhair Inbhir Nis) is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north-east of the city of Inverness, Scotland. It is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL). The airport is the main gateway ...
is located south of the city limits, next to the Citrus County Speedway. The
Citrus County Sheriff's Office
The Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency servicing a population of 138,143 in of Citrus County, Florida.
History
The sheriff's office began operations on June 2, 1887, when Citrus County was created with ...
's aviation unit operates from this airport.
U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...
is the main north-south road through Inverness, leading north to
Dunnellon
Dunnellon is a city with the unique feature of sitting in 3 counties in Marion, Levy & Citrus counties in Florida, United States. The predominant part falls in the Marion county. The population was 1,928 at the 2020 census, up from 1,733 in 20 ...
and south to
Brooksville. The main east-west road is
State Road 44, leading west to
Crystal River and east to
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 St ...
near
Wildwood. The two roads join to form Inverness' Main Street from Talmage Avenue to Highland Boulevard. Other county roads include County Road 581 and County Road 470.
Inverness is home to the Lakes Region Library, which is part of the
Citrus County Library System. The library offers several recreational classes such as Tai Chi, painting, gardening, basic technology usage, children and teen programs, and more. Times and services are listed on the library'
website
The
Withlacoochee State Trail
Withlacoochee State Trail is a long paved, multi-use, non-motorized rail trail in Florida located in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties. It follows along the Withlacoochee River and passes through the Withlacoochee State Forest. It is the ...
, which replaced a former
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...
line, runs between two of the chained lakes, with small bridges replacing former railroad trestle crossings. The trail offers access to 46 continuous miles of enjoyment for biking, jogging and walking. It is the longest paved recreation trail in Florida. The Inverness trailhead can be found on North Apopka Avenue (CR 470) across from the trail crossing and Liberty Park.
Other parks in Inverness include Wallace Brooks Park, Whispering Pines Park, the Henderson Lake boat ramps, and
Fort Cooper State Park
Fort Cooper State Park is a 710-acre historic site in Inverness, Florida, United States. It is located two miles (3 km) south of Inverness, off of U.S. Hwy. 41 on South Old Floral City Road. On June 13, 1972, it was added to the United Sta ...
, just south of the city. Inverness is also close to
Withlapopka Community Park, the almost
Flying Eagle Preserve and the almost
McGregor Smith Scout Reservation.
Government
Inverness utilizes a council–manager form of government with a city council composed of the mayor of Inverness and five councilmembers. This council also sets policy to be administered, directed, and implemented by the city manager. As of February 2020, the current mayor is Bob Plaisted and the current city manager is Eric Williams.
Education
The city is served by
Citrus County Schools. Residents are divided between Inverness Primary, Pleasant Grove Elementary, and
Hernando Elementary. All residents are zoned to Inverness Middle School, and
Citrus High School.
The Lakes Region Library of Citrus Libraries is in Inverness.
[Locations & Hours]
." Citrus Libraries. Retrieved on February 4, 2017. "LAKES REGION LIBRARY 1511 Druid Road Inverness, FL 34452"
References
Further reading
* Dunn, Hampton. ''Back Home: A History of Citrus County, Florida''. Inverness, FL, 1976
* Rooks, Justine. "Remember When." ''Citrus County Chronicle'', August 1, 1998.
External links
City of Inverness official websiteGreat American Cooter FestivalCity on the Lakes
{{Authority control
County seats in Florida
Cities in Citrus County, Florida
Cities in Florida
1868 establishments in Florida
Populated places established in 1868