Seffner is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

(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 metro ...

, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 8,362, up from 7,579 at the 2010 census. Located approximately east of downtown

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa'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 t ...

, Seffner is considered a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

. Though still characterized by towering

live oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are generally not more closely related to each other than they are to o ...

trees,

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

farms and lakes, Seffner has been growing rapidly in recent years, with housing subdivisions being added to the once rural landscape.

History

Some historians claim that Seffner's streets were originally laid out in 1862, but not recorded as a

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

formally until 1885. Seffner's post office opened in 1884, when a new railroad line in the area had been planned. The community was named for its first postmaster, Frederick P. Seffner. That same year, Seffner's first school and store were opened. Seffner quickly became a prosperous small community with citrus groves, a hotel, one drug store, several

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and Common ...

stores, and a

livery stable A livery yard, livery stable or boarding stable, is a stable where horse owners pay a weekly or monthly fee to keep their horses. A livery or boarding yard is not usually a riding school and the horses are not normally for hire (unless on wor ...

. When an epidemic of yellow fever hit Tampa in the fall of 1887 and in 1888, many Tampa refugees fled to Seffner for temporary shelter in the hotel. However, as refugees and mail arrived in Seffner, they were fumigated as protection from the epidemic. Among the refugees was T.C. Taliaferro of the First National Bank of Tampa, who operated a branch banking business from Seffner during the epidemic. The main thoroughfare leading north and south was Lenna Avenue, and leading east and west was Highway Number 23, renamed Buffalo Avenue, because of its erstwhile use as a buffalo trail, and then renamed again in 1989 to its current name, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard ( Hwy 574). Seffner and neighboring

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

and

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

served as the three primary towns along the

South Florida Railroad The South Florida Railroad was a railroad from Sanford, Florida, to Tampa, Florida, becoming part of the Plant System in 1893 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. It served as the southernmost segment of the Atlantic Coast Line's ma ...

right-of-way between

and Plant City. These towns owe their existence and prosperity to the railroad, each becoming an important shipping center. The cold in the winter of 1894–1895 brought disaster to Seffner. Many citizens left, while others remained to recoup their losses. Seffner survived and eventually regained its affluence. Attractive residential neighborhoods were built to accommodate the influx of desirable residents. By 1925, Seffner was the fourth-largest town in Hillsborough County.

Geography

Seffner is located northeast of the center of Hillsborough County and is bordered by Thonotosassa to the north,

to the west, and Brandon to the south.

Interstate 4 Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning along a generally southwest–northeast axis ...

is the northern boundary of the CDP, and the southern boundary follows State Road 574 (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard). Plant City is to the east. The Seffner CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 5.34%, are water, according to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 5,467 people, 2,075 households, and 1,520 families residing in the community. The population density was . There were 2,168 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the community was 91.35%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.26%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.29% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 2.71% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races.

Hispanics The term Hispanic () are people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an ethnic or meta-ethnic term. The term commonly appli ...

Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...

of any race were 8.21% of the population. There were 2,075 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.04. In the community the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the community was $42,614, and the median income for a family was $49,152. Males had a median income of $32,266 versus $26,328 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the community was $19,888. About 3.2% of families and 4.6% 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 ...

, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Public library

The Seffner-Mango Branch Library is located in Seffner.

Parks and recreation

There are six public parks in Seffner: Seffner-Mango Park, Evans Recreation Center, E.L. Bing Park, Higginbotham Park, Mango Dog Park, and Lakewood Park. Lake Weeks is a lake located on the southeast side of Seffner. It has a surface area of 57.73 acres and is known for its fishing and

Spanish moss Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an Epiphyte, epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America (as far ...

. Three recreation centers are located in Seffner. The Evans Recreation Center offers special programs for children ages 6–17 and it features a basketball court, playground equipment, a hockey court, a softball field, a football field, and a soccer field. The Mango Recreation Center has a large park with two basketball courts, two softball fields, a playground, and a 5-acre dog park. The Seffner Civic Center is a historical land site with a basketball court, picnic tables, a playground, and a large open field. The Rodney Colson Sports Complex is a park with an open field, biking trail, and walking trail.

Wildlife conservation

The Life Fellowship Bird Sanctuary located in Seffner, affiliated with a local church. Birds and reptiles are kept there, and the facility is noted for its success in breeding rock iguanas in captivity.

Education

Public schools

Hillsborough County Public Schools serves Seffner.

Elementary schools

*Colson Elementary *Lopez Elementary *McDonald Elementary *Seffner Elementary Pruner elementary

Middle schools

*Gordon Burnett Middle School *Jennings Middle School

High schools

* Armwood High SchoolHobson, Will, Laura C. Morel and Jodie Tillman. "Seffner Sinkhole 911 Call: 'Bedroom Floor Just Collapsed.'" ''Tampa Bay Times'', March 1, 2013.

Private schools

*Hillsborough Baptist *Impact Academy *Legacy Christian Academy *Livingstone Academy * Seffner Christian Academy

Notable people

* Matt Joyce, professional baseball outfielder, raised in Seffner * Andrew W.K., musician, lived in Seffner in 1999

References

External links

Greater Seffner Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Census-designated places in Hillsborough County, Florida Census-designated places in Florida 1884 establishments in Florida