Spring Hill is a
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
Hernando County
Hernando 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 194,515. Its county seat is Brooksville, and its largest community is Spring Hill.
Hernando County is incl ...
,
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. The population was 113,568 at the
2020 census,
up from 98,621 at the
2010 census.
Spring Hill belongs to Florida's
Nature Coast
The Nature Coast is an informal, unofficial region of the U.S. state of Florida. The broadest definition of the Nature Coast includes the eight counties that abut the Gulf of Mexico along the Big Bend Coast defined by geologists: from west to east ...
region and is in the
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. It is east of
Hernando Beach, southwest of
Brooksville, and north of
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 ...
.
History and overview
Spring Hill was formerly a large tract of endangered Longleaf Pine Ecosystem and Sand Pine Scrub with very high biodiversity, and a safe haven for many imperiled species, and most of it remained unchanged until the 1970’s with large scale deforestation. It first appeared on Hernando County maps as early as 1856 along what is today Fort Dade Avenue just north of the community of
Wiscon
WisCon or Wiscon, a Wisconsin science fiction convention, is the oldest, and often called the world's leading, feminist science fiction convention and conference. It was first held in Madison, Wisconsin in February 1977, after a group of fans att ...
. The modern Spring Hill was founded in 1967 as a
planned community
A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
, which was developed by the Deltona Corporation and the
Mackle Brothers The Mackle brothers - Elliott, Robert and Frank Jr. - were a group of three brothers who were real estate developers. They would popularize selling land in planned communities through installment plans in Florida creating several communities in the ...
. The developers originally wanted to call the community Spring Lake and used that as the working name through the development process. They were forced to use a different name due to the name Spring Lake already being in use locally and chose Spring Hill. The plans for the community are identical to the community of
Deltona
Deltona is a city in central Florida and the most populous city in Volusia County. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Monroe along the St. Johns River in central Florida. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 93,692. The cit ...
. The Mackle Brothers sold many of the properties and land in the area through intense advertising. It has since become a sprawling semi-city in its own right, though it is an
unincorporated area
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 ...
. The main entrance to the original development is marked by the Spring Hill waterfall on Spring Hill Drive and
U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie.
The highway's southern ...
(Commercial Way).
Spring Hill's proximity to Tampa, to the south, and the completion of the
Suncoast Parkway Suncoast may refer to:
* Florida Suncoast, a 1980s marketing term for peninsular (non-panhandle) Florida's Gulf of Mexico coastal counties
** Florida Suncoast Dome, the original name of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida
** Suncoast Center, ...
in 2001 have made the community easily accessible to the
Tampa-St. Petersburg area.
Geography
Spring Hill is located in southwestern Hernando County at (28.478929, & 82.547732).
It is bordered to the west by
Timber Pines; to the north by
Weeki Wachee
Weeki Wachee is an unincorporated community and former city located in Hernando County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the community has a total population of 16. The Weeki Wachee Preserve and the Weeki Wachee Springs park are ...
,
North Weeki Wachee,
High Point,
Brookridge, and
Wiscon
WisCon or Wiscon, a Wisconsin science fiction convention, is the oldest, and often called the world's leading, feminist science fiction convention and conference. It was first held in Madison, Wisconsin in February 1977, after a group of fans att ...
; and to the east by
South Brooksville,
Garden Grove, and
Masaryktown. To the south it is bordered by
Shady Hills and
Heritage Pines in
Pasco County
Pasco County is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2020 census, the population was 561,691. Its county seat is Dade City, and its largest city is Zephyrhills. The county is named after Samuel Pasco ...
.
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 ...
, Spring Hill has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.94%, are water.
The
U.S. Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
recommends that "Spring Hill" be used as the mailing address for
ZIP Code 34610 in neighboring Pasco County. The Spring Hill CDP does not extend into Pasco County; instead, this mailing area is partially covered by the Shady Hills and
Quail Ridge CDPs.
Demographics
At the 2010 census, there were 98,621 people, 39,078 households and 27,798 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 44,435 housing units, of which 5,357, or 12.1%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.1%
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 on ...
, 5.1%
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 ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 1.4%
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 ...
, 0.04%
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaii ...
or
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 2.5%
some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
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 13.6% of the population.
Of the 39,078 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were headed by
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49, and the average family size was 2.91.
In the CDP, 21.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% were from 18 to 24, 21.9% were from 25 to 44, 27.1% were from 45 to 64, and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
For the period 2013-17, the estimated median annual household income in the CDP was $45,468, and the median family income was $53,017. Male full-time workers had a median income of $39,478 versus $35,059 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 $22,349. About 10.7% of families and 14.9% of the total 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 22.6% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Languages
For the period 2013-17,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
spoken as a
first language
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 ...
accounted for 85.7% of the population, while 14.3% 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
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
speakers who made up 10.0% of the population.
Education
Spring Hill has many schools, both public and private, which provide primary and secondary education to local children. There are also several options for higher education that are easily accessible from the Spring Hill area.
Primary and secondary education
Public schools in Spring Hill are part of the
Hernando County School Board
Hernando County School District is a government school district headquartered in Brooksville, Florida, United States.[Home]
" Hernando County Schoo ...
school system, which oversees all public schools in
Hernando County
Hernando 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 194,515. Its county seat is Brooksville, and its largest community is Spring Hill.
Hernando County is incl ...
. The main public schools that serve the Spring Hill area are:
High schools
*
Central High School
*
Frank W. Springstead High School
Frank W. Springstead High School is a public Hernando County high school in Spring Hill, Florida. The school opened on December 1, 1975, and had its first graduation class in 1979. In 2014, Springstead High School was ranked as #929 which was b ...
, an
IB World School
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...
* Nature Coast Technical High School
* Weeki Wachee High School
* Hernando High School
Middle schools
* Fox Chapel Middle School
* Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology, a
charter school
A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...
* Powell Middle School
* West Hernando Middle School
K-8 schools
* Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics
* Explorer K-8
* John D. Floyd K-8 School of Environmental Science
* Winding Waters K-8
Elementary schools
* Chocachatti Elementary School
* Deltona Elementary School
* Pine Grove Elementary School
* Spring Hill Elementary school
* Suncoast Elementary School
* Westside Elementary School
In addition to the public schools in Spring Hill, there are several
private school
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
s:
* Growing In Grace Preschool
* Notre Dame Catholic School (Pre-K to grade 8)
* Spring Hill Christian Academy (Pre-K to grade 12)
Wider Horizons School a
Montessori school
The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
(Pre-K to grade 6) and College Preparatory school (junior and senior high school)
* West Hernando Christian School
Higher learning
Spring Hill is home to the Spring Hill Campus of
Pasco–Hernando State College
Pasco–Hernando State College (PHSC) is a public college in Florida with campuses in Pasco and Hernando counties. It is part of the Florida College System and has additional campuses in Brooksville, Dade City, New Port Richey, Spring Hill, a ...
. This was the fourth campus built out of the five now in existence.
Libraries
The
Hernando County Library System operates several libraries in and around the Spring Hill area, such as the West Hernando Branch Library and the Spring Hill Branch Library, which serves as a replacement of the Little Red Schoolhouse Branch Library. The historic Little Red Schoolhouse Branch Library has since been converted into a bookstore, run by the Friends of the Library, whose proceeds benefit the library system.
Healthcare
There are three accredited hospitals in the area, Bayfront Health Spring Hill Hospital, Oak Hill Hospital and the newest, Bayfront Health Brooksville Hospital. With a large senior citizen population, Spring Hill contains many nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities including Spring Hill Health and Rehab, Evergreen Woods Assisted Living Facility and Health South Rehab (an affiliate of Oak Hill Hospital). Bayfront Health Spring Hill and Oak Hill Hospital offer obstetrical services.
Tourism
Nearby
Weeki Wachee Springs
Weeki Wachee Springs is a natural tourist attraction located in Weeki Wachee, Florida, where underwater performances by "mermaids," women wearing fish tails as well as other fanciful outfits, can be viewed in an aquarium-like setting in the spring ...
is home to the famous live
mermaid show and Florida's only spring-fed water park,
Buccaneer Bay.
Media
There are two print newspapers that serve the area: the ''Hernando Times'' (a publication of ''
Tampa Bay Times
The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single y ...
''), and the ''Hernando Sun''.
Spring Hill belongs in the
Tampa Bay Area
The Tampa Bay area is a major populated area surrounding Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the 18th largest metropolitan area in the United St ...
media market, the 12th largest
designated market area
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
in the United States.
Notable people
*
Douglas Applegate
Douglas Earl Applegate (March 27, 1928 – August 7, 2021) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 18th congressional district from 1977 to 1995, as a member of the Democratic Party. Prior ...
, member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
*
Matt Breida
Matthew John Breida (born February 28, 1995) is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent ...
,
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
for the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
*
Ricou Browning
Ricou Browning (born February 16, 1930) is an American film director, actor, producer, screenwriter, underwater cinematographer and stuntman. He is best known for his underwater stunt work, especially in the 1954 film ''Creature from the Black ...
, film director, actor (notably as the "
Gill-man
The Gill-man—commonly called the Creature—is the main antagonist of the 1954 in film, 1954 black-and-white science fiction film ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' and its two sequels ''Revenge of the Creature'' (1955) and ''The Creature Wal ...
" in ''
Creature from the Black Lagoon
''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...
''), producer, screenwriter, underwater cinematographer, stuntman
*
Corey Hill
Corey Cornelius Hill (October 3, 1978 – May 15, 2015) was an American mixed martial artist. In high school in Florida he won state wrestling championships on multiple occasions and was a two-time national finalist college wrestler.
Mixed marti ...
, former
UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
fighter and ''
The Ultimate Fighter 5
''The Ultimate Fighter 5'' was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. As with the show's usual format, sixteen prospective mixed martial arts fighters were secluded in a ...
'' contestant (deceased)
*
Zachary James
Zachary "Zach" James (born December 7, 1981) is an American actor, singer, recording artist and 2022 Grammy Award winner. He is best known for creating the role of Lurch in ''The Addams Family'' on Broadway, Abraham Lincoln in the world premi ...
, opera singer, stage and TV actor (notably as "Lurch" in the Broadway production of ''
The Addams Family
''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...
'')
*
Willie Sutton
William Francis Sutton Jr. (June 30, 1901 – November 2, 1980) was an American bank robber. During his forty-year robbery career he stole an estimated $2 million, and he eventually spent more than half of his adult life in prison and escape ...
, bank robber
*
Huey Whittaker
Hubert Alton George "Huey" Whittaker (born June 19, 1981) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at South Flori ...
,
wide receiver for the
Florida Tuskers
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 th ...
of the
United Football League (UFL)
Transportation
Mass transit
Public transit in Spring Hill is provided by Hernando County Transit (
The Bus), which consists of four routes which serve Spring Hill and Brooksville, and which also provides a connection to the Pasco County Bus System (PCPT) via the Purple Route's terminus in
Hudson
Hudson may refer to:
People
* Hudson (given name)
* Hudson (surname)
* Henry Hudson, English explorer
* Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back
* Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...
.
The Bus system operates six days a week since expanding to include Saturday service in October 2019.
The four current routes are:
* Purple: Pasco-Hernando State College - Brooksville to Spring Hill, final stop in Hudson, where it connects to Pasco County Transit (PCPT) Route 21
* Green: Brooksville US 41 & Wiscon Road via Wiscon Rd, California St and Spring Hill Drive to Pasco-Hernando State College Spring Hill Campus
* Red: Mariner & Northcliffe Boulevards via Northcliffe, Deltona, & Forest Oaks Boulevards, as well as US 19 to Pasco-Hernando State College Spring Hill Campus
* Blue: Brooksville Walmart (SR50) via Mariner Blvd to Bayfront Health Spring Hill (near Mariner Blvd & County Line Road)
Additionally,
paratransit
Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...
services are available via Trans-Hernando,
which offers door-to-door services by advance reservation for the elderly, mentally challenged, and economic/transportation disadvantaged residents of Hernando County.
Roads
![Hernando County Nature Coast sign on US 19](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Hernando_County_Nature_Coast_sign_on_US_19.jpg)
There are several
county roads
A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...
in Spring Hill that serve as major thoroughfares for traffic traveling around and passing through Spring Hill. Below is a list of the county roads that pertain to Spring Hill:
Highways
Spring Hill is bordered to the west by
US 19
U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie.
The highway's southern ...
(named ''Commercial Way''), and to the north by
SR 50 (named ''Cortez Boulevard''). The
Suncoast Parkway Suncoast may refer to:
* Florida Suncoast, a 1980s marketing term for peninsular (non-panhandle) Florida's Gulf of Mexico coastal counties
** Florida Suncoast Dome, the original name of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida
** Suncoast Center, ...
(
SR 589) is a
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...
that passes through Spring Hill and serves as a connection to
Pasco and
Hillsborough counties (and, by extension,
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 ...
) to the south.
Gallery
Image:Spring_hill_waterfall.jpg, Spring Hill waterfall at US 19
U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie.
The highway's southern ...
and Spring Hill Drive
Image:Botanical_gardens_entrance.JPG, Entrance to the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens
Image:Mother_earth_sculpture_.JPG, The Mother Earth
Mother Earth may refer to:
*The Earth goddess in any of the world's mythologies
*Mother goddess
*Mother Nature, a common personification of the Earth and its biosphere as the giver and sustainer of life
Written media and literature
*Mother Earth ...
sculpture, found in the Botanical Gardens
Image:West_hernando_branch.JPG, West Hernando County Library Branch
Image:Spring_hill_branch.JPG, Spring Hill Library Branch
File:Harold's Garage - Spring Hill, Florida.jpg, Harold's Garage on US 19 is a gas station shaped like a dinosaur, an example of novelty architecture
Novelty architecture, also called programmatic architecture or mimetic architecture, is a type of architecture in which buildings and other structures are given unusual shapes for purposes such as advertising or to copy other famous buildings w ...
.
File:Spring Hill's Pink Dinosaur on US 19.jpg, Pink apatosaurus
''Apatosaurus'' (; meaning "deceptive lizard") is a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period. Othniel Charles Marsh described and named the first-known species, ''A. ajax'', in 1877, an ...
statue on US 19
U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie.
The highway's southern ...
near Windward Village
References
External links
Hernando County Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Census-designated places in Hernando County, Florida
Census-designated places in Florida
Planned communities in Florida
1856 establishments in Florida