Trilacoochee 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 ...

in the northeast corner of

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 ...

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 United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is at the northern terminus of the US 301 and

US 98 U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west United States Highway in the Southeastern United States that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola and Apalachicola, Florida, and has sinc ...

multiplex. It has a non-profit "Greater Trilby Community Association" which exists to improve the life and quality of residents of the Trilby, Trilacoochee and

Lacoochee Lacoochee is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,345 at the 2000 census. Geography Lacoochee is located at (28.463248, -82.171774). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP ...

area. The ZIP Code for this community is 33523, which it shares with Dade City.

Geography

Trilacoochee is bordered by Trilby to the northwest, Lacoochee to the northeast, Blanton to the west, the Green Swamp to the east, and Dade City to the south.

History

Trilacoochee was originally known as Owensboro Junction, where the

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 ...

and

Seaboard Air Line The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

railroad crossed paths. The lines were originally built by two other competing railroads, the South Florida Railroad between 1884 and 1885 which was acquired by the Atlantic Coast Line, and the

Florida Railway and Navigation Company 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 ...

in 1887, which was bought by the

Florida Central and Peninsular Railway 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 Jac ...

and eventually the Seaboard Air Line. In time the town gained a school, two post offices, a shingle mill, and after clay deposits were discovered in 1907, a brick yard and kiln were installed. A housing development known as Trilcoochee Gardens was begun in the 1920s, named because it was between Trilby and Lacoochee. During the 1930s the community became known as Trilcoochee, but by the 1940s the spelling Trilacoochee was used more frequently.Origins of Place Names (History of Pasco County)
/ref> The state highway that became SR 35 was realigned during 1948 and 1949, and US 301 took over the route. ACL built a bridge over both the SAL tracks, the switching station, and the new section of the road. The old sections have since been renamed Old Trilby Road.

was extended through Pasco County in 1952, and joined US 301 in a multiplex from Trilacoochee to Clinton Heights south of Dade City. Since then, the road has been lined with independent farms, restaurants, automotive garages, and motels. In 1967, the ACL and SAL merged to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which brought the junction into decline. The southwest tracks formerly owned by the SAL were removed during the 1970s, and in 1989 the northwest tracks formerly owned by the ACL were removed, as well as the ACL train trestle. The right-of-way for the former ACL segment to the northwest later became the southern terminus of the

Withlacoochee State Trail Withlacoochee State Trail is a long paved, multi-use, non-motorized rail trail in Florida located in Citrus County, Florida, Citrus, Hernando County, Florida, Hernando and Pasco County, Florida, Pasco counties. It follows along the Withlacooch ...

. Today, the existing line is known as the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

Wildwood Subdivision The Wildwood Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in Florida. It runs along CSX's S Line from Baldwin south to Zephyrhills via Ocala and Wildwood for a total of 155.7 miles. The S Line is CSX's designation for the line tha ...

, which is part of the S Line.

References

External links

History of Trilby and Trilacoochee, FloridaFor a down home view of Trilby
*Information on the Steering Committee for the Pasco Count
Lacoochee/Trilby Strategic Plan 2010
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Pasco County, Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida