The Withlacoochee River or Crooked River is a river in central

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 ...

, in the United States. It originates in the Green Swamp, east of Polk City, flowing west, then north, then northwest and finally west again before emptying into the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

near Yankeetown. The river is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed April 18, 2011 and has a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

of . It is believed to have been named after the Withlacoochee River in the northern part of the state, near the border with

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Along the route of central Florida's Withlacoochee River is 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 ...

, the longest paved

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

in Florida; the

Cypress Lake Preserve Cypress Lake Preserve is a nature preserve in Ridge Manor, Florida. The preserve is located in the vicinity of US 98/ SR 50 and Ridge Manor Boulevard in Ridge Manor, Florida Ridge Manor is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hernando County, F ...

, a park with approximately of frontage; and

Nobleton Wayside Park Nobleton Wayside Park a park at 29061 Lamkin Drive in Nobleton, Florida that includes a boat ramp launching point on the Withlacoochee River as well as a shelter, basketball court, and picnic tables.Nobleton that includes a boat ramp, shelter, basketball court, and picnic tables. The

Southwest Florida Water Management District The Southwest Florida Water Management District (or SWFWMD, pronounced as "swiftmud" based on the word acronym), is one of five regional agencies directed by Florida State law (United States), state law to protect and preserve water resources. Es ...

operates a nature preserve and recreational area with of frontage on the Withlacoochee River 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 ...

. The property was purchased for $13.5 million in 2005 from the

South Florida Council The South Florida Council is a 501(c)(3) organization chartered by the Boy Scouts of America to serve Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties in South Florida. As of 2022, the South Florida Council had a membership of more than 20,000 y ...

, which had used it as the McGregor Smith Scout Reservation. The Withlacoochee River flows through Pasco and Hernando counties, and then forms part of the boundary between Hernando County and Sumter County and all of the boundary between Citrus County and Sumter County, between Citrus County and Marion County and between Citrus County and

Levy County Levy County is a county located on the Gulf coast and in the northern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,915. Its county seat is Bronson. History Levy County was created in 1845, after the Seminol ...

(including

Lake Rousseau Lake Rousseau is a reservoir on the Withlacoochee River in central Florida, on the boundary of Levy County to the north-west, Marion County to the north-east, and Citrus County to the south. It was created in the early 1900s when the river was ...

). The largest city close to the river is

Dade City Dade City is a city in and the county seat of Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 6,437 at the 2010 census. Dade City is popular with tourists for its antique stores, restaurants, and h ...

Etymology

"''Withlacoochee''" probably stems from a

Muskhogean Muskogean (also Muskhogean, Muskogee) is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American language family spoken in different areas of the Southeastern United States. Though the debate concerning their interrelationships is ongoing, the ...

dialect, which suggests that its application is comparatively recent. It is compounded of Creek ''we'' (water), ''thlako'' (big), and ''chee'' (little), or ''little big water''. This word combination signifies ''little river'' in the Creek language, and as ''we-lako'' or ''wethlako'' may also refer to a lake, it may signify a river of lakes, or lake river. The Withlacoochee flows just to the eastward of Tsala Apopka Lake, and the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

which flows through a series of large and small lakes was called ''welaka'' by the

Seminoles 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, and ...

. An alternate etymology holds that Withlacoochee is a Native American word meaning "crooked river", which accurately describes the river as it makes its 70-mile journey from the Green Swamp in northern Polk County to the Gulf of Mexico at Yankeetown.

List of crossings

References

External links

Withlacoochee South Paddling Trail
an
Withlacoochee North Paddling Trail
from the

Florida Department of Environmental Protection The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) is the Florida government agency responsible for environmental protection. History By the mid-1960s, when the federal government was becoming increasingly involved in initiatives desig ...

{{authority control Rivers of Florida Bodies of water of Hernando County, Florida Bodies of water of Sumter County, Florida Bodies of water of Pasco County, Florida Bodies of water of Citrus County, Florida Rivers of Marion County, Florida Bodies of water of Levy County, Florida

Etymology

List of crossings

See also

References

Further reading

External links