Brandon is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
and
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. It is part of the
Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 114,626 at the
2020 census,
up from 103,483 at the 2010 census.
History
Founding
On January 20, 1857, John Brandon arrived at
Fort Brooke
Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River (Florida), Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native S ...
(now
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 ...
) from
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
with his first wife Martha, his seven sons, and their seven slaves. At first they moved to what is now the
Seffner area. Then in August 1858, John Brandon purchased in the New Hope area (now Brandon) and later on and then named his land "Brandon". John and his second wife Victoria's house was located on what would become the corner of Knights Avenue and Victoria Street. Four years later, the New Hope Church was built on land donated by Brandon. Besides being the first church in the community, it also served as Brandon's first school.
In 1890, the
Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad
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 Jackso ...
came through the area, encouraging the people of New Hope to build a depot on Moon Avenue. Charles S. Noble, an engineer for the FC&P, was asked to plat approximately forty acres of land north of present-day
State Road 60, south of Lake Meade, east of Kings Avenue, and west to Parsons Avenue. Filed on April 24, 1890, the surveyor named the community in honor of John Brandon and Noble Street for himself.
Stowers Funeral Home is a famous landmark in Brandon, in a building erected by John Brandon's son James.
Early 20th century
Since then, Brandon has grown in spurts, beginning with the first
general store
A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...
opened by Dan Galvin on the corner of Moon Avenue and Victoria Street. In 1905 a school was built on Parsons Avenue, and Victoria Brandon allowed new teachers to board with her.
At the time,
Valrico began to develop to the east as Victoria's son Lovic moved there and opened a general store. Lovic and Victoria's other son, Mark, organized the Valrico Baptist Church in 1915, which later moved to Brandon and became the First Baptist Church in 1930.

By 1914, the community needed a large central school to house all of the area's students, so the Brandon Grade School (now McLane Middle School) was built on Knights Avenue to house grades 1 through 12. In 1919 Brandon Grade School enrolled the largest class to date totaling 119 students. The school's first Principal, John T. Bushong was responsible for expanding the school to grade 12 and in 1923 it graduated four seniors.
The first Brandon census was taken in 1922 when the population was 100. In 1925, Hopewell Road became a paved road, and residents such as Clarence Hampton began building businesses along it in 1927. Hampton opened the first gas and service station.
During the 1920s, the eastern border of Brandon was Pinewood Avenue. Beyond that was the Kingsway Poultry Colony, where chickens were raised during the winter to be sold in
Ybor City
Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mai ...
. During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
the poultry farms closed, until around 1946, when Bill and Ann Hollash moved to Brandon and started Brandon Egg (which later became Hollash Eggs), the largest egg producers in eastern Hillsborough County. Hollash Eggs closed in the late 1990s. The original farm, over , was sold to what is now Bell Shoals Baptist Church.
Most local residents worked in the two orange packing houses in Valrico. The center of town remained at Moon Avenue and Victoria Street, where the train depot, post office, school, and grocery store were all located. For entertainment and everything else, the train to Tampa was the way to go, as only a few paved roads existed, with most being dirt- or shell-topped, making the drive to Tampa very difficult.
World War II was an interesting time in Brandon, with little growth, but a definite edge as they had the food they raised on their farms. After the war, new businesses began to open. A drug store and soda fountain at the corner of Parsons Avenue and Hopewell Road quickly became a popular teenage hangout. In 1950, Scogin's opened their famous variety store on Hopewell Road, and in 1953 Brandon got its first physician, Dr. V. R. Hunter.
The 1950s were the beginning of the real growth period for Brandon. Yates Elementary was built in 1954, followed by Mann Junior High School in 1957. Brandon Grade School, on Knights Avenue, became the first
Brandon High School. At the time, there were fewer than 100 graduates a year. In 1956, Hopewell Road was connected to Adamo Drive, which made access to Tampa easier, thus turning Brandon into a bedroom community. With commuters came subdivisions, the first of which was Hill-Dale Heights on Kingsway Avenue. The ''Brandon News'' was established in 1958 as a one-page newsletter and advertisement for Scogin's clothing store, written by Al & Chris Scogin. Brandon's first honorary mayor's race was held in 1959 and was won by Nat Storms.
Era of rapid growth
In 1959, the Brandon Chamber of Commerce was formed to help promote business and growth. By the early 1960s, Brandon's population was 8,000, and it was estimated that one new family moved into town every day. Brandon began spreading out into the bordering communities of
Limona, Seffner, and Valrico; Hopewell Road became four lanes wide and was designated State Road 60. Soon, the town's first shopping center, Brandon Center, was built, and Brooker Elementary School and the Brandon Swim and Tennis Club opened in 1961 and 1963 respectively. In the next few years, Kingswood Elementary School, the Brandon Public Library, and many housing developments, shopping centers, and golf courses further fueled or reflected the influx of new residences and businesses.
By the 1970s, growth was causing traffic congestion, as approximately 430 commercial and service businesses, three malls and a population of 40,000 were all contained within a radius.
In the mid-1970s,
Hillsborough Community College
Hillsborough Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Hillsborough County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System.
History
HCC was one of the last community colleges to be created in Florida, founded in 1968. Only ...
moved to Brandon by holding classes at public schools. More indications of the increasing population were the building of Brandon Community Hospital and the Brandon Cultural Center (now the Center Place Fine Arts and Civic Association).
Brandon took off rapidly during the 1980s. Development of the southern area of Brandon brought thousands of new residents. On September 27, 1986,
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 S ...
began to bring traffic through the Brandon area, dramatically changing the community and helping its population reach nearly 58,000 by 1990.
Geography
Brandon's census boundaries include
Palm River-Clair Mel to the west across
U.S. Route 301,
Valrico to the east,
Riverview and
Bloomingdale to the south, and
East Lake-Orient Park,
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
Seffner to the north. Brandon is east of
downtown Tampa
Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area.
It is second only to Westshore, Tampa, Westshore regarding employment in the area. Compani ...
and southwest of
Plant City.
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 S ...
passes through the western part of the Brandon CDP, with access from Exits 256 (
Florida State Road 618/Selmon Expressway) and 257 (
Florida State Road 60
State Road 60 (SR 60) is an east–west route transversing Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The western terminus of SR 60 is at the ''Sunsets at Pier 60'' site in Clearwater Beach. The eastern terminus is in ...
/Brandon Boulevard).
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 ...
passes north of the center of Brandon, with access from Exits 7 (US 301), 9 (I-75), and 10 (
State Road 579/Mango Road).
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 ...
, the Brandon CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 5.42%, are water.
Neighborhoods within Brandon include Barrington Oaks East, Brandon Hills, Kensington Estates, La Viva, and Limona.
Climate
Brandon, like the Tampa Bay area, has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
. Unlike Tampa and
Pinellas County
Pinellas County (, ) is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most d ...
, Brandon will typically have a few nights below freezing each year due to its greater distance from the coast. The summers are long and hot, and average ; winters are mild and dry, averaging . Brandon, like the rest of the Tampa Bay area, receives abundant rainfall, around of rain annually. Brandon's winters may have low temperatures in the 30s for more than four days, while Tampa can have low temperatures in the 40s and 50s in that same period of time.
Demographics
2010 and 2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 114,626 people, 43,475 households, and 27,409 families residing in the city.
As of the
2010 United States census, there were 103,483 people, 37,919 households, and 25,816 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of 2000, 38.1% households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.10.
In 2000, in the CDP the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $51,639, and the median income for a family was $56,931. Males had a median income of $37,454 versus $28,935 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 CDP was $22,080. About 6.9% of families and 7.6% 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 5.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Languages
As of 2000,
English spoken as a
first language
A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...
accounted for 85.24% of all residents, while 14.75% spoke other languages as their
mother tongue
A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...
. 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 countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
speakers who made up 11.07% of the population, while
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
came up as the third most spoken language, which made up 0.57%, and
Tagalog was at fourth, with 0.44% of the population.
Economy

Known for being a bedroom community for Tampa, Brandon boasts many characteristic establishments that have lasted over a quarter of a century. Brandon is the birthplace of
Beef O'Brady's
Beef O'Brady's (styled as Beef 'O' Brady's Family Sports Restaurant) is an American restaurant franchise, established in 1985 by Jim Mellody in Brandon, Florida, and headquartered in Tampa.
History
Jim Mellody moved from his native Pennsylvania t ...
, a family-oriented bar and grill chain restaurant with locations throughout the southeastern United States.
Arts and culture
Brandon is home to the Florida Academy for the Performing Arts based at Music Showcase.
County fair

The Hillsborough County Fairgrounds sits on the west side of Brandon on SR 60. In 2011–2012, the Hillsborough County Fair made its permanent home here on a plot of land on a rural part of State Road 60. Throughout the years, the fair was held at various locations. The Fair takes place from October 16–20.
Brandon Regional Library
The Brandon Regional Library is a two-story library in Brandon that caters to the communities of Brandon,
Valrico, and
Lithia. It is a branch of the
Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System. It opened at its current location on March 10, 1991, and the building is approximately 25,000 square feet. The library shares a building with Center Place Fine Arts and Civic Association, however, both organizations remain autonomous in operation.
Planning and land acquisition for a new Brandon library is underway. The existing site is constrained and offers limited options for building expansions to both the library and to on-site parking, which is currently inadequate for the number of customers who visit the facility. As a result, the Board of County Commissioners approved funding for the acquisition of a new site to relocate and expand the facility. The project will be funded with ad valorem tax proceeds from the Special Library Taxing District and a Public Library Construction Grant through the Florida Department of State.
Education
Brandon's public schools are operated by the
Hillsborough County Public School system.
There is one public high school in Brandon:
*
Brandon High School, established in 1914 and was the second high school created in
Hillsborough County.
Public middle schools include:
*Burns
*McLane
*Mann
Public elementary schools include:
*Brooker
*Kingswood
*Limona
*Schmidt
*Yates
*Mintz
Private schools:
*Bell Shoals Baptist Academy
*
Brandon Academy Private School
*Central Baptist School
*Faith Baptist
*Nativity Catholic School
*Immanuel Lutheran School
*Providence Christian School
Colleges:
*
Emmaus Baptist College is located in Brandon
*
Hillsborough Community College
Hillsborough Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Hillsborough County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System.
History
HCC was one of the last community colleges to be created in Florida, founded in 1968. Only ...
Brandon campus had an enrollment of over 12,000 in the 2015 school year.
*
Southern Technical College operates a campus in Brandon.
Infrastructure
Brandon is served primarily by four local and three express
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (also known as the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART)) provides public transportation for Hillsborough County, Florida, Hillsborough County, Florida. The agency operates fixed-route local and express bus ser ...
bus lines.
Notable people
*
Brooke Bennett, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer
*
Tony Cristiani, football player
* "Nasty" Ronnie Galetti, professional wrestler and founding vocalist of the
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
band
Nasty Savage, formed in Brandon in 1983
*
Chris Gannon, football player, was born in Brandon
*
Franklin Gómez, Olympic
freestyle wrestler
Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...
representing
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
,
NCAA wrestling champion and three-time All-American at
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
*
Joey Graham, professional basketball player
*
Stevie Graham, professional basketball player
*
Sterling Hitchcock, professional baseball player
*
Toney Mack, professional basketball player
* Admiral
Charles D. Michel, 30th
Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard
The vice commandant of the Coast Guard serves as the second-in-command of the United States Coast Guard, behind only the commandant of the Coast Guard.
Since 1929, 31 officers have served as vice commandant, or, as the position was referred to b ...
*
Paul Orndorff
Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. (October 29, 1949 – July 12, 2021), nicknamed "Mr. Wonderful", was an American professional wrestler and football player, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Champions ...
, professional wrestler
*
Dwayne Schintzius, professional basketball player
*
Shannon Spruill, professional wrestler, valet, commentator, and ring announcer, known as Daffney
*
Brent Underwood, entrepreneur
References
External links
Brandon Chamber of CommerceBrandon City Guide
{{authority control
1857 establishments in Florida
Census-designated places in Hillsborough County, Florida
Populated places established in 1857
Census-designated places in Florida
Unincorporated communities in Florida