Lecanto is an unincorporated community 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

Citrus County Citrus County is a county located on the northwest 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 com ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 6,301, up from 5,882 at the 2010 census. It is part of the

Homosassa Springs, Florida Homosassa Springs is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 14,283 as of 2020, up from 13,791 at the 2010 census. Homosassa Springs is the principal community ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is home to several county government facilities such as the

Citrus County Sheriff's Office The Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) serves as the primary law enforcement agency for a population of 162,500 residents across 773.15 square miles (2,002.4 km2) in Citrus County, Florida Citrus County is a County (United States), coun ...

and the Citrus Campus of the

College of Central Florida The College of Central Florida (CF) is a public college with campuses in Marion County, Florida, Marion, Citrus County, Florida, Citrus, and Levy County, Florida, Levy counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It is part of the Florida College Sys ...

Geography

Lecanto is located at the geographic center of Citrus County at (28.8488, -82.4811).

State Road 44 The following highways are numbered 44. Australia * Great Western Highway, Parramatta Road (Sydney) * Captain Cook Highway – Queensland State Route 44 (Regional) * Greensborough Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 44 * Manitoba Highway 44 * O ...

(Gulf to Lake Highway) runs through the center of the CDP, leading west to Crystal River and east to

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

, the county seat. 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 CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.03%, is water.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 5,161 people, 1,861 households, and 1,369 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,095 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the CDP was 93.88% White, 2.96% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.71%. Of the 1,861 households 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 22.0% of households were one person and 11.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.81. The age distribution was 20.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% 65 or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males. The median household income was $40,826 and the median family income was $46,987. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $27,296 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,625. About 5.3% of families and 9.1% 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 13.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over. Lecanto is the site of the privately operated Citrus County Detention Facility, which holds a maximum of 760 prisoners of the county, of the federal government, and prisoners from the Virgin Islands.

Education

The CDP is served by Citrus County Schools. Elementary schools serving sections of the CDP include Lecanto, Forest Ridge, Rock Crusher, and Hernando. Lecanto Middle School and Lecanto High School also serve the CDP.

's Citrus Campus was built in Lecanto in 1996.

Public transportation

Citrus County Transit Citrus County Transit is the public transportation agency that serves Citrus County, Florida. The service provides on-demand service on Monday-Friday and operates the Orange Route, a fixed route which connects Beverly Hills, Homosassa, Lecanto ...

has its headquarters in Lecanto, and runs one flex-route service in the area.

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Citrus County, Florida Census-designated places in Florida Former municipalities in Florida