Pasco County, FL

Pasco County is a county located on the west central coast in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2024, the population of the county is 656,851, making it the tenth-most populous county in the state. Its county seat is Dade City, and its largest city is Zephyrhills. The county is named after Samuel Pasco.

Pasco County is included in the Tampa Bay Area and historically has been a bedroom community for Tampa and St. Petersburg. Though, recent companies are constructing major centers, such as Moffit Cancer Center's Speros campus, which is expected to bring over 11,000 jobs.

It includes numerous parks and trails located along rivers, the Gulf of Mexico, lakes, and highway/railroad right-of-ways. Several nudist resorts are located in Pasco. It has become known as the "naturist capital of the United States," beginning with a development in 1941.

West Pasco includes retirement areas, commercial fishing, and suburbs of Tampa. The Suncoast Parkway as well as U.S. 19, U.S. 41, U.S. 98, U.S. 301, and Interstate 75 all pass through Pasco. The county is directly west of Polk and Sumter counties, north of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and south of Hernando County.

History

Early creation

Pasco County's early towns were Anclote, Blanton, Dade City, Earnestville, Fort Dade (not to be confused with Fort Dade on Egmont Key), Macon (Trilby), Lacoochee, St. Leo, and San Antonio.

Citrus was an important industry when the county was formed, although a decline followed a freeze in 1895.

Pasco County was created on June 2, 1887, from the southern third of Hernando County. The legislation was passed by former Governor Edward A. Perry to divide Hernando County into three counties. The legislation also created Citrus County from the northern third of Hernando County. The county was named after Samuel Pasco, who had just been elected to the United States Senate.

Dade City was named the temporary county seat with the same legislation to make Pasco County. It stayed temporary until March 14, 1889, when W.B. Lynch got a petition with 320 signatures to hold an election for the county seat. The board accepted the petition with the election for April 11, 1889. On April 16, 1889, Dade city won with 432 votes of the 765.

20th Century

As early as 1914, residents of the western part of the county proposed forming a separate county or merging with Pinellas County, as Dade City was not centrally located in the county. Several large sawmills operated in the county in the early part of the 20th century. The issue was finally resolved in 1979 with the construction of identical government centers in both Dade City and New Port Richey, now called West Pasco Government Center and East Pasco Government Center.

Trains

The SAL Tarpon Springs branch line from Tarpon Junction 14 miles west of Tampa to Elfers and thence to Newport Richey to New Port Richey lost its passenger service and became listed as freight only between 1932 and 1938. The freight branch was truncated to Elfers in 1943. The tracks from Elfers and Chemical (an industrial area in the extreme southwest part of the county along the Anclote River west of Holiday) to Tarpon Springs had its last freight train on December 24, 1986, leaving the western half of the county without freight rail service.

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad until 1957 ran the '' Southland'' through Trilby and Tarpon Springs, en route to St. Petersburg. The train was unusual for providing passenger service direct from Chicago (via the Pennsylvania), Cincinnati and Atlanta on a direct route through the western part of the Florida peninsula, bypassing Jacksonville. The Seaboard Coast Line (a merged line from the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Coast Line) until 1971 ran a local train (the last passenger train for the region north of St. Petersburg and west of Dade City) through those towns from Jacksonville and Gainesville, bound for St. Petersburg. Prior to the 1967 merger for the SCL that service had been the western branch of the ACL's ''Champion'' from New York City. Until 1968 the SCL ran its ''Sunland'' from Washington, DC and Portsmouth, VA to Tampa.

Land boom

During the Florida land boom of the 1920s, New Port Richey became the winter home of silent screen star Thomas Meighan and golfer Gene Sarazen; Meighan attempted to bring other Hollywood figures to the city. The county has experienced significant population growth since the 1970s, growing by over 600%. The growth began along the Gulf coast but is now occurring most rapidly in areas north of Tampa.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (14.0%) is water.

A portion of Eastern Pasco County contains rolling topography with elevations from , along with San Antonio and St. Leo.

Adjacent counties

* Hernando County—north
* Sumter County—northeast
* Polk County—southeast
* Hillsborough County—south
* Pinellas County—southwest

Climate

The county has a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa'') and average temperatures in Dade City range from 59.2 °F in January to 82.1 °F in July and August while in Port Richey they range from 59.0 °F in January to 82.2 °F in August.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 561,891 people, 209,483 households, and 139,278 families residing in the county.

As of the census of 2000, there were 344,765 people, 147,566 households, and 99,016 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 173,717 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.70% White, 2.07% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.52% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 5.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 147,566 households, out of which 23.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.20% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 26.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,969, and the median income for a family was $39,568. Males had a median income of $30,974 versus $23,802 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,439. About 7.60% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Though the county seat is in Dade City, duplicate county government offices and court facilities are also located in the New Port Richey area on the west side of the county.

Pasco County was a swing county for much of the 20th Century. It has supported Republicans in every election since 2004 when it supported George W. Bush before swinging leftward in the 2008 election (though Democrat Barack Obama lost the county, it was only by less than 4 points). Since then, the county has trended more Republican in every election. With most recently, Donald Trump in 2024 breaking 60% of the vote for the first time since 1984.

Transportation

Aviation

* Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (ZPH)
* Pilot Country Airport (X05)
* Tampa North Aero Park (X39)
* Hidden Lake Estates Airport (FA40, private airport near Moon Lake)

Bus service

Pasco County Public Transportation provides several bus services throughout Pasco County.

Routes

As of May 2025, GoPasco has 11 routes that serve many areas in the county. Notable routes include Route 18, Connecting up to the Pinellas County Bus System (PSTA) and the and the Clearwater Jolley Trolley, Route 19, connecting up to the PSTA, Routes 20 and 21, connecting to Hernando County Transit (TheBus), and Route 54, taking you across the entire county and connecting to Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART).

Railroads

CSX operates three freight rail lines within the county. Dade City and Zephyrhills are served by the Wildwood Subdivision. The other two lines include the Brooksville Subdivision which runs close to US 41 and the Vitis Subdivision, which runs southeast into Lakeland. Amtrak formerly provided passenger rail service to Dade City on that line, but the stop was terminated in late 2004.

Notable abandoned railroad lines include a former branch of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad northwest of Trilacoochee (formerly Owensboro Junction) that became part of the Withlacoochee State Trail, a segment of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad branch stretching from Zephyrhills to Trilacoochee, the former Tampa and Thonotosassa Railroad along the east side of US 301 that spanned from Sulphur Springs to Zephyrhills, part of the Orange Belt Railway which became the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad which ran from St. Petersburg and entered the county in what is today Trinity to Trilby (abandoned during the early to mid-1970s), and a branch of the Seaboard Air Line that ran through Holiday, Elfers and into New Port Richey.

Major roads

* Interstate 75 runs north and south across the eastern part of the county. Once a major connecting point with Tampa, I-75 has been made obsolete for western residents of the county by the Suncoast Parkway.
* Suncoast Parkway enters the county in the south halfway between Gunn Highway and US 41, and ends in the far northern part of the county at County Line Road (Exit 37), The Suncoast Parkway is a recently constructed toll road that connects Pasco County with Hillsborough County, where it becomes the Veterans Expressway and heads directly into Tampa International Airport before reaching Interstate 275. SR 589 has four Pasco County exits: SR 54 (Exit 19), Ridge Road (Exit 25), SR 52 (Exit 27), and County Line Road (Exit 37).
* U.S. Route 19 is a major commercial center running beside to the Gulf of Mexico on the western edge of the county, and used as a primary connecting route to cities down the west coast of Florida, including Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg to the south, as well as Spring Hill, Weeki Wachee, Homosassa and Crystal River to the north.
*
Alternate 19 is a former section of US 19 that runs closer to the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas and southern Pasco County than US 19.
* U.S. Route 41 (Land O' Lakes Boulevard) is the main south-to-north U.S. Highway through Central Pasco County. It enters the county from Lutz in Hillsborough County and serves as a commercial strip through most of Land O' Lakes. Further north the road becomes more rural, passing through Gowers Corner, and eventually enters Masaryktown at the Hernando County Line.
* U.S. Route 98 runs northwest and southeast from Hernando County to Polk County. Concurrent with US 301 between Trilacoochee and Clinton Heights.
* U.S. Route 301 (Fort King Highway/Gall Boulevard) is the main south-to-north U.S. highway in eastern Pasco County. It enters the county from Hillsborough River State Park in Hillsborough County and becomes the main road in Zephyrhills, Clinton Heights, and Dade City. North of Dade City, the road runs through Trilacoochee and Trilby before it enters Ridge Manor in Hernando County at a bridge over the Withlacoochee River.
* State Road 39 runs northwest and southeast from Plant City into US 301 in Zephyrhills
* County Road 41 (Fort King Highway/17th Street/21st Street/Blanton Road) begins as a hidden state road along US 301 until it branches off to the northwest as a county road in Zephyrhills and runs parallel to US 301 until it reaches Dade City. From here it moves further to the west through Blanton and Jessamine, and after crossing over I-75 curves back north into rural Hernando County where it becomes CR 541.
* County Line Road (CR 578) is a major county road running entirely along the border with Hernando County beginning at US 19, intersects the Suncoast Parkway, and ends at US 41. Due to increased congestion, it is planned to be upgraded from two to four lanes, and possibly upgraded from a county road to a state road.
* State Road 52 (Colonel Schrader Memorial Highway) an east–west route that runs primarily through the center of the county from US 19 in Bayonet Point to US 98–301 in Dade City.
* State Road 54 (Gunn Highway/Fifth Avenue) another east–west road that runs through southern Pasco County, from US 19 near Holiday to US 301 in Zephyrhills.
* State Road 56 is an east–west route that extends from SR 54 near Land O' Lakes, to just east of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and the new campus of Pasco–Hernando State College in Wesley Chapel. The road was constructed in 2002, and is planned, , to be extended to US 301 south of Zephyrhills.
* State Road 575 the northernmost state road in Pasco County.
* Bruce B. Downs Boulevard
* Rowan Road/East Lake Road (CR 77)
* Dale Mabry Highway
* Moon Lake Road/Decubellis Road/Massachusetts Avenue (CR 587) (N)
* Gunn Highway (CR 587) (S) is a short north and south extension of Gunn Highway(SR 54) that runs through Northern Hillsborough County towards Dale Mabry Highway and Busch Boulevard.
* Little Road (CR 1) is a major four to six lane county road in western Pasco County bypassing US 19 between southeast of Aripeka and Trinity.
* Trinity Boulevard (CR 996)

Public safety

Pasco County: The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is the law enforcement agency responsible for Pasco County and is the county's largest law enforcement agency. The Pasco County Jail is managed by the Pasco County Corrections Department.

Pasco County Fire Rescue

Pasco County Fire Rescue (PCFR) provides fire protection and emergency medical services throughout the county. Pasco County Fire Rescue has 30 stations placed around the county. Their headquarters, located in Land O' Lakes holds the administration, staff chief, public information, community risk reduction, and ambulance billing departments. The ambulance billing department oversees all ambulance billing including Citrus County, and Hernando County fire rescue. Pasco County Fire Rescue also has a mobile integrated health program to help those after an overdose. The program can help patients with medical and dental needs, mental health and therapy, transportation to medical appointments, withdrawal management, counseling, and shelter/housing. The agency has two arson investigators and three fire investigators that determine the origin and cause of fires throughout unincorporated Pasco County. Pasco County Fire Rescue conducts all fire inspections within the unincorporated portions of the county.

New Port Richey

The New Port Richey Fire Department provides fire protection services within the City of New Port Richey. The Department has 2 Fire stations located within the City. Pasco County Fire Rescue covers all emergency medical services for the New Port Richey Fire Department. New Port Richey Police Department is the responsible law enforcement agency within the City of New Port Richey.

Port Richey

The Port Richey Fire Department provides fire protection services within the City of Port Richey. The Department has 1 Fire station located within the City. Pasco County Fire Rescue covers all emergency medical services for the Port Richey Fire Department. Port Richey Police Department is the responsible law enforcement agency within the City of Port Richey.

Dade City

Dade City Police Department is the responsible law enforcement agency covering incorporated Dade City. Pasco County Fire Rescue covers all fire protection and emergency medical services for the City of Dade City. Dade City Police Department is the responsible law enforcement agency within the City of Dade City.

Zephyrhills

Zephyrhills Police Department is the responsible law enforcement agency within the City of Zephyrhills. In September 2020, Pasco County Fire Rescue took over all fire rescue service responsibilities for the City of Zephyrhills.

Education

Public schools in the county are operated by Pasco County Schools.

Colleges and universities

* Pasco–Hernando State College
* Rasmussen College
* Saint Leo University
* Trinity College of Florida
* Webster College

Museums

* Aripeka Historical Museum
* Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum
* Museum of Archaeology, Paleontology and Science Museum
* National Comedy Hall of Fame
* Pioneer Florida Museum
* Rao Musunuru, M.D. Museum & Library
* Zephyrhills Museum of Military History
* Zephyrhills Train Depot Museum

Usage

West Pasco

West Pasco museums exhibits offer a diverse range of items including Native American arrowheads and artifacts, clothing, household items, antiques, decorative items, tools, and historic photographs.

East, North, and South Pasco

East, North, and South Pasco has the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village museum, which provides insight into the lives of Florida’s pioneers.

Libraries

Pasco County Library Cooperative

The Pasco County Library Cooperative (PCLC) is the public library system that serves residents of Pasco County. It consists of eight branch libraries and one cooperative partner, the Zephyrhills Public Library. The Pasco County Libraries operated on a budget of $6,205,291 for fiscal year 2016–2017. Pasco Libraries circulated 2,623,024 items during that period. The head of library services reports to the Assistant County Administrator for Public Services.

Pasco County Library Cooperative Libraries

* Centennial Park Branch Library
* Hudson Library
* Hugh Embry Branch Library
* Land O' Lakes Branch Library
* New River Branch Library
* Regency Park Branch Library
* Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center
* South Holiday Branch Library
* Zephyrhills Public Library

New Port Richey Public Library

The New Port Richey Public Library is located in the New Port Richey area of Pasco County. It is the only public library in Pasco County that is not a part of the Pasco County Library Cooperative. Since the library is independent, it issues its own library cards. Cards are free for all Pasco County residents and for those who pay property taxes to the city of New Port Richey. Members of libraries which have reciprocal borrowing agreements with the NPR library are also issued free cards.

Aripeka Library

While the Aripeka Library is small and is not a "public" library, it has over 5,000 books. It is in the same building as the Aripeka Historical Museum.

Parks and recreation

Pasco county has hundreds of recreational parks and activities, such as beaches, sports, historical, trails, playgrounds, recreational complexes and preserves. In total, Pasco County has 6,900 Acres of Environmentally Sensitive Land and 15,000 Acres of Park Land, Trails and Open Space. Many are operated by Pasco County themselves, but many are also city and state operated:

State Parks

The list of state parks in Pasco County:
* Anclote Key Preserve State Park
* Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park

County Parks

The list of county parks in Pasco County:

Athletic Parks

* Arthur F. Engle Memorial Park
* John S. Burks Memorial Park
* Oakridge Park
* Pine Hill Park
* Samuel Pasco Athletic Park
* San Antonio Athletic Complex
* Starkey Ranch District Park
* W.H. Jack Mitchell JR. Park

Beach Parks

* Anclote River Park
* Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park
* Robert K. Rees Memorial Park
* Sunwest Park

Community Centers

* Dade City Armory
* Elsie Logan Memorial Park
* James Irvin Civil Center
* Land O' Lakes Heritage Park
* Odessa Community Park

Fresh Water Lakes

* Middle Lake Park (closed indefinitely for repairs)
* Moon Lake Park

Gulf Coast Parks

* Anclote Gulf Park
* Eagle Point Park
* Key Vista Nature Park

Historical Parks

* Oelsner Indian Mound

Neighborhood Parks

* Aloha Gardens Park
* Beacon Square Park
* Lake Lisa Park
* Peterson Park
* Stanley Park
* Trilby Park
* Turtle Lake Park

Preserves and Conservation Areas

* Aripeka Sandhills Preserve
* Boy Scout Preserve
* Pasco Palms Preserve

Recreational Complexes

* J. Ben Harrill Recreation Complex
* Land O' Lakes Recreational Complex
* Veterans Memorial Park
* Wesley Chapel District Park

Wilderness Parks

* Crews Lake Wilderness Park
* Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park
* Withlacoochee River Park

City Parks

Dade City

* Hibiscus Park
* Naomi Jones Pyacantha Park
* Mickens Field
* Polly Touchton Park
* Price Park
* Watson Park

New Port Richey

* Cotee River Park
* Frances Avenue Park
* Grand Boulevard Park
* James E. Grey Preserve
* Jasmin Park
* Meadow Dog Park
* Peace Hall
* New Port Richey Recreation and Aquatics Center
* Sims Park and Orange Lake
* Sims Park Boat Ramp

Port Richey

* Brasher Park
* Nick's Park
* Oelsner Park
* Port Richey Waterfront Park
* Wilmslow Park
* Dog Enjoyment Center

San Antonio

* City Park

Zephyrhills

* Allice Halls Community Center
* Clock Plaza
* Depot Park
* Ellis Harrold Park
* Gunner Paw Park
* Hercules Park
* Krusen Park
* Shepard Park
* Transplant Park
* Veteran's Memorial Park
* Water Park
* Wickstrom Stage
* Zephyr Park
* Zephyrhills Skate Park

Trails

Pasco county has many trails, with over 65 miles of paved and 250 miles of unpaved trails in the county. The most notable paved trails are:

* Coastal Anclote Trail (4.5 miles)
* Starkey Boulevard Trail (4.5 miles)
* Starkey Gap Trail (2.4 miles)
* Starkey Wilderness Trail (7.3 miles)
* Suncoast Trail (21.5 miles)
* Withlacoochee State Trail (2.9 miles)

Communities

Unincorporated communities

* Blanton
* Branchborough
* Darby
* Gulf Harbors
* Hudson Beach
* Jessamine
* Lumberton
* Richland
* Seven Springs
* St. Joseph
* Starkey Ranch
* Trilacoochee
* Vitis

Notable residents

* The Bellamy Brothers, country duo from Darby known for the hit "Let Your Love Flow"
* John Cena, actor and professional wrestler; resides in Land O' Lakes.
* Debbie Deb, freestyle singer; resides in New Port Richey
* Brooke Magnanti, scientist and author of ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'', was born in New Port Richey.

See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Pasco County, Florida

Notes

References

History of Pasco County
(1943) by Jefferson Alexis Hendley.
* Horgan, James J., Alice F. Hall, and Edward J. Herrmann, ''The Historic Places of Pasco County'', Pasco County Historical Preservation Committee, Pasco County, Florida.

External links

Official County Website

Pasco Economic Development Council

The Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce

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Florida counties
1887 establishments in Florida
Counties in the Tampa Bay area
Populated places established in 1887