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San Antonio, or unofficially "''San Ann''" or "''San An''" as the locals call it, is a city in Pasco County,
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. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, much more commonly known as the
Tampa Bay Area The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, Florida, Clea ...
. It lies within Florida's 12th congressional district. The population was 1,297 at the 2020 census. It was established as a
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
colony by Judge Edmund F. Dunne. The city derives its name from Saint
Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, Order of Friars Minor, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. ...
.
Saint Leo University Saint Leo University is a private Catholic university in St. Leo, Florida. It was established in 1889. The university is associated with the Holy Name Monastery, a Benedictine convent, and Saint Leo Abbey, a Benedictine monastery. The universi ...
is located nearby.


History

San Antonio was founded by Edmund F. Dunne, an
Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...
who had previously served as chief justice of the
Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...
. In June 1881,Davis, T. Frederick (January 1939). ''The Disston Land Purchase''. The Florida Historical Quarterly. Gainesville, Florida: Florida Historical Society (electronically: Florida Center for Library Automation). p. 207. Dunne was a legal counsel involved in the Disston Land Purchase, and as his commission, received 100,000 choice acres (400 km2) of land out of the 4,000,000-acre (16,000 km) purchase. The following year on February 15, 1882, while surveying the Disston Purchase with his cousin, Captain Hugh Dunne, he came upon a previously unsurveyed lake with crystal-clear water. Seeing in a prayer book that it was the feast day of St. Jovita, he named the lake after the early
Christian martyr In Christianity, a martyr is a person who was killed for their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In the years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake, or ...
.Horgan, James J. (1990). ''Pioneer College: The Centennial History of Saint Leo College, Saint Leo Abbey, and Holy Name Priory''. Saint Leo, FL. Saint Leo College Press. Judge Dunne selected the city's location on Lake Jovita's western shore and began settling it in earnest. He intended for the city to be the center of a Roman Catholic colony in Florida, then a heavily Protestant state. Dunne planned several other villages for the surrounding area including St. Thomas, Villa Maria, Carmel and San Felipe, but only the rural community of St. Joseph survives today. In San Antonio's early years, Dunne only permitted practicing Roman Catholics to settle in the colony. The earliest settlers were mostly of Irish descent, but San Antonio's numbers were soon bolstered by
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 ...
immigrants, who came to form about half the city's population by the mid-1880s. There was also a French community and, in later years, a minority of Florida cracker
Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
. As late as the 1900s, African Americans were not permitted to settle in San Antonio; in 1902, a
Black American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
man was
lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of in ...
in San Antonio for the alleged rape of a white woman. The "''Town of San Antonio''" was officially incorporated as a municipality on August 7, 1891. In June 1889, the
Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...
established the monastery of St. Leo and St. Leo College on Dunne's former homestead and farm land, later incorporating the area as part of a separate town, St. Leo, Florida. Earlier that year five Benedictine sisters established Holy Name Convent in the center of San Antonio. The nuns had come to teach at two local schools (St. Anthony School and St. Joseph School), as well as to establish Holy Name Academy. The sisters had the convent and the academy physically moved by oxen to a 40-acre parcel in St. Leo overlooking the southwestern shore of Lake Jovita in 1911. The nuns remained at St. Anthony School until the end of the 2009–2010 academic year. At the time of its founding San Antonio was located in the southern third of Hernando County, as Pasco County was not created until June 1887. The Orange Belt Railway first began service to San Antonio in November 1887.A short history of San Antonio
On June 2, 1926, the city officially changed its name to the "''City of Lake Jovita''" in an attempt to capitalize on the Florida Land Boom. The city also changed many of its street names, replacing explicitly Catholic names with secular ones. On May 23, 1931, the city changed its name back to the "City of San Antonio"; but the secularized street names remained.


Geography

The approximate coordinates for the City of San Antonio is located at (28.336649, −82.275011). 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 village has a total area of , all land. San Antonio has a rolling topography with elevations varying from a low of 110 feet on the western edge of the city to as high as 183 feet on a hill overlooking Lake Jovita on the eastern edge of town.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, the City of San Antonio 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 ...
zone (''Cfa'').


Demographics


2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,297 people, 447 households, and 342 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,138 people, 414 households, and 302 families residing in the city.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 655 people, 270 households, and 180 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 286 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.25%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.07% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 6.41% of the population. In 2000, there were 270 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.03. In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $43,125, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $39,375 versus $27,031 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 city was $20,287. About 9.8% of families and 10.1% 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 15.7% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.


Controversial 2000 census data

In a story that wound up on the front page of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', many of the 2000 census numbers were disputed by the City Clerk of San Antonio based on the fact the city had 336 residential water customers at the time. The clerk further asserted that most of the residents received their mail via post office box, which the US Census Bureau would not send forms to. City officials speculated that the population that year was probably closer to 900, which would be more consistent with the growth reflected in data collected in other cities throughout the county, as well as Pasco County as a whole. The 2010 census count of 1,138 residents was considered to be much more accurate.


Education

San Antonio is home to two schools. Saint Anthony Catholic School (grades PreK–8) traces its roots to the Fall of 1883 when local widow Cecilia Morse began teaching colony children in her home. By April 1884 it was officially established as a Catholic school and is by far the oldest school of any kind in Pasco County. In fact it actually predates the county by several years. San Antonio Elementary (grades K–5) was founded 98 years later in 1981 and though its campus lies entirely within San Antonio's city limits, its mailing address is actually Dade City, Florida. Holy Name Academy (grades 1–12) was established in 1889 as an "all-girls" boarding school by the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, but moved to the neighboring town of St. Leo in 1911.


Notable people

* Chris Arnade, former Wall Street trader and documentarian, grew up in San Antonio


References


External links


City of San Antonio
official site
San Antonio Area Information
A private community site with local happenings

{{authority control Cities in Pasco County, Florida Cities in the Tampa Bay area Populated places established in 1882 Cities in Florida Catholic Church in Florida 1882 establishments in Florida