Zephyrhills, Florida

Zephyrhills is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was counted at 17,194 in the 2020 census. The city is the headquarters of the Zephyrhills bottled water company. The current mayor is Melonie Monson.

History

Zephyrhills began as the town of Abbott on April 18, 1888, and consisted of 280.74 acres. It was briefly renamed Hegman from 1890 to 1892 until its name was reverted back to Abbott. A voting district was established in 1893 followed by a post office in 1896. In 1909, Captain Howard B. Jeffries, a Civil War Union veteran from Pennsylvania, purchased 35,000 acres and created the Zephyrhills Colony Company with a plan to create a community for Civil War veterans. In 1910 the town voted to change its name to Zephyrhills; it was incorporated in 1914.

In 1941, one resident reported that Zephyrhills had a sundown town policy forbidding Black people from living within the city limits.

The city created a historic district in 1999; in 2001 the Zephyrhills Historic District was nominated for and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A Founders Day celebration is held annually in March.

Geography

Zephyrhills is known for its rolling topography, hence the name.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and warm, generally dry winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Zephyrhills has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,194 people, 7,178 households, and 4,174 families residing in the city.

Of the total population in 2020, 4.4% were under 5 years old, 18.1% were under 18 years old, and 35.7% were 65 years and over. 54.9% of the population were female. There were 1,548 veterans living in the city and 8.0% were foreign born persons.

In 2020, 89.8% of households had a computer and 81.6% of households had a broadband internet subscription.

In 2020, 18.1% of the population under the age of 65 lived with a disability and 20.1% of that same population did not have health insurance.

In 2020, the median household income was $36,799 and the per capita income was $21,848. 17.8% of the population lived below the poverty threshold.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 13,288 people, 5,977 households, and 3,643 families residing in the city.

Sites of Interest

Libraries

Zephyrhills Public Library

The Zephyrhills Public Library was founded in 1912. The library is a part of the Pasco County Library Cooperative. A new library was built in 2014 just north of the old library.

Museums

Zephyrhills Depot Museum

The Zephyrhills Depot Museum originated with the 1989 purchase of the 1927 Atlantic Coast Line Depot from CSX Railroad by the City of Zephyrhills. The original depot was relocated west of its original location. Restoration of the building began in 1997 with a Grant from the State Department of Transportation. The Historical Preservation Committee and the Zephyrhills Historical Association worked together to complete the restoration. The Zephyrhills Depot Museum opened on October 20, 1998.

Zephyrhills Museum of Military History

The Zephyrhills Museum of Military history is a renovated infirmary that was used in World War II at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. The airport was used for training before they were sent to fight in the war. After World War II, the airport was donated to the city of Zephyrhills. The infirmary is the only surviving building from the war.

Infrastructure

Transport

Major roads

* is the main road through Zephyrhills running north and south through the city.
* runs northwest and southeast from Plant City into US 301 in Zephyrhills, and joins US 301 as a "hidden state road".
* is an extension of SR 41, which is a hidden state road along US 301 from the Hillsborough County Line.
* is the main east–west road that runs through southern Pasco County, from US 19 near Holiday to US 301 in Zephyrhills. A County extension (CR 54/Eiland Boulevard) from the intersection of SR 54 and CR 579 to U.S. Route 98 in Branchborough also exists, and a western extension to CR 577 in Wesley Chapel is planned for construction.
* is a 2002-built road between SR 54 and runs to US 301 south of Zephyrhills.
* County Road 579 (Morris Bridge Road/Eiland Boulevard/Handcart Road) is a bi-county extension of State Road 579 that runs from northern Tampa, through the western edge of the city, to west of Dade City. County Road 54 overlaps CR 579 north of SR 54 until it branches off to the east.
* County Road 535 (Chancey Road/Old Lakeland Highway) runs along the southern and eastern edge of the city and north into County Road 35 Alternate in Vitis.

Public transportation

Zephyrhills is served by Pasco County Public Transportation on routes #30, #33, and #54.

Airport

The city is served by Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. It was also once served by the 1927-built Zephyrhills Depot on the Atlantic Coast Line, which is now the Zephyrhills Depot Museum at a city park near the airport. More than 70,000 skydives are performed annually on the airport at Skydive City, Inc., the largest woman-owned drop zone in the world, founded in 1990 by Joannie Murphy and Susan Perkins Stark.

Railroads

CSX Transportation's Wildwood Subdivision goes through the eastern parts of Zephyrhills.

Public safety

The Zephyrhills Police Department consists of about 35 officers that cover the incorporated City of Zephyrhills. In September 2020, Pasco County Fire Rescue took over all fire and rescue service responsibilities for the City of Zephyrhills.

Notable people

* Domonic Brown, baseball player
* Dave Eiland, former Major League Baseball pitcher
* Bobby Geudert, soccer player (died in Zephyrhills)
* Prince Iaukea, pro wrestler (born Michael Hayner)
* Ramiele Malubay, ''American Idol'' finalist (attended Zephyrhills High School until 2002)
* Jessica Meuse, ''American Idol'' finalist, briefly lived in Zephyrhills
* Tracy Negoshian, fashion designer
* Stephen Perry, writer for the animated series ''ThunderCats'' and '' SilverHawks''
* Ryan Pickett, defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers, graduated from Zephyrhills High School in 1998
* Buzzie Reutimann, race car driver
* David Reutimann, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver
* Carl Tanzler (aka Carl von Cosel), person who stole and preserved the corpse of Elena Milagro Hoyos

See also

* List of sundown towns in the United States

References

Further reading

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External links

City of Zephyrhills official website

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Cities in Pasco County, Florida
Cities in the Tampa Bay area
1910 establishments in Florida
Cities in Florida
Sundown towns in Florida