New Port Richey, Florida

New Port Richey, Florida
City
City of New Port Richey
Gateway to Downtown New Port Richey, Florida on the Main Street Bridge. Sims Park pictured in background.
Location in Pasco County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°14′56″N 82°43′4″W / 28.24889°N 82.71778°W / 28.24889; -82.71778Coordinates: 28°14′56″N 82°43′4″W / 28.24889°N 82.71778°W / 28.24889; -82.71778
Country	United States of America
State	Florida
County	Pasco
Area
• Total	4.6 sq mi (11.9 km2)
• Land	4.5 sq mi (11.7 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Population (2011)
• Total	14,934
• Density	3,503.7/sq mi (1,354.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	34652-34656
Area code(s)	727
FIPS code	12-48500
GNIS feature ID	0287669
Website	City of New Port Richey

New Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

By 1914 the area around Orange Lake was being called "new Port Richey" and the older part of Port Richey was called "old Port Richey." In 1915 a separate post office was established for the residents of the southern part of Port Richey. The post office was named New Port Richey, and the name became official. The first postmaster was Gerben DeVries. The growth of the city came about after George Sims purchased the Port Richey Land Company. He built a home in New Port Richey in 1916.

The first Chasco Fiesta was held in 1922 to raise money for the local library. The event was revived in 1947 and has been held annually since then. It includes a large street parade and a boat parade on successive Saturdays.

In 1924 New Port Richey was incorporated. The first mayor was Dr. Elroy M. Avery, an educator, historian, and prolific author who came to New Port Richey from Cleveland after he retired in 1919.

The first act of the city council was to accept Enchantment Park as a gift from George Sims. The park was renamed Sims Park. The main attractions of the city were the park, the Pithlachascotee River, and Orange Lake.

In the mid-1920s the city hoped to become a winter home for Hollywood stars. In fact, Thomas Meighan, a leading actor in silent movies, built a large home on the river in 1928 and spent the winters there. He hoped to make movies in New Port Richey. Gene Sarazen, one of the top golfers in the 1920s, also built a home in New Port Richey. He invented the modern sand wedge in a garage in New Port Richey. Other Hollywood figures such as Ed Wynn visited New Port Richey. Songwriter Irving Berlin and bandleader Paul Whiteman made down payments on property, but did not build homes. In 1926, a new theater named for Thomas Meighan opened, and in 1927, the Hacienda Hotel, a 55-room Spanish-style luxury hotel, was completed. Moon Lake Gardens and Dude Ranch, which featured a private game preserve of 7,000 acres, opened in the 1930s.