Valrico, Florida
| Valrico, Florida | |
|---|---|
| Census-designated place | |
 Location in Hillsborough County and the state of Florida |
|
| Coordinates: 27°56′27″N 82°14′33″W / 27.94083°N 82.24250°WCoordinates: 27°56′27″N 82°14′33″W / 27.94083°N 82.24250°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Hillsborough |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14.2 sq mi (36.8 km2) |
| • Land | 13.8 sq mi (35.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 56 ft (17 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 35,545 |
| • Density | 2,574/sq mi (994.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 33594-33596 |
| Area code(s) | 813 |
| FIPS code | 12-73700 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0292725 |
Valrico is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 35,545 at the 2010 census, up from 6,582 at the 2000 census.
Before the Civil War, the area was known as "Long Pond" and consisted of several cotton plantations. It was renamed "Valrico", meaning "rich valley" in Spanish, in the 1880s when William G. Tousey, a philosophy professor from Tufts College, purchased property in the area. In 1890, an influx of immigrants arrived, following the construction of the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad through the area.
When the railroad was completed, Tousey began building up the community with retail stores, streets, and a bank. In 1895, a major freeze halted these developments, and the population began to dwindle. Nonetheless, the town continued to press on, with a schoolhouse being completed in 1896. The population continued to fall drastically, from 100 people in 1893 to only 50 in 1911.
This setback did not deter local landowners from pushing forward with the town's development. Between 1910-1914 Judge Hamner, Governor Van Sant, D. Humbird, W.H., S.C. Phipps and W.F. Miller started an improvement project along Hopewell Road, later designated SR 60. W.F. Miller, serving as president of the Valrico Improvement Association, raised $3,500 to erect the Valrico Civic Center, now known as the James McCabe Theatre. The area's first general store was opened by Lovett Brandon in 1912.
Valrico once again suffered a major blow during the , which saw nearly every business in the town shut down. Not until the mid-1950s did the town begin to see growth again, primarily due to the connection of SR 60 to Tampa's Adamo Drive, placing Valrico right along a major Florida thoroughfare.
Valrico is located in east-central Hillsborough County at 27°56′27″N 82°14′33″W / 27.94083°N 82.24250°W (27.940774, -82.242551). It is bordered to the west by Brandon, to the southwest by Bloomingdale, and to the south by FishHawk. Via State Road 60, it is 14 miles (23 km) east of Tampa and 26 miles (42 km) west of Bartow. It is 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Plant City.
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