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Plant City, Florida

Coordinates: 28°1′N 82°8′W / 28.017°N 82.133°W / 28.017; -82.133
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Plant City, Florida
City
City of Plant City
Plant City's city hall
Plant City's city hall
Official seal of Plant City, Florida
Seal
Nickname: 
"Winter Strawberry Capital of the World"[1][2]
Motto: 
"Preserving the Past·Embracing the Future"[3]
Location in Hillsborough County and the U.S. state of Florida
Location in Hillsborough County and the U.S. state of Florida
Plant City, Florida is located in the United States
Plant City, Florida
Plant City, Florida
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 28°1′N 82°8′W / 28.017°N 82.133°W / 28.017; -82.133
Country United States
State Florida
County Hillsborough
Settled (Ichepuckesassa)c. mid-1800s-1859[3][4]
Settled (Cork)c. 1860-January 9, 1885[4]
Incorporated (Town of Plant City)January 10, 1885[4][5]
Incorporated (City of Plant City)1911[4]
Named forHenry B. Plant
Government
 • MayorNathan A. Kilton[6]
 • Vice MayorMary Thomas Mathis
 • CommissionersWilliam D. Dodson,
Michael S. Sparkman,
and Jason M. Jones
 • City ManagerBill McDaniel
 • City ClerkKerri J. Miller
Area
[7]
 • Total
29.12 sq mi (75.43 km2)
 • Land28.19 sq mi (73.02 km2)
 • Water0.93 sq mi (2.41 km2)
Elevation
128 ft (39 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
39,764
 • Density1,410.42/sq mi (544.57/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
33563-33567
Area code(s)813, 656
FIPS code12-57550[8]
GNIS feature ID0289021[9]
Websitewww.plantcitygov.com

Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. It is part of the Tampa Bay area. The population was 39,764 at the 2020 census.

Despite many thinking it was named for flora grown at plant nurseries (especially vegetables and fruits, as well as tropical houseplants) in its subtropical Gulf Coast climate, it was named after prominent railroad developer Henry B. Plant[3] (see Plant System).

Plant City is known as the winter strawberry capital of the world[1][2] and hosts the annual Florida Strawberry Festival in the late winter (usually in February or early March), which is attended by people from all over the world.

History

[edit]

Plant City's original name given during the middle 1800s was Ichepuckesassa, after the Native American village that once occupied the territory.[3] In 1860, the community was renamed "Cork", after the postmaster's Irish hometown. It was finally given the name "Plant City" in commemoration of Henry B. Plant and his South Florida Railroad, which significantly boosted the commerce in this primarily agricultural community by incorporating it on January 10, 1885.[4][5] In 1911, it was officially reincorporated from the "Town of Plant City" to the "City of Plant City".[4]

Plant City was the spring training home of baseball's Cincinnati Reds, who played exhibition games at Plant City Stadium from 1988 to 1997.

Geography

[edit]
Location of Plant City in Hillsborough County, Florida

The approximate coordinates for Plant City is located in northeastern Hillsborough County at 28°1′N 82°8′W / 28.017°N 82.133°W / 28.017; -82.133 (28.0142, –82.1289).[10]

Interstate 4 runs through the northern part of the city, with access from Exits 17 through 25. I-4 leads east 12 miles (19 km) to Lakeland and west 23 miles (37 km) to Tampa. U.S. Route 92 is the main highway through the center of Plant City, running generally parallel to I-4. Florida State Road 39 crosses US 92 in the center of Plant City and leads north 15 miles (24 km) to Zephyrhills and south 6 miles (10 km) to Hopewell.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Plant City has a total area of 28.1 square miles (72.8 km2), of which 27.2 square miles (70.4 km2) are land and 0.93 square miles (2.4 km2), or 3.31%, are water.

Plant City and its surrounding area are in the Southern Flatwoods ecological community as defined by the US Department of Agriculture.[11] The region as a whole is noted for its sandy, infertile, and poorly drained soils. In and around the city, high organic matter content and scattered phosphate nodules make much of the soil more fertile than typical for the flatwoods.[12]

Climate

[edit]

Plant City, as does most of Florida, has a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen climate classification: Cfa), with humid and hot summers and warm, drier winters. It is close to having a tropical climate zone, since only one month (January) does not have a mean temperature over 64.4 °F (18.0 °C).

Climate data for Plant City, Florida, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1892–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 89
(32) 		92
(33) 		99
(37) 		99
(37) 		101
(38) 		104
(40) 		104
(40) 		104
(40) 		101
(38) 		98
(37) 		94
(34) 		91
(33) 		104
(40)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 83.3
(28.5) 		84.8
(29.3) 		87.3
(30.7) 		90.6
(32.6) 		94.4
(34.7) 		95.6
(35.3) 		96.3
(35.7) 		95.5
(35.3) 		93.7
(34.3) 		91.3
(32.9) 		86.5
(30.3) 		83.9
(28.8) 		97.1
(36.2)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 74.8
(23.8) 		77.8
(25.4) 		81.4
(27.4) 		86.2
(30.1) 		90.8
(32.7) 		92.9
(33.8) 		93.8
(34.3) 		93.5
(34.2) 		92.1
(33.4) 		87.3
(30.7) 		80.9
(27.2) 		76.8
(24.9) 		85.7
(29.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 62.4
(16.9) 		65.3
(18.5) 		68.7
(20.4) 		73.5
(23.1) 		78.7
(25.9) 		82.4
(28.0) 		83.6
(28.7) 		83.6
(28.7) 		82.2
(27.9) 		76.7
(24.8) 		69.4
(20.8) 		65.0
(18.3) 		74.3
(23.5)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 50.0
(10.0) 		52.8
(11.6) 		55.9
(13.3) 		60.9
(16.1) 		66.6
(19.2) 		71.9
(22.2) 		73.4
(23.0) 		73.7
(23.2) 		72.4
(22.4) 		66.1
(18.9) 		57.9
(14.4) 		53.3
(11.8) 		62.9
(17.2)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 30.3
(−0.9) 		34.5
(1.4) 		38.2
(3.4) 		46.0
(7.8) 		55.9
(13.3) 		66.3
(19.1) 		69.4
(20.8) 		69.7
(20.9) 		66.0
(18.9) 		50.9
(10.5) 		41.1
(5.1) 		34.9
(1.6) 		28.5
(−1.9)
Record low °F (°C) 15
(−9) 		20
(−7) 		24
(−4) 		32
(0) 		41
(5) 		49
(9) 		59
(15) 		58
(14) 		55
(13) 		38
(3) 		21
(−6) 		18
(−8) 		15
(−9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.00
(76) 		2.33
(59) 		2.78
(71) 		2.88
(73) 		4.04
(103) 		9.71
(247) 		8.65
(220) 		8.85
(225) 		6.99
(178) 		2.58
(66) 		1.76
(45) 		2.54
(65) 		56.11
(1,428)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 7.5 7.5 6.2 5.9 7.5 15.3 17.9 17.8 14.5 8.1 6.0 8.1 122.3
Source: NOAA[13][14]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890349—
1900720106.3%
19102,481244.6%
19203,72950.3%
19306,80082.4%
19407,49110.2%
19509,23023.2%
196015,71170.2%
197015,451−1.7%
198017,06410.4%
199022,75433.3%
200029,91531.5%
201034,72116.1%
202039,76414.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[15]

2010 and 2020 census

[edit]
Plant City racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race Pop 2010[16] Pop 2020[17] % 2010 % 2020
White (NH) 18,555 18,735 53.44% 47.12%
Black or African American (NH) 5,051 5,388 14.55% 13.55%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 128 75 0.37% 0.19%
Asian (NH) 487 641 1.40% 1.61%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) 11 21 0.03% 0.05%
Some other race (NH) 38 144 0.11% 0.36%
Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) 467 1,283 1.35% 3.23%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 9,984 13,477 28.75% 33.89%
Total 34,721 39,764 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 39,764 people, 14,223 households, and 9,449 families residing in the city.[18]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 34,721 people, 11,992 households, and 8,640 families residing in the city.[19]

2000 census

[edit]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 29,915 people, 10,849 households, and 7,843 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,321.9 inhabitants per square mile (510.4/km2). There were 11,797 housing units at an average density of 521.3 per square mile (201.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 71.67% White, 17.42% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 16.16% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 9.10% from other races, and two or more races were 1.77% of the population.

As of 2000, there were 10,849 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $37,584, and the median income for a family was $43,328. Males had a median income of $33,417 versus $23,585 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,815. About 11.3% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

[edit]
See also: Hillsborough County Public Schools

The Hillsborough County School District operates all public schools in Plant City

Public high schools

[edit]

Public middle schools

[edit]
  • Marshall Middle School (6–8)
  • Tomlin Middle School (6–8)
  • Turkey Creek Middle School (6–8)

Public elementary schools

[edit]
  • Bryan Elementary School (K–5)
  • Burney Elementary School (Pre K–5)
  • Cork Elementary School (K–5)
  • Knights Elementary School (K–5)
  • Lincoln Elementary School (K-5)
  • Springhead Elementary School (K–5)
  • Stonewall Jackson Elementary (K–5)
  • Trapnell Elementary School (K–5)
  • Walden Lake Elementary School (K–5)
  • Woodrow Wilson Elementary (K–5)

Other public schools

[edit]
  • Plant City Adult Learning Lab (GED Prep)
  • Simmons Career Center (6–12)
  • Teen Parent East Program (K–12)

Private schools

[edit]
  • Autumn Leaf Academy (PK)
  • Evangelical Presbyterian Church Learning Center (PK)
  • Faith Christian Academy of Plant City (K–12)
  • First Presbyterian Learning Center II (PK–K)

Bruton Memorial Library

[edit]

The Quintilla Geer Bruton Memorial Library is located in Plant City and was built in 1960. It is a part of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative but is under the jurisdiction of the City of Plant City. There are 44,000 members as of 2014.[20]

Bruton Memorial Library offers programs for children, young adults, and adults. Bruton Memorial Library also offers free access to multiple databases, tutoring websites, ebooks, emagazines, and movie streaming. Computers are available for use, as are laptops that can be used only within the library. A variety of activities and services are available to a variety of patrons, from book clubs to extensive workshops regarding the beginnings and upkeep of the cultivation of homes and gardens, as well as crafts available on Mondays and hobbyists convening for fabric arts like knitting or crocheting two Fridays a month. Crafts also extend to children and teens as well.[21]

Economy

[edit]

Wish Farms, the largest strawberry producer in Florida, has a large presence in Plant City.[22]

Transportation

[edit]

Aviation

[edit]

Plant City Airport is a public-use airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of the central business district.

Railroad

[edit]

Plant City Union Depot served both the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) and Seaboard Air Line Railroad even after their merger into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad until passenger service ceased operations in 1971.[23] It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.[24] The east-west ACL tracks cross the north-south Seaboard tracks at a 90-degree angle at the southeast corner of the station, forming a diamond junction. Both tracks are now owned and run by Class 1 railroad CSX. Amtrak's Silver Star uses the line's west-to-eastbound ACL tracks, although it does not stop at the station. A train observation deck is present where railfans can watch CSX freight trains and the Amtrak Silver Star train pass.[23] The closest other passenger stations are Tampa or Lakeland.

Major highways

[edit]

Law enforcement

[edit]
Plant City Police patch

The Plant City Police Department (PCPD) is the law enforcement agency for the city of Plant City. The annual budget for the police department for 2017-2018 was $10,413,994.[25]

Parks, culture, recreation and attractions

[edit]

National Register of Historic Places

[edit]

There are several locations in Plant City which have been included in the National Register of Historic Places. They are:

Attractions

[edit]

Parks

[edit]

Mural ban

[edit]

On October 12, 2009, the Plant City Commissioners voted 4-to-1 to essentially ban all new murals[26] in the Historic District of Plant City. Current murals being painted are not affected by this ban, but no new murals can be painted unless the owner of the building can prove there was an already existing mural on the wall before 1994. The ban was set in motion by a complaint that a recent mural by Blake Emory—a rendition of Norman Rockwell's "April Fools"—contained a sex organ in the painting. Even though the creators of the mural insisted it was not intentional, and immediately altered the section of the mural, City Commissioners hastily cast the vote adding that they may revisit this ban in the future. City Commissioner Bill Dodson was the only vote against the ban saying he was looking for a more thought out and complete ordinance over an immediate and outright ban.

Notable people

[edit]

Sister cities

[edit]
See also: List of sister cities in Florida

Plant City has formalized sister city agreements with the following city:[28]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "How Plant City became the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World". WTSP.
  2. ^ a b "How Plant City became the winter strawberry capital of the world". NPR.
  3. ^ a b c d Plant City - History
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Plant City, Florida, 1885-1940: A Study In Southern Urban Development (Pages 10, 16, 18, 29, & 68)". University of Central Florida.
  5. ^ a b "GEORGE LANSING TAYLOR COLLECTION MAIN GALLERY: Town of Plant City Marker, Plant City, FL". University of North Florida.
  6. ^ "Nathan Kilton City of Plant City Florida". Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  7. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  9. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "MLRAs in Florida | NRCS MO15". Archived from the original on October 8, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
  12. ^ "Web Soil Survey".
  13. ^ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  14. ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  15. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  16. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Plant City city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Plant City city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2020: Plant City city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
  19. ^ "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Plant City city, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
  20. ^ "About Your Library | City of Plant City, Florida". www.plantcitygov.com. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  21. ^ "Adult Programs". templeterrace.com.
  22. ^ "FFVA - Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association | Member Profile - Wishnatzki Farms". Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  23. ^ a b "About Us". Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  24. ^ Englehardt, Gary (April 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form – Plant City Union Depot". National Park Service. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  25. ^ https://www.plantcitygov.com/622/Budget sum of budgets starting on page 95
  26. ^ "Armrest was mistaken for sex organ in mural, artist says" Archived 2012-07-16 at archive.today. "TBO.com Archived 2007-09-12 at the Wayback Machine", 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2009-10-21
  27. ^ "KiXX Sign Defenders Josh Rife and Clay Roberts". Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  28. ^ Tampa Sister Cities from City of Tampa website Archived 2007-10-18 at the Wayback Machine
[edit]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Plant City.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plant City, Florida.
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