Spring Hill, Florida

Spring Hill was formerly a large tract of endangered Longleaf Pine Ecosystem and Sand Pine Scrub with very high biodiversity, and a safe haven for many imperiled species, and most of it remained unchanged until the 1970’s with large scale deforestation. It first appeared on Hernando County maps as early as 1856 along what is today Fort Dade Avenue just north of the community of Wiscon.[6] The modern Spring Hill was founded in 1967 as a planned community, which was developed by the Deltona Corporation and the Mackle Brothers. The developers originally wanted to call the community Spring Lake and used that as the working name through the development process. They were forced to use a different name due to the name Spring Lake already being in use locally and chose Spring Hill.[7] The plans for the community are identical to the community of Deltona. The Mackle Brothers sold many of the properties and land in the area through intense advertising.[8] It has since become a sprawling semi-city in its own right, though it is an unincorporated area. The main entrance to the original development is marked by the Spring Hill waterfall on Spring Hill Drive and U.S. Route 19 (Commercial Way).

Spring Hill's proximity to Tampa, 40 miles (64 km) to the south, and the completion of the Suncoast Parkway in 2001 have made the community easily accessible to the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.

Spring Hill is located in southwestern Hernando County at 28°28′44″N 82°32′52″W (28.478929, & 82.547732).[9] It is bordered to the west by Timber Pines; to the north by Weeki Wachee, North Weeki Wachee, High Point, Brookridge, and Wiscon; and to the east by South Brooksville, Garden Grove, and Masaryktown. To the south it is bordered by Shady Hills and Heritage Pines in Pasco County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Spring Hill has a total area of 62.2 square miles (161.2 km²), of which 59.8 square miles (154.9 km²) are land and 2.4 square miles (6.3 km²), or 3.94%, are water.[1]

The U.S. Postal Service recommends that "Spring Hill" be used as the mailing address for ZIP Code 34610 in neighboring Pasco County. The Spring Hill CDP does not extend into Pasco County; instead, this mailing area is partially covered by the Shady Hills and Quail Ridge CDPs.[10]

At the 2010 census, there were 98,621 people, 39,078 households and 27,798 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,649 inhabitants per square mile (637/km²). There were 44,435 housing units, of which 5,357, or 12.1%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.1% White, 5.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.04% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2.5% some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.6% of the population.[12]

Of the 39,078 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were headed by married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49, and the average family size was 2.91.[12]

In the CDP, 21.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% were from 18 to 24, 21.9% were from 25 to 44, 27.1% were from 45 to 64, and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.[12]

For the period 2013-17, the estimated median annual household income in the CDP was $45,468, and the median family income was $53,017. Male full-time workers had a median income of $39,478 versus $35,059 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,349. About 10.7% of families and 14.9% of the total population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.[13]

Spring Hill has many schools, both public and private, which provide primary and secondary education to local children. There are also several options for higher education that are easily accessible from the Spring Hill area.

Bravera Health Spring Hill is the sole hospital in the community.[18]

Nearby Weeki Wachee Springs is home to the famous live mermaid show and Florida's only spring-fed water park, Buccaneer Bay.[19]

There are two print newspapers that serve the area: the Hernando Times (a publication of Tampa Bay Times), and the Hernando Sun.

Spring Hill belongs in the Tampa Bay Area media market, the 12th largest designated market area in the United States.

• Douglas Applegate, member of the United States House of Representatives[20]
• Matt Breida, running back for the New York Giants
• Ricou Browning, film director, actor (notably as the "Gill-man" in Creature from the Black Lagoon), producer, screenwriter, underwater cinematographer, stuntman
• Corey Hill, former UFC fighter and The Ultimate Fighter 5 contestant (deceased)[21][22]
• Zachary James, opera singer, stage and TV actor (notably as "Lurch" in the Broadway production of The Addams Family)
• Willie Sutton, bank robber
• Huey Whittaker, wide receiver for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League (UFL)[23]

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  Spring Hill waterfall at US 19 and Spring Hill Drive
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  Entrance to the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens
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  The Mother Earth sculpture, found in the Botanical Gardens
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  West Hernando County Library Branch
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  Spring Hill Library Branch
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  Harold's Garage on US 19 is a gas station shaped like a dinosaur, an example of novelty architecture.
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  Pink apatosaurus statue on US 19 near Windward Village

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Spring Hill.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spring Hill, Florida.

• Hernando County Chamber of Commerce