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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
Plant City's city hall
Plant City's city hall
Official seal of Plant City, Florida
Seal
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
City Plant City
Government
 • MayorNathan Kilton[1]
 • City ManagerBill McDaniel
Area
[2]
 • Total29.12 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)
 • Total39,764
 • Density1,410.42/sq mi (544.57/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
33563-33567
Area code813
FIPS code12-57550[3]
GNIS feature ID0289021[4]
Websitewww.plantcitygov.com

Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 39,764 at the 2020 census.[5]

Despite many thinking it was named for flora grown at plant nurseries (especially vegetables and fruits, as well as tropical houseplants) in its tropical Gulf Coast climate, it was named after prominent railroad developer Henry B. Plant[6] (see Plant System). Plant City is known as the winter strawberry capital of the world[7] 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 United States as well as many people from around the world.

History

Plant City's original name given during the middle 1800s was Ichepuckesassa (also known as Idasukshed) after the Indian village that once occupied the territory.[6] Its name caused so much confusion that the city 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 railroad, which significantly boosted the commerce in this primarily agricultural community by incorporating it with the South Florida Railroad.

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

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).[8] 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.[5]

The city and its surrounding area are in the Southern Flatwoods ecological community as defined by the US Department of Agriculture.[9] The region as a whole is noted for its sandy, infertile, and poorly drained soils. In and around Plant City, however, high organic matter content and scattered phosphate nodules make many of the soils more fertile than typical for the flatwoods.[10]

Climate

Plant City, as does most of Florida, has a humid subtropical climate with humid and hot summers and warm, drier winters. Plant City is close to having a tropical climate 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) 		91
(33) 		99
(37) 		99
(37) 		101
(38) 		104
(40) 		102
(39) 		101
(38) 		100
(38) 		98
(37) 		93
(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[11][12]

Education

See also: Hillsborough County Public Schools

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

Public schools

  • Simmons Career Center (6–12)
  • Durant High School (9–12)
  • Plant City High School (9–12)
  • Strawberry Crest High School – Dover, FL (9–12)
  • Simmons Exceptional Center (K–12)
  • Teen Parent East Program (K–12)
  • Tomlin Middle School (6–8)
  • Turkey Creek Middle School (6–8)
  • Marshall Middle School (6–8)
  • Plant City Adult Learning Lab (GED Prep)
  • Walden Lake Elementary (K–5)
  • Burney Elementary School (preK–5)
  • Stonewall Jackson Elementary (K–5)
  • Cork Elementary School (K–5)
  • Woodrow Wilson Elementary (K–5)
  • Knights Elementary School (K–5)
  • Springhead Elementary School (K–5)
  • Trapnell Elementary School (K–5)
  • Bryan Elementary School (K–5)

Private schools

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

Bruton Memorial Library

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.[13]

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.[14]

Economy

Wish Farms, the largest strawberry producer in Florida, has a large presence in Plant City.[15]

Demographics

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[16]
Location of Plant City in Hillsborough County, Florida

2020 census

Plant City racial composition as of 2020[17]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[a]
Race Number Percentage
White (NH) 18,735 47.12%
Black or African American (NH) 5,388 13.55%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 75 0.19%
Asian (NH) 641 1.61%
Pacific Islander (NH) 21 0.05%
Some Other Race (NH) 144 0.36%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 1,283 3.23%
Hispanic or Latino 13,477 33.89%
Total 39,764

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 39,764 people, 13,966 households, and 9,699 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census[3] 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.

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 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.

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.

Transportation

Aviation

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

Railroad

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. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. 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.

At the station, a train observation deck is present where one can watch CSX freight trains and Amtrak's Silver Star train pass. The closest other passenger stations are Tampa or Lakeland.

Major highways

Law enforcement

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.[20]

Parks, culture, recreation and attractions

National Register of Historic Places

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

Attractions

Parks

Alafia River State Park is located nearby.

Mural ban

On October 12, 2009, the Plant City Commissioners voted 4-to-1 to essentially ban all new murals[21] 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

Sister cities

See also: List of sister cities in Florida

Plant City has formalized sister city agreements with the following city:[23]

Notes

  1. ^ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[18][19]

References

  1. ^ "Nathan Kilton City of Plant City Florida". Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Plant City city, Florida". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 28, 2017.[dead link]
  6. ^ a b Plant Cit official website
  7. ^ Florida Strawberry Growers Association
  8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  9. ^ "MLRAs in Florida | NRCS MO15". Archived from the original on 2010-10-08. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  10. ^ "Web Soil Survey".
  11. ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  12. ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  13. ^ "About Your Library | City of Plant City, Florida". www.plantcitygov.com. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  14. ^ "Adult Programs". templeterrace.com.
  15. ^ "FFVA - Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association | Member Profile - Wishnatzki Farms". Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
  16. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  17. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  18. ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
  19. ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  20. ^ https://www.plantcitygov.com/622/Budget sum of budgets starting on page 95
  21. ^ "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
  22. ^ "KiXX Sign Defenders Josh Rife and Clay Roberts". Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  23. ^ Tampa Sister Cities from City of Tampa website Archived 2007-10-18 at the Wayback Machine
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Plant City.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plant City, Florida.
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