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Eustis, Florida

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Eustis, Florida
City
City hall
City hall
Location in Lake County and the state of Florida
Location in Lake County and the state of Florida
Country United States
State Florida
County Lake
Government
 • MayorEvelyn H. Smith
Area
 • Total9.7 sq mi (24.9 km2)
 • Land8.4 sq mi (21.6 km2)
 • Water1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2)
Elevation
69 ft (21 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total15,106
 • Density1,557.3/sq mi (606.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
32726, 32727, 32736
Area code352
FIPS code12-21350Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0305645Template:GR

Eustis is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,106 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 17,683.[1]

Geography

Eustis is located at 28°51′4″N 81°40′55″W / 28.85111°N 81.68194°W / 28.85111; -81.68194 (28.850993, -81.681943).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.0 km² (9.6 mi²). 21.6 km² (8.4 mi²) of it is land and 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²) of it (13.28%) is water.

The city limits are defined by Eudora, Abrams, and CR 44 (bypass) on the East, CR44 to the North, US Hwy 441 to the South, and Lake Eustis and Florida Hospital Waterman to the West.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 15,106 people, 6,371 households, and 4,058 families residing in the city. The population density was 698.5/km² (1,808.3/mi²). There were 7,322 housing units at an average density of 338.6/km² (876.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.90% White, 18.98% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.89% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.37% of the population.

There were 6,371 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 25.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,032, and the median income for a family was $39,519. Males had a median income of $30,807 versus $22,072 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,706. About 11.0% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Eustis also serves as the center for many small communities of Rural East Lake County including Cassia and Pine Lakes. These communities are not reflected in the Census Bureau's City Statistics but make up for the vast discrepancy in county to city stats. When the rural statistics are compiled into the city stats, the total population of Eustis topped 50,000 in 2000.

Schools In Eustis

Eustis is also home to several schools, including: Eustis Heights Elementary, Eustis Elementary, Eustis Middle School, and Eustis High School. Here is a list of notable programs at each school:

-Eustis Heights and Eustis Elementary both have versions of a student hall monitor programs, and after school program.

-Eustis Middle has a number of programs, including a track team(girls/boys), a volleyball team(girls/boys), a junior football team, a basketball team, a jazz band, and many other numerous clubs.

-Eustis High School is home to too many various club and sport programs to count, so only sport programs will be listed: The Eustis Panther football team, basketball team(girls/boys), soccer(boys/girls), swimming, cross-country, track, volleyball, softball, and baseball.

History

The people of Eustis, on the east shore of Lake Eustis, took their time deciding on a name. First it was Highlands, then Pendryville, and finally Lake Eustis, itself named about 1825 for General Abraham Eustis.

General Eustis, prominent in the Seminole Wars, had skirmished with the Indians on the south shore, near present-day Tavares, Florida. In 1876, A.S. Pendry homesteaded and set out a citrus grove. In 1877 he opened the Ocklawaha Hotel. The post office in the lobby carried the sign Pendryville".

Before railroads came in the 1880s, Eustis was a busy port for steamers plying Lakes Harris, Eustis, Dora, and Griffin. In 1883 the "Lake" was dropped and the town became just Eustis.

The first homes were those of D.W. Herrick, A.D. Herrick, and Henry Key. In 1881 Clifford and Smith built the first general store in the building later occupied by A.D. and C.D. Miller.

A big year was 1878 when the town's first telegraph line connected Eustis, Leesburg, and Sanford. The railroad arrived in 1880, the first train coming from Astor to Fort Mason, where passengers and freight made lake steamer connections to Leesburg, Helena, Yalaha, Bloomfield, Lane Park and Tavares.

Bertie Clifford was the first baby born before Eustis was incorporated in 1883, and Edith Hutchins the first baby of the newly incorporated town. D.W. Herrick was the first mayor.

Guilford David Clifford was a man with a big heart. Although his Eustis dream home was designed in 1894, the Big Freeze of 1894-1895 postponed its completion until 1911. Says Eustis historian Louise Carter, "Even though the freeze brought the town's economy to a standstill, Mr. Clifford kept his lakefront general store open and extended credit until people could recover." According to an 1887 business directory, the Clifford Store on Lake Eustis sold "groceries, hardware, building material, fertilizers, stoves, crockery, glassware, hay and grain. And the opera house, on the second floor, was a cultural center of Eustis and a wide swath of Central Florida.

The eighteen-room house at the corner of Bay Street and Bates Avenue was worth waiting for: Today it houses the Eustis Historical Museum and Preservation Society, and takes visitors back to the gracious Lake County lifestyle of one hundred-odd years ago.

National historic status

Clifford House

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

Famous Residents

Jonathan Schneck, a former resident of Eustis and graduate of Eustis High School, plays guitar for the popular Christian rock band Relient K.

References


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