Hillsborough County, Florida

Hillsborough County, Florida
County
Hillsborough County

The Hillsborough County courthouse, in May 2010.

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Map of Florida highlighting Hillsborough County
Location in the U.S. state of Florida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded January 25, 1834
Named for Wills Hill, Earl of Hillsborough
Seat Tampa
Largest city Tampa
Area
 • Total 1,266 sq mi (3,279 km2)
 • Land 1,020 sq mi (2,642 km2)
 • Water 246 sq mi (637 km2), 19.4%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 1,349,050[1]
 • Density 1,323/sq mi (511/km²)
Congressional districts 12th, 14th, 15th, 17th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.hillsboroughcounty.org

Hillsborough County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,229,226,[2] making it the fourth-most populous county in Florida. Its county seat and largest city is Tampa.[3]

Hillsborough County is included in the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Hillsborough County was created on January 25, 1834, from Alachua and Monroe counties,[4] during the U.S. territorial period (1822-1845). It was named for Wills Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough, who served as British Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1768 to 1772.[5]

The county's 1834 boundaries were much wider and included eight other present-day counties: Charlotte County, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota County.[6]

The last significant change in Hillsborough County's borders was the separation of its western section to create Pinellas County, in 1911.

On New Year's Day in 1914, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line initiated the first scheduled commercial airline service in history, from St Petersburg to Tampa.[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,266 square miles (3,280 km2), of which 1,020 square miles (2,600 km2) is land and 246 square miles (640 km2) (19.4%) is water.[8] There is approximately 158.27 miles (254.71 km) of shoreline on Tampa Bay.

The county's unincorporated area approximately 888 square miles (2,300 km2), or more than 84 percent of the total land area. Municipalities account for 163 square miles (420 km2). The modern boundaries of the county place it midway along the west coast of Florida.

A narrow portion of Hillsborough County to the south, consisting almost exclusively of water, extends west to the Gulf of Mexico roughly along the Tampa Port Shipping Channel. This has the effect of keeping Hillsborough County from being technically landlocked. The central portion of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is in Hillsborough County as is Egmont Key at the entrance to Tampa Bay. This narrow strip of land effectively separates Pinellas County from Manatee County. The extreme northernmost tip of a spoil island located just west of port manatee also lies in hillsborough county.

Hillsborough is home to Alafia River State Park and Hillsborough River State Parks, as well as the C. W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir and Lithia Springs, the largest natural spring in Florida.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840452—
18502,377425.9%
18602,98125.4%
18703,2167.9%
18805,81480.8%
189014,941157.0%
190036,013141.0%
191078,374117.6%
192088,25712.6%
1930153,51973.9%
1940180,14817.3%
1950249,89438.7%
1960397,78859.2%
1970490,26523.2%
1980646,96032.0%
1990834,05428.9%
2000998,94819.8%
20101,229,22623.1%
Est. 20151,349,050[9]9.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2015[2]

2010 Census

U.S. Census Bureau 2010 Ethnic/Race Demographics:[14][15]

In 2010, 6.0% of the Hillsborough's population considered themselves to be of only "American" ancestry (regardless of race or ethnicity.)[14]

There were 536,092 households out of which 29.74% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.25% were married couples living together, 14.76% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.69% were non-families. 27.12% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.96% (2.35% male and 5.61% female) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.11.[18][19]

The age distribution was as follows: 23.9% were under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.1 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.[18][19]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,536, and the median income for a family was $59,886. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $35,184 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,062. About 10.7% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those aged 65 or over.[20]

In 2010, 15.1% of the county's population was foreign born, with 44.5% being naturalized American citizens. Of foreign-born residents, 67.5% were born in Latin America, 16.7% born in Asia, 9.2% were born in Europe, 3.2% born in Africa, 3.1% in North America, and 0.3% were born in Oceania.

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile (367/km²). There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile (156/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.17% White (63.3% Non-Hispanic White),[21] 14.96% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 2.20% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.66% from other races, and a 2.56% from two or more races. 17.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The county was the thirty-second most populous county in the nation.

There were 391,357 households out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.70% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.07.

The age distribution was as follows: 25.30% were under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,663, and the median income for a family was $48,223. Males had a median income of $34,111 versus $26,962 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,812. About 9.10% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

Level of Education
Level Hillsborough Co. Florida U.S.
College/Associate Degree 29.0% 28.8% 27.4%
Bachelor's Degree 16.7% 14.3% 15.5%
Master's or Ph. D. 8.4% 8.1% 8.9%
Total 54.1% 51.2% 51.8%

Source: U.S. Census[22]

Languages

As of 2010, 74.59% of the population spoke only English at home, 19.52% spoke Spanish, 0.56% French Creole (mainly Haitian Creole,) and 0.51% spoke Vietnamese as their mother language.[23] In total, 25.41% of the population spoke a language other than English as their primary language.[23]

Politics and government

Hillsborough County, like most of Tampa Bay, was one of the first areas of Florida to turn Republican. However, for the last quarter-century, it has been a powerful swing county in one of the nation's most important swing states. It is part of the politically important I-4 Corridor between Tampa Bay and Orlando, an area that historically decides most elections in Florida. Hillsborough was considered a bellwether county, correctly voting for the statewide winner in every presidential election from 1964-2012. It has also voted for the winner of the presidency in every election since 1960 except twice, voting for the loser only in 1992 and 2016.

In 2008, Barack Obama won the county by seven points, the first Democrat to capture the county since Bill Clinton's reelection victory in 1996.[24] Obama won Hillsborough again in 2012 over Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney by roughly the same margin.

Hillsborough County vote[25]
by party in presidential elections
Year Republican Democratic
2016 44.7% 266,870 51.5% 307,896
2012 46.0% 250,186 52.7% 286,467
2008 45.9% 236,355 53.1% 272,963
2004 53.0% 245,576 46.2% 214,132
2000 50.2% 180,794 47.1% 169,576
1996 44.3% 136,656 46.8% 144,266
1992 42.1% 130,643 37.1% 115,282
1988 59.9% 150,151 39.5% 99,014
1984 64.7% 157,926 35.3% 86,230
1980 51.7% 106,160 43.0% 88,271
1976 44.8% 78,504 54.0% 94,589
1972 70.1% 106,956 29.7% 45,305
1968 34.8% 49,441 32.2% 45,848
1964 41.5% 50,616 58.5% 71,289
1960 44.0% 48,887 56.0% 62,240

A Home Rule Charter for Hillsborough County was approved by voters in a county-wide referendum held in September 1983, and the first County Commissioners elected under this new charter took office on May 28, 1985.

The Home Rule Charter divides the power of county government between legislative and executive branches. The Board of County Commissioners, which composes the legislative branch, sets overall policy by means of ordinances, resolutions and motions.

The executive powers of county government are vested in the County Administrator, appointed by County Commissioners and charged by the charter to faithfully implement the powers of the Board. The charter provides for a County Attorney, to be hired by the County Administrator with the advice and consent of the County Commissioners. The charter contains a provision for a Charter Review Board appointed by County Commissioners every five years to conduct a study of county government and propose amendments to the charter. These amendments must be presented to voters for approval. One amendment was approved in November 2002, adding the position of County Internal Performance Auditor to the government structure. This position reports directly to the County Commission.

There are seven members of the Board of County Commissioners for Hillsborough County. Four are elected from single-member districts, and three are elected county wide. The Board approves the County's operating and capital budgets and the County's capital improvement program. It may take action on any programs for the improvement of the county and the welfare of its residents.

There are also five countywide elected positions which have specific responsibilities under the county charter:

Under a Charter Ordinance that went into effect May 1985, County Commissioners are directed to perform legislative functions of government by developing policy for the management of Hillsborough County. The County Administrator, a professional appointed by the Board, and the administrative staff are responsible for the implementation of these policies.

The Board also serves as the Environmental Protection Commission. Individual Board members serve on various other boards, authorities, and commissions such as the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Tampa Bay Water, Aviation Authority, Expressway Authority, Sports Authority, Port Authority, Arts Council of Hillsborough County, Children's Board, Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Council of Governments.

Hillsborough County charges a discretionary sales tax of 1% on top of Florida's 6%. It is only collected on the first $5000 of any large purchase.

Economy

In the early 20th century Hillsborough's economy was predominantly based on cigar making and agriculture. In 2012, Hillsborough had the second largest agricultural output among Florida's Counties. As of 2010, the average annual employment in Hillsborough County was 563,292. The percentages of total employment by industry was:

[26]

Agriculture

In 2011, sales of all agricultural commodities produced in Hillsborough County were over 832,410,300 dollars. The largest crop by value was strawberries at over 388 million dollars.[27] Values of various crops included:

Hillsborough County Agricultural Production 2011
Crop Sales in dollars Acreage
Strawberries $388,125,702 11,625
Vegetables $150,000,000 13,092
Ornamental plants $139,232,407 3,977
Aquaculture $23,546,112 876
Beef cattle/pasture $18,934,207 91,904
Citrus $18,893,572 10,750
Poultry $18,701,100 22
Sod $7,438,855 2,286
Dairy $6,433,206 1,500
Blueberries $5,500,000 591
Hay $2,374,195 635
Forestry $1,000,000 108,634
Bees/honey $598,767 45
Goats $154,177 518
Miscellaneous $51,478,000 3677
Total $832,410,300 255,532

List of companies with headquarters in Hillsborough County

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Education

Hillsborough County Public Schools operates public schools in the county. Hillsborough County has the eighth largest school district in the United States consisting of 206 schools (133 elementary schools, 42 middle schools, 2 K-8 schools, 27 traditional high schools and 4 career centers; 73 additional schools including charter, ESE, etc.).[29] In 2013, twelve out of Hillsborough County's 27 public high schools were ranked in Newsweek's list of America's Best High Schools.[30] In 2012 and 2013, all 27 public high schools were included on the Washington Post's list of the 2000 most challenging schools in America.[31]

School enrollment

Source: Tampa Tribune

Museums and libraries

Museums

Libraries

These libraries are part of the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative:

Law enforcement

Several local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies operate within Hillsborough County, Florida. They range in operations and jurisdictions from one agency to the next.

Federal agencies

State Agencies

Local agencies

There are several agencies providing law enforcement to the residents of Hillsborough County. They are all accredited and fully certified law enforcement agencies by the FDLE.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue services the unincorporated areas of Hillsborough County. Fire service began in the 1950s as an all volunteer force consisting of about a dozen loosely associated community-based organizations. The first full-time career firefighters were hired in 1973. The department now has 1,019 career uniformed and support personnel which continue to set the pace in Fire and Emergency Medical Response making it the third largest department in the state. Since the 1997 consolidation of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the department has placed paramedics on each career, front-line apparatus: 28 Rescues, 42 Engines, 4 Ladder Trucks and 4 Special Operations Units operating out of 43 Fire Stations throughout Unincorporated Hillsborough County. As nearly 85% of the department's more than 90,000 emergency responses require some level of medical care, having paramedics assigned to each unit assures that the citizens of Hillsborough County are receiving rapid Advanced Life Support care.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and the Board of County Commissioners has implemented a plan to continue placing new fire rescue stations in areas where growth is occurring or gaps in coverage may exist. Fire Chief Dennis Jones leads a Senior Staff of two Deputy Chiefs (Operations and Administrative branches), the Fire Marshal and the Emergency Manager. All fiscal functions, facilities maintenance and supply, apparatus/equipment procurement, Emergency Dispatch Manager, Personnel Chief, and Training Chief are under the direction of the Deputy Chief of Administration. The three Shift Commanders, as well as the Rescue Chief and the Special Operations Chief, report directly to the Deputy Chief of Operations. The Operations Chief is responsible for the overall response readiness of all front line personnel. The Emergency Manager oversees all Office of Emergency Management (OEM) planning and operations of the EOC.[32]

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Office of Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management is a division of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue that is directly responsible for planning and coordinating the evacuation and sheltering of all county residents in the event of a natural or manmade disaster. This agency is also responsible for planning, orchestrating and coordinating response actions and continuity of government in the aftermath of a major disaster. Preston Cook has been the Emergency Manager since 2011

The Hurricane Evacuation Assessment Tool (HEAT) has been created to assist residents of Hillsborough County by providing evacuation and sheltering information in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster. This interactive program was designed to assist the public in easily determining if they are in one of the five evacuation zones. It also provides information on shelters, hospitals, fire stations and sandbag locations.

The Office of Emergency Management also provides information to the public on the following: Hurricane Information, Procedures for Hazardous Materials Spills, Flooding Preparedness, Tornado Preparedness, Wildfire Preparedness, and Terrorism Preparedness.

Transportation

The Sunshine Skyway (I-275), which connects Pinellas to Manatee counties. The middle span is in Hillsborough County.

Airports

The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Tampa International Airport in Tampa. Other important airports include the Tampa Executive Airport near Brandon, Peter O. Knight Airport near Downtown Tampa, and the Plant City Airport near Plant City.

Major highways

Public surface transportation

Hillsborough County is served by Hillsborough Area Regional Transit buses.

Nationally-protected areas

Parks

Communities

County subdivisions in Hillsborough County. Incorporated cities in bold; unincorporated CDPs in small font.

Cities

There are only three cities incorporated in Hillsborough County.

Census-designated places

Despite its large population most of the area of the county is unincorporated and falls under the jurisdiction of the Hillsborough county board of Commissioners.[34]

Unincorporated communities

Historic towns

  • Bullfrog Corner
  • Bone Valley
  • Branchton
  • Callsville
  • Chataocolea
  • Chicora
  • Clarkwild
  • Coronet
  • Cork (now Dover, not to be confused with two other places named Cork)
  • Cork (now Plant City)
  • Cosme
  • Dillon
  • Diston
  • Drew Park, absorbed by Tampa
  • East Cove
  • Edeson
  • Flora
  • Fort Brooke
  • Fort Foster
  • Fort Sullivan
  • Gardenville
  • Gary
  • Gulf City
  • Harney
  • Hillsboro
  • Ichipucksassa, aka Ichepucksassa, Hitchipucksassa (now Plant City)
  • Idlewild Park
  • Jackson Springs
  • Keystone Park
  • Knights Station
  • Knowles
  • Lake Fern
  • Lighthall
  • Lillibridge
  • Magdalene
  • Magnolia
  • Mangrove Point
  • Manhattan (absorbed by Tampa)
  • Marvinia
  • Midway
  • Mullins City
  • Nicholls
  • Oliphant
  • Orient
  • Peck
  • Pelot
  • Peru
  • Prairie
  • Riverhead
  • Rocky Point
  • Sparkman
  • Stemper
  • St Helena
  • Trapnell (absorbed by Plant City)
  • Welcome
  • Weldon
  • Willow
  • Youmans[37]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Hillsborough County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". census.gov.
  2. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Hillsborough County Census". skcensus.com.
  5. ↑ Publications of the Florida Historical Society. Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 31.
  6. ↑ Florida Center for Instructional Technology. "Exploring Florida Hillsborough County Maps". usf.edu.
  7. ↑ "World's First Commercial Airline - The Greatest Moments in Flight". Space.com.
  8. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  9. ↑ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Hillsborough County: Selected Social Characteristics in the United States 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  15. 1 2 3 "Hillsborough County Demographic Characteristics". ocala.com. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Hillsborough County, Florida First Ancestry Reported Universe: Total population - 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2010 -- 2010 Census Summary File 1". factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  18. 1 2 "Hillsborough County: Age Groups and Sex: 2010 - 2010 Census Summary File 1". factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Hillsborough County: Age Groups and Sex: 2010 - 2010 Census Summary File 1". censusviewer.com. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Hillsborough County, Florida: SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS - 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Demographics of Hillsborough County, FL". MuniNetGuide.com. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  22. ↑ 2004 U.S. Census
  23. 1 2 "Modern Language Association Data Center Results of Miami-Dade County, Florida". Modern Language Association. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  24. ↑ David Leip. "2004 Presidential General Election Results - Florida". uselectionatlas.org.
  25. ↑ http://uselectionatlas.org/
  26. ↑ http://www.eflorida.com/profiles/CountyReport.asp?CountyID=54&Display=all
  27. ↑ http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/6140
  28. ↑ "Contacts." Delhaize Group. Retrieved on May 17, 2012. "Sweetbay Supermarkets, 3801 Sugar Palm Drive Tampa – FL 33619 - U.S.A."
  29. ↑ Hillsborough County Public Schools
  30. ↑ America's Best High Schools
  31. ↑ "National Schools". washingtonpost.com.
  32. ↑ Hillsborough Fire Rescue Summary
  33. ↑ "Facilities". Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  34. ↑ "Hillsborough County, FL - Official Website - Board of County Commissioners". hillsboroughcounty.org.
  35. ↑ http://www.hillsborough.communityatlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/HILLSBOROUGH_COUNTY_Historic_Resources_Excerpts_Knights.pdf
  36. ↑ http://www.hillsborough.communityatlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/HILLSBOROUGH_COUNTY_Historic_Resources_Excerpts_Turkey%20Creek.pdf
  37. ↑ Florida Center for Instructional Technology. "Florida Maps - Hillsborough County". usf.edu.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hillsborough County, Florida.

Government links

Special districts

Judicial branch

Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension

Tourism links

History

 Pasco County
Pinellas County Polk County
   Hillsborough County, Florida  
Manatee County Hardee County

Coordinates: 27°55′N 82°21′W / 27.91°N 82.35°W / 27.91; -82.35

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