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  I know that this area has only been built up (to near the way it is now) for about 35 years. Brooksville (just minutes east) has been around much longer and thats where you'll find many of the "old timer/original Floridians" who paved the way here long before it was populated by air conditioning :). To the South is Pasco County with coastal cities such as Hudson, Port Richey, New Port Richey (listing north to south, going toward Tampa and St. pete) and to the north is Citrus county with it's beatiful coastal cities such as Homasassa and Crystal River. About 2 hrs. north in Chiefland you can find the famous "Suanee River" where it meets the coastal waters of Manatee Springs A fantastic natural wonder, these springs are, and Florida's "Nature Coast" (as it is commonly called) is just dotted with these springs. Just 5 min. from my house is the famous Weeki wachee springs which is the home of the famous underwater mermaid show and Buccaneer Bay Water Park This is the first time I've really had an opportunity to share where I live, and I'm overwhelmed by how much this area has to offer. It is also full of wildlife. It's not uncommon to take out the trash at night and meet up with a fox, a possum or racoon. Along the wooded areas of the coast there's lots of deer and even bear if you can believe it! I live in a subdivision which has a man made waterway running through it which passes right by my backyard. I could take a small boat through the neighborhood where it opens up to beautiful Hunters Lake, which is also "spring fed" (this is a good feature, because while the rest of the area's canals dry up in the summer, the one in my backyard does not). The place is always full of "Muscovy" ducks, "Sandhill Cranes", "Eagrets" (sp?), "Blue Herrons" and the well known "Whooping Crane". And yes, ... THERE ARE GATORS HERE!...
  Several large gators have been removed from the canal near my backyard since I've been here (9' to 16') which is why I fenced my yard in (I have young children and 2 dogs). And of course, the snakes... snakes of all varieties live here. Nuff said about that.
  
  Here's the canal in the backyard
  
  
  

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  Welcome to Hernando County, Florida
  The Vision for the Hernando County community includes the "Close to Home, Room to Roam" aspects of this transitioning suburban/rural county. It is part of the 9-county "Nature Coast" yet lies within the census-designated Tampa Bay metropolitan area. (Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties) The local economy is fueled by construction, dairy/cattle production, distribution, electronics, forest resources, health care, lime rock mining, manufacturing, retail, and tourism.
  
  Hernando County is located on the central-west coast of Florida north of Tampa Bay. It is bounded by the Gulf of Mexico on the west, Citrus County to the north, Sumter County to the east, and Pasco County to the south. Hernando County stretches 37 miles east to west, and 18 miles north to south for a total of 506 square miles. (approximately 323,700 acres) The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) checked in with a Census 2000 population of 2.4 million.
  
  As part of the Nature Coast, vast tracts of public land have been preserved in Hernando County. These include the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, Chinsegut Hill National Wildlife Refuge, Withlacoochee State Forest, Weeki Wachee Preserve, and the PK Ranch. Recreation also abounds on the Withlacoochee and Weeki Wachee Rivers as well as at the Silver Lake Recreation Area, and the first-magnitude Weekee Wachee Springs. The latter were recently purchased by the State of Florida.
  
  With an average January temperature of 60 degrees, year-round outdoor recreation is the mantra in Hernando County. Hunting, fishing, camping, paddling, birding, and hiking are just a few of the many recreational opportunities enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Championship golf courses, paved or wilderness bicycle trails, and the Croom Motorcycle Recreation Area attract visitors from far beyond the County borders.
  
  The Census 2000 population for Hernando County was 130,802. Unincorporated Spring Hill in the southwest, is the largest Hernando County community with a population of 70,000 to 85,000 depending on where boundaries are drawn. The City of Brooksville, the county seat, population 7,279, is rich in history and traditions. The only other city within Hernando County is Weeki Wachee, population 8, which incorporated many decades ago to appear on Florida maps in promotion of the Buccaneer Bay/Weeki Wachee Resort "City of Mermaids".
  
  In 2001, the Turnpike District of the Florida Department of Transportation opened 42 miles of the Suncoast Parkway connecting northern Hernando County with the Tampa International Airport and Westshore District of Tampa. The north-south tollway translates to less than 30 minutes to Tampa for many Spring Hill residents.
  
  Hernando County is also well connected by Interstate 75 and US 301 in the east, US 41 and US 98 in the central part of the County, and US 19 in western Hernando County. Other Florida cities lying within an hour's drive of the County are Lakeland, Ocala, and Orlando. The County is served by the local Hernando County Airport and Tampa International Airport, 45 miles to the south.
  
  Statistics Land Area 506 sq. miles
  Average Temperatures (degrees Fahrenheit) January: 59.8 August: 81
  Record High Temperature 104°F (in June of 1985)
  Record Low Temperature 13°F (in January of 1985)
  Average Rainfall 60.1 inches
  County Seat Brooksville
  Approximate Elevation 175 ft
  
  1980 Population 44,469
  1990 Population 101,115
  2000 Population 130,802
  Current Population 10/31/2005 (estimate) 156,584
  
  
  Incorporated Cities Brooksville* 2007 Population: 7,309
  Weeki Wachee 2007 Population: 8
  
  HISTORICAL
  On February 27, 1843, the County of Hernando, named in honor of Hernando Desoto, a Spanish explorer, was established. The name of the county changed in 1844 from Hernando to Benton, for Senator Thomas H. Benton, who had introduced a bill in the State Legislature which was responsible for opening the land for settlement. The position of Senator Benton on the Missouri Compromise was reversed in the 1840's, and the residents of Benton County petitioned to change the name back to Hernando, which was accomplished in 1850. One of the principal settlements by the early 1850's was Bayport, a port of entry for the county for exporting cotton, farm produce and timber. Bayport was chosen and approved as the County Seat by the Legislature in December 1854. Bayport's selection stirred the emotions of residents living in the eastern section of the county, so within two years, the voters chose a site located within five miles of the center of the county. The people of Hernando County named the new County Seat "Brooksville" in honor of Representative Preston Brooks.
  
  During the 1880's a measure entitled, "A Bill to Divide the County of Hernando and Make There from the Counties of Citrus and Pasco" was subsequently introduced, passed, and signed into law on January 2, 1887. In the following several decades, the lumber industry flourished; the citrus boom hit central Florida; the phosphate industry stabilized and limestone mining was established. The depression of the 1930's and World War II had a severe effect, however, on the availability of resources and any further development. As the County recovered, Hernando County had a corresponding increase in population, land developments and highway improvement projects.
  
  
  DEMOGRAPHICS
  Hernando County's official population grew from 17,004 in 1970 to 130,802 in 2000, a 7-fold increase. According to local population estimates, the County population for Oct. 31, 2007 is 165,034 . The State of Florida's medium population projection for Hernando County in the year 2005 is 146,800. The medium projections for the year 2010, 2020, and 2030 are 174,000; 212,300 and 243,700 respectively.

obxbiker

Thursday Sep 18 2008, 07:42 PM

Yes I agree, I to wish EVERYONE would do one and periodically update it.

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