Bull Creek, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bull Creek
|
|
|---|---|
Crabgrass Road, under three feet of water
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Osceola |
Bull Creek is a quiet, rural area in Osceola County, Florida, United States. It's called an "unincorporated community" because it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Instead, it's managed by the county. Bull Creek is about 7 miles (11 km) east of Holopaw and 30 miles (48 km) west of Melbourne.
This area is also part of the larger Orlando–Kissimmee metropolitan area.
Contents
Exploring Bull Creek's Location
The name of Bull Creek comes from the nearby Bull Creek and the Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area. This area is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Its elevation is about 65 feet (20 meters) above sea level.
You can find Bull Creek on a map at these coordinates: 28.093 degrees North latitude and -80.976 degrees West longitude.
A Look at Bull Creek's Past
In 1902, a man named George W. Hopkins bought a huge piece of land in central Florida, about 104,000 acres (421 square kilometers). This land included the area that would become Bull Creek. Hopkins built a small railroad to transport timber, mostly Cypress trees, to his sawmill in Melbourne. The area was heavily logged, meaning many trees were cut down, from 1912 to 1928.
Even today, cypress trees are still harvested around Bull Creek. However, the trees are smaller now and are mostly used for mulch, which helps plants grow.
In 1967, the state of Florida bought 23,350 acres (94.5 square kilometers) of land in this area. This was done to help control floods, as the Bull Creek area feeds into the Saint Johns River. A large levee, which is like a wall, was built to manage the water flowing into the river.
By 1970, the state leased this land to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The FWC manages the land as a wildlife management area (WMA). The Bull Creek WMA was later renamed in honor of Hershey A. “Herky” Huffman (1937-2011). He was a native Floridian, loved the outdoors, and was a strong supporter of protecting the environment.
Who Lives in Bull Creek?
Bull Creek has a small population of less than 100 families. Most of these families prefer a quiet, rural way of life.
The land here is zoned for agriculture. This means that only one single-family home is allowed for every 5 acres (2 hectares) of land. Agricultural land can be used for things like conservation, raising cattle, growing timber, and other farming activities.
Fun Things to Do in Bull Creek
The Bull Creek WMA offers more than 23,000 acres (93 square kilometers) of land for people to enjoy. It's open all year round for different activities. You can go hiking, ride horses, and watch for wildlife.
Fishing is popular at Billy Lake, Crabgrass Creek, and Bull Creek. When it's hunting season, you can also hunt for deer, hogs, turkeys, and small game.
