Valrico, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Valrico, Florida
Census-designated place
Location in Hillsborough County and the state of Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Hillsborough
Area
• Total	14.22 sq mi (36.84 km2)
• Land	13.81 sq mi (35.77 km2)
• Water	0.41 sq mi (1.08 km2)
Elevation	56 ft (17 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	37,895
• Density	2,744.22/sq mi (1,059.55/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	33594-33596
Area code(s)	813
FIPS code	12-73700
GNIS feature ID	0292725

Valrico is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 35,545 at the 2010 census, up from 6,582 at the 2000 census.

History

Before the civil war, the area consisted of several cotton plantations known as Long Pond. It was renamed to Valrico, meaning "rich valley" in Spanish, in the 1880s when a philosophy professor from Tufts college, William G. Tousey, purchased property in the area. In 1890, an influx of new immigrants arrived following the construction of the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroads through the area.

When the railroad was completed, Tousey began building up the community with retail stores, streets, and a bank. In 1895, a major freeze halted these developments, and the population began to dwindle. Nonetheless, the town continued to press on, with a schoolhouse being completed in 1896. The population continued to fall drastically, from 100 people in 1893 to only 50 in 1911.

This setback did not deter local landowners from pushing forward with the town's development. Between 1910-1914 Judge Hamner, Governor Van Sant, D. Humbird, W.H., S.C. Phipps and W.F. Miller started an improvement project along Hopewell Rd, later designated SR 60. W.F. Miller, serving as president of the Valrico Improvement Association, raised $3500 to erect the Valrico Civic Center, now known as the James McCabe Theatre. The area's first general store was opened by Lovett Brandon in 1912.

Valrico once again suffered a major blow during the stock market crash of 1929, which saw nearly every business in the town shut down. Not until the mid-1950s did the town begin to see growth again, primarily due to the connection of SR 60 to Tampa's Adamo Dr, placing Valrico right along a major Florida thoroughfare.

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  cyclist in Valrico

Geography

Valrico is located at 27°56′27″N 82°14′33″W / 27.94083°N 82.24250°W / 27.94083; -82.24250 (27.940774, -82.242551).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 5.7 square miles (15 km²), of which 5.6 square miles (15 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (1.41%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,582 people, 2,632 households, and 1,826 families residing in the community. The population density was 1,176.9 people per square mile (454.6/km²). There were 2,831 housing units at an average density of 506.2/sq mi (195.5/km²). The racial makeup of the community was 89.32% White, 3.21% African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.47% Asian, 3.57% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.82% of the population.

There were 2,632 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the community, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the community was $98,700. and the median income for a family was $105,475. About 3.8% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public high schools

• Bloomingdale High School
• Durant High School
• Newsome High School

Public middle schools

• Barrington Middle School
• Mulrennan Middle School
• Randall Middle School
• Burns Middle School

Public elementary schools

• Alafia Elementary School
• Buckhorn Elementary School
• Cimino Elementary School
• Lithia Springs Elementary
• Nelson Elementary School
• Valrico Elementary School
• Brooker Elementary School

Private schools

• Bell Shoals Baptist Academy PK-8
• F.I.S.H.(Home Schoolers)
• Foundation Christian Academy PK-12
• Grace Christian School K-12
• Interactive Education Academy K-12
• Trinity Christian Academy 2-12

Notable people

• Jahleel Addae, professional football player
• Erin Andrews, TV personality
• Howie Auer, professional football player
• Jay Ayres, professional soccer player
• Glenn Beck, radio personality
• Melissa Beck, comedian
• Zach Bonner, philanthropist
• Michael Bradley, professional golfer
• Chad Bratzke, professional football player
• Jeff Curchin, football player
• Jimmy Del Ray, professional wrestler
• Tyler Danish, professional baseball player
• Jose Gomez, professional soccer player
• Matt Good, musician
• Agiye Hall, professional football player
• Garry Hancock, professional baseball player
• Sterling Hofrichter, professional football player
• Albert Journeay, professional football player
• Carl Marchese, racecar driver
• Alissa Nutting, author
• Jeremy Rosado, singer
• Steve Runge, professional golfer]]
• Derek Smethurst, professional soccer and football player
• Ronda Storms, politician
• Colleen Walker, professional golfer
• Peter Tom Willis, professional football player
• William Martin Willis, musician
• Will Worth, football player

See also

In Spanish: Valrico (Florida) para niños