Wesley Chapel, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wesley Chapel, Florida
CDP
Location in Pasco County and the state of Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Pasco
Area
• Total	44.05 sq mi (114.09 km2)
• Land	43.92 sq mi (113.75 km2)
• Water	0.13 sq mi (0.33 km2)
Elevation	108 ft (33 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	64,866
• Density	1,476.88/sq mi (570.23/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	33543-33544-33545
Area code(s)	813
FIPS code	12-75875
GNIS feature ID	0294231

Wesley Chapel is a community in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It's called a census-designated place (CDP), which means it's a special area defined by the government for counting people. In 2020, about 64,866 people lived there. Wesley Chapel is a suburb of the Tampa Bay area, which means it's a town near the bigger city of Tampa.

A Look Back: Wesley Chapel's History

Wesley Chapel started in the mid-1800s when settlers created a community. People have lived in this area for a very long time, with signs of Native Americans from as far back as 10,000 BC!

Early on, people in Wesley Chapel made money by cutting down trees (lumber) and making turpentine. They also grew crops, raised citrus fruits, and kept livestock like cows. Some people even hunted alligators or made charcoal to earn extra money.

The community had a few different names over time, like Gatorville, Double Branch, and Godwin. From 1897 to 1902, Wesley Chapel even had its own post office, two sawmills, and a general store.

The name "Double Branch" came from the two creeks in the area. Later, the community was named Wesley Chapel after a Methodist church that used to stand at the corner of SR 54 and Boyette Road.

Many families, like the Boyetts, Gillettes, Godwins, and Kerseys, received land grants here in the 1840s. More settlers, like the Stanleys and Coopers, arrived around the time of the Civil War.

Wesley Chapel has grown a lot! In 2010, about 44,092 people lived here, making it the biggest community in Pasco County at that time. By 2020, the population had grown to 64,866. This growth has made Pasco County one of the fastest-growing counties in the country.

Where is Wesley Chapel?

Wesley Chapel is located at 28°10′43″N 82°21′2″W / 28.17861°N 82.35056°W / 28.17861; -82.35056. It's about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Downtown Tampa. This makes it easy for people to get to Tampa and other important places using Interstate 75 and Interstate 275. The area just south of Wesley Chapel is called New Tampa, which is part of the city of Tampa.

The community covers about 44 square miles (114 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small amount of water. Wesley Chapel is about 100 feet (33 meters) above sea level. Because it's inland, it has more changes in temperature than places right on the coast, even though it has a humid subtropical climate.

Who Lives in Wesley Chapel?

The United States Census Bureau counts how many people live in different areas every ten years. This helps us understand the demographics of a place, which means information about the people who live there.

Here's how the population of Wesley Chapel has grown:

The table below shows the different groups of people living in Wesley Chapel, based on the 2010 and 2020 censuses. This helps us see how the community has changed.

In 2020, there were 64,866 people living in Wesley Chapel. These people made up 20,251 households, and 15,315 of those were families.

In 2010, about 40% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (58.8%) were married couples living together. The average household had about 2.8 people.

The population in 2010 was spread out by age:

• About 28% were under 18 years old.
• About 32% were between 25 and 44 years old.
• About 23% were between 45 and 64 years old.
• About 9% were 65 years or older.

The average age in Wesley Chapel in 2010 was 35.2 years.

Growing Up: New Things in Wesley Chapel

Wesley Chapel has seen a lot of new developments, especially for schools and shopping!

There are now three middle schools and three high schools, many of which are quite new. There are also three charter schools.

• Dr. John Long Middle School and Wiregrass Ranch High School opened in 2007 and 2008.
• Wiregrass Elementary opened in 2016.
• Cypress Creek Middle School and Cypress Creek High School opened in 2017.

Pasco Hernando State College also has a campus here, the Porter Campus, which opened in 2013 next to Wiregrass Ranch High School. Wesley Chapel is known for having some of the best public schools in Florida! You can learn more at Public School Review.

For shopping and fun, three large malls have opened:

• The Shops at Wiregrass is known for its restaurants, bars, and shops.
• Tampa Premium Outlets.
• The Grove, which also has a smaller outlet mall called KRATE at the Grove.

A new county park opened in July 2007 at the corner of Boyette and Overpass roads.

Transportation has also improved. In 2008, State Road 56 was extended, making it easier to travel east. By late 2019, it was extended even further to US 301 in Zephyrhills. Because of all this growth, Wesley Chapel was even called one of the "8 boomtowns of 2008"!

Wesley Chapel also has a new hospital called Advent Health (which used to be Florida Hospital) at Wesley Chapel.

See also

In Spanish: Wesley Chapel (Florida) para niños