Spring Hill, Florida

Spring Hill, Florida
Census-designated place
The gateway to Spring Hill at US 19 and Spring Hill Drive
Location in Hernando County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°28′44″N 82°32′52″W / 28.47889°N 82.54778°W / 28.47889; -82.54778Coordinates: 28°28′44″N 82°32′52″W / 28.47889°N 82.54778°W / 28.47889; -82.54778
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Hernando
Area
• Total	62.2 sq mi (161.2 km2)
• Land	59.8 sq mi (154.9 km2)
• Water	2.4 sq mi (6.3 km2)
Highest elevation	135 ft (41 m)
Lowest elevation	17 ft (5 m)
Population  (2010)[1]
• Total	98,621
• Density	1,649/sq mi (636.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	34604-34610
Area code(s)	352
FIPS code	12-68350[2]
GNIS feature ID	0294933[3]

Spring Hill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hernando County, Florida, United States. The population was 98,621 at the 2010 census,^[1] up from 69,078 at the 2000 census. The American Community Survey estimated the population in 2017 to be 113,508.^[4] Spring Hill belongs to Florida's Nature Coast region and is in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. It is east of Hernando Beach, southwest of Brooksville, and north of Tampa.

History and overview[]

Spring Hill was formerly a large tract of endangered Longleaf Pine Ecosystem and Sand Pine Scrub with very high biodiversity, and a safe haven for many imperiled species, and most of it remained unchanged until the 1970’s with large scale deforestation.^{[citation needed]} It first appeared on Hernando County maps as early as 1856 along what is today Fort Dade Avenue just north of the community of Wiscon.^[5] The modern Spring Hill was founded in 1967 as a planned community, which was developed by the Deltona Corporation and the Mackle Brothers. The developers originally wanted to call the community Spring Lake and used that as the working name through the development process. They were forced to use a different name due to the name Spring Lake already being in use locally and chose Spring Hill.^[6] The plans for the community are identical to the community of Deltona. The Mackle Brothers sold many of the properties and land in the area through intense advertising.^[7] It has since become a sprawling semi-city in its own right, though it is an unincorporated area. The main entrance to the original development is marked by the Spring Hill waterfall on Spring Hill Drive and U.S. Route 19 (Commercial Way).

Spring Hill's proximity to Tampa, 40 miles (64 km) to the south, and the completion of the Suncoast Parkway in 2001 have made the community easily accessible to the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.

Geography[]

Spring Hill is located in southwestern Hernando County at

28°28′44″N 82°32′52″W / 28.47889°N 82.54778°W / 28.47889; -82.54778 (28.478929, & 82.547732).^[8] It is bordered to the west by Timber Pines; to the north by Weeki Wachee, North Weeki Wachee, High Point, Brookridge, and Wiscon; and to the east by South Brooksville, Garden Grove, and Masaryktown. To the south it is bordered by Shady Hills and Heritage Pines in Pasco County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Spring Hill has a total area of 62.2 square miles (161.2 km²), of which 59.8 square miles (154.9 km²) are land and 2.4 square miles (6.3 km²), or 3.94%, are water.^[1]

The U.S. Postal Service recommends that "Spring Hill" be used as the mailing address for ZIP Code 34610 in neighboring Pasco County. The Spring Hill CDP does not extend into Pasco County; instead, this mailing area is partially covered by the Shady Hills and Quail Ridge CDPs.^[9]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1980	6,468		—
1990	31,117		381.1%
2000	69,078		122.0%
2010	98,621		42.8%
source:[10]

At the 2010 census, there were 98,621 people, 39,078 households and 27,798 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,649 per square mile (636.7/km²). There were 44,435 housing units, of which 5,357, or 12.1%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.1% White, 5.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.04% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2.5% some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.6% of the population.^[11]

Of the 39,078 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were headed by married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49, and the average family size was 2.91.^[11]

In the CDP, 21.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% were from 18 to 24, 21.9% were from 25 to 44, 27.1% were from 45 to 64, and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.^[11]

For the period 2013-17, the estimated median annual household income in the CDP was $45,468, and the median family income was $53,017. Male full-time workers had a median income of $39,478 versus $35,059 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,349. About 10.7% of families and 14.9% of the total population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.^[12]

Spring Hill Demographics
2010 Census	Spring Hill	Hernando County	Florida
Total population	98,621	172,778	18,801,310
Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010	+42.8%	+32.1%	+17.6%
Population density	1,649.0/sq mi	365.6/sq mi	350.6/sq mi
White or Caucasian (including White Hispanic)	88.1%	89.5%	75.0%
(Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian)	78.5%	82.1%	57.9%
Black or African-American	5.1%	5.1%	16.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	13.6%	10.3%	22.5%
Asian	1.4%	1.1%	2.4%
Native American or Native Alaskan	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2.5%	2.0%	2.5%
	2.5%	1.9%	3.6%

Languages[]

For the period 2013-17, English spoken as a first language accounted for 85.7% of the population, while 14.3% spoke other languages as their mother tongue. The most significant were Spanish speakers who made up 10.0% of the population.^[13]

Education[]

Spring Hill has many schools, both public and private, which provide primary and secondary education to local children. There are also several options for higher education that are easily accessible from the Spring Hill area.

Primary and secondary education[]

Public schools in Spring Hill are part of the Hernando County School Board school system, which oversees all public schools in Hernando County. The main public schools that serve the Spring Hill area are:

High schools

Middle schools

K-8 schools

Elementary schools

In addition to the public schools in Spring Hill, there are several private schools:

• Notre Dame Catholic School (Pre-K to grade 8)
• Spring Hill Christian Academy (Pre-K to grade 12)
• Wider Horizons School, a Montessori school (Pre-K to grade 6) and College Preparatory school (junior and senior high school)
• West Hernando Christian School

Higher learning[]

Spring Hill is home to the 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m²) Spring Hill Campus of Pasco–Hernando State College. This was the fourth campus built out of the five now in existence.^[15]

Libraries[]

The system operates several libraries in and around the Spring Hill area, such as the West Hernando Branch Library and the Spring Hill Branch Library, which serves as a replacement of the Little Red Schoolhouse Branch Library. The historic Little Red Schoolhouse Branch Library has since been converted into a bookstore whose proceeds benefit the library system.^[16]

Healthcare[]

There are three accredited hospitals in the area, Bayfront Health Spring Hill Hospital, Oak Hill Hospital and the newest, Bayfront Health Brooksville Hospital. With a large senior citizen population, Spring Hill contains many nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities including Spring Hill Health and Rehab, Evergreen Woods Assisted Living Facility and Health South Rehab (an affiliate of Oak Hill Hospital). Bayfront Health Spring Hill and Oak Hill Hospital offer obstetrical services.

Tourism[]

Nearby Weeki Wachee Springs is home to the famous live mermaid show and Florida's only spring-fed water park, Buccaneer Bay.^[17]

Media[]

There are two print newspapers that serve the area: the Hernando Times (a publication of Tampa Bay Times), and the Hernando Sun.

Spring Hill belongs in the Tampa Bay Area media market, the 12th largest designated market area in the United States.

Notable people[]

• Matt Breida, running back for the Miami Dolphins
• Ricou Browning, film director, actor (notably as the "Gill-man" in Creature from the Black Lagoon), producer, screenwriter, underwater cinematographer, stuntman
• Corey Hill, former UFC fighter and The Ultimate Fighter 5 contestant (deceased)^[18][19]
• Zachary James, opera singer, stage and TV actor (notably as "Lurch" in the Broadway production of The Addams Family)
• Willie Sutton, bank robber
• Huey Whittaker, wide receiver for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League (UFL)^[20]

Transportation[]

Mass transit[]

Public transit in Spring Hill is provided by Hernando County Transit (The Bus),^[21] which consists of four routes^[22] which serve Spring Hill and Brooksville, and which also provides a connection to the Pasco County Bus System (PCPT) via the Purple Route's terminus in Hudson. The Bus system operates six days a week since expanding to include Saturday service in October 2019.^[23]

The four current routes are:

• Purple: Pasco-Hernando State College - Brooksville to Spring Hill, final stop in Hudson, where it connects to Pasco County Transit (PCPT) Route 21
• Green: Brooksville US 41 & Wiscon Road via Wiscon Rd, California St and Spring Hill Drive to Pasco-Hernando State College Spring Hill Campus
• Red: Mariner & Northcliffe Boulevards via Northcliffe, Deltona, & Forest Oaks Boulevards, as well as US 19 to Pasco-Hernando State College Spring Hill Campus^[24]
• Blue: Brooksville Walmart (SR50) via Mariner Blvd to Bayfront Health Spring Hill (near Mariner Blvd & County Line Road)

Additionally, paratransit services are available via Trans-Hernando,^[25] which offers door-to-door services by advance reservation for the elderly, mentally challenged, and economic/transportation disadvantaged residents of Hernando County.

Roads[]

There are several county roads in Spring Hill that serve as major thoroughfares for traffic traveling around and passing through Spring Hill. Below is a list of the county roads that pertain to Spring Hill:

CR #	Name	Direction
CR 572	Elgin Boulevard/Powell Road	East/West
CR 574	Spring Hill Drive	East/West
CR 578	County Line Road	East/West
CR 585	Barclay Avenue/Anderson Snow Road	North/South
CR 587	Mariner Boulevard	North/South
CR 589	Deltona Boulevard	North/South

Highways[]

Spring Hill is bordered to the west by US 19 (named Commercial Way), and to the north by SR 50 (named Cortez Boulevard). The Suncoast Parkway (SR 589) is a toll road that passes through Spring Hill and serves as a connection to Pasco and Hillsborough counties (and, by extension, Tampa) to the south.

Gallery[]

• 

  Spring Hill waterfall at US 19 and Spring Hill Drive

• 

  Entrance to the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens

• 

  The Mother Earth sculpture, found in the Botanical Gardens

• 

  West Hernando County Library Branch

• 

  Spring Hill Library Branch

• 

  Harold's Garage on US 19 is a gas station shaped like a dinosaur, an example of novelty architecture.

• 

  Pink apatosaurus statue on US 19 near Windward Village

References[]

External links[]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Spring Hill.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spring Hill, Florida.

• Hernando County Chamber of Commerce