Inverness, Florida

Inverness is a city and the county seat of Citrus County, Florida, United States. It is near the 10950 acre Flying Eagle Preserve. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,543, up from 7,210 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Archaeological digs showed that the Seminole resided in the area that is now Inverness. The Seminole leader Osceola made his wartime camp, known as Powell's Town, in the area during the Second Seminole War. During the Second Seminole War, the nearby Fort Cooper was besieged by Osceola and his band of warriors. The garrison was just about out of food when it was relieved by a column of troops under Gen. Duncan L. Clinch.

The city of Inverness was originally named "Tompkinsville". A white settlement of the area dates back to 1868. Tompkins, later known as "Uncle Alf", started the community. To attract newcomers to the town, he established a mail service and helped erect the first sawmill in the county. He gave his brother-in-law, Frank M. Dampier Sr., a lot to build a store, with Dampier becoming the first merchant in town. Dampier is credited with laying out the town and naming it Tompkinsville.

Not many years later, the town of Tompkinsville was sold to a firm in Jacksonville, and the name was changed to "Inverness". According to the late historian Mary McRae of Homosassa, Inverness is named directly after a Scottish city of the same name. Inverness is Great Britain's most northerly city, and "the capital of the Highlands", with a population of 46,870. The story goes that Inverness, Florida, got its name from a lonely Scotsman, far away from his home, who gazed upon the blue waters of the Native American-named Tsala Apopka Lake and thought the area looked like the headlands and lochs of the area surrounding Inverness, Scotland. Inver is a Gaelic word meaning "mouth of the river", the River Ness flows through the Scottish city Inverness, so Inverness literally means the mouth of the River Ness, which flows from Loch Ness, which is one of Scotland's most visited areas. Since the Florida city lies at the foot of one of the chain of lakes in Citrus County, Inverness seemed an appropriate name.

According to official city documentation, Inverness was incorporated on March 6, 1919.

Over twelve downtown buildings have been recognized by the historic plaque program and are presently active places for business. Central Business Development grants have helped to retain the historic character of the city. In 1961, the historic courthouse downtown was used to film the courtroom scene of "Follow That Dream", featuring Elvis Presley.

The city has been designated a "Gateway Community" by the Florida Trail Association. Since 1995, Inverness has been recognized as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the US Forest Service. In 2009, Inverness was named "City of the Year" by the Forty and Eight, a national veterans' organization.

Geography
Inverness is located in eastern Citrus County, on the western shore of the connected Tsala Apopka and Henderson lakes. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.9 km2, of which 19.7 km2 is land and 0.2 km2, or 1.01%, is water. Within the city are 330 acre of land reserved for passive and active park usage.

The exact coordinates of the city is located at 28.83917°N, -82.34028°W and close to the 10950 acre Flying Eagle Preserve.

Climate
Inverness has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), typical of the southeastern United States, with hot, humid summers and mild, mainly dry winters.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,543 people, 3,685 households, and 1,657 families residing in the city.

In 2020, there were 1.92 persons per household. 83.6% of people lived in the same house as one year prior. 3.8% of the population 5 years and older spoke a language other than English at home.

In 2020, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $120,100. The median selected monthly owner costs with a mortgage was $882 and the median selected monthly owner costs without a mortgage was $324. The median gross rent was $842. The median household income was $39,532 and the per capita income was $24,585. 15.8% of the population lived below the poverty threshold.

In 2020, 86.0% of the households had a computer and 81.3% of households had a broadband internet subscription. 90.9% of the population 25 years and older were high school graduates or higher and 15.1% of that same population had a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

Of the population that was under 65 years old in 2020, 11.0% lived with a disability and 13.5% of that same population were without health insurance.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 7,210 people, 3,361 households, and 1,777 families residing in the city.

Transportation and recreation
Inverness Airport is located 1 mi south of the city limits, next to the Citrus County Speedway. The Citrus County Sheriff's Office's aviation unit operates from this airport.

U.S. Route 41 is the main north-south road through Inverness, leading north 17 mi to Dunnellon and south 21 mi to Brooksville. The main east-west road is State Road 44, leading west 17 mi to Crystal River and east 15 mi to Interstate 75 near Wildwood. The two roads join to form Inverness' Main Street from Talmage Avenue to Highland Boulevard. Other county roads include County Road 581 and County Road 470.

Inverness is home to the Lakes Region Library, which is part of the Citrus County Library System. The library offers several recreational classes such as Tai Chi, painting, gardening, basic technology usage, children and teen programs, and more.

The Withlacoochee State Trail, which replaced a former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad line, runs between two of the chained lakes, with small bridges replacing former railroad trestle crossings. The trail offers access to 46 continuous miles of enjoyment for biking, jogging and walking. It is the longest paved recreation trail in Florida. The Inverness trailhead can be found on North Apopka Avenue (CR 470) across from the trail crossing and Liberty Park.

Other parks in Inverness include Wallace Brooks Park, Whispering Pines Park, the Henderson Lake boat ramps, and Fort Cooper State Park, just south of the city. Inverness is also close to Withlapopka Community Park, the almost 11000 acre Flying Eagle Preserve and the almost 5000 acre McGregor Smith Scout Reservation.

Government
Inverness utilizes a council–manager form of government with a city council composed of the mayor of Inverness and five councilmembers. This council also sets policy to be administered, directed, and implemented by the city manager. As of February 2020, the current mayor is Bob Plaisted and the current city manager is Eric Williams.

Education
The city is served by Citrus County Schools. Residents are divided between Inverness Primary, Pleasant Grove Elementary, and Hernando Elementary. All residents are zoned to Inverness Middle School, and Citrus High School.

The Lakes Region Library of Citrus Libraries is in Inverness.

Events
The last full weekend in October is reserved for the Great American Cooter Festival, named after the Florida cooter turtle. A family-focused event of music, games, crafts and more is held at the adjoining Liberty and Wallace Brooks parks on Lake Henderson. In 2022, the event was replaced by the Inverness Country Jam.

Since 1971, the first weekend in November marks the Festival of the Arts, a juried fine art show that has grown to include over 100 artists.

Every year in March, there is a Seminole War re-enactment at Fort Cooper State Park called Fort Cooper Days.