Plant City, Florida

Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. It is part of the Tampa Bay area. The population was 39,764 at the 2020 census.

Despite many thinking it was named for flora grown at plant nurseries (especially vegetables and fruits, as well as tropical houseplants) in its subtropical Gulf Coast climate, it was named after prominent railroad developer Henry B. Plant (see Plant System). Plant City is known as the winter strawberry capital of the world and hosts the annual Florida Strawberry Festival in the late winter (usually in February or early March), which is attended by people from all over the United States as well as many people from around the world.

History
Plant City's original name given during the middle 1800s was Ichepuckesassa (also known as Idasukshed) after the Native American village that once occupied the territory. In 1860, the community was renamed "Cork", after the postmaster's Irish hometown. It was finally given the name "Plant City" in commemoration of Henry B. Plant and his South Florida Railroad, which significantly boosted the commerce in this primarily agricultural community by incorporating it on January 10, 1885. In 1911, it was officially reincorporated from the "Town of Plant City" to the "City of Plant City".

Plant City was the spring training home of baseball's Cincinnati Reds, who played exhibition games at Plant City Stadium from 1988 to 1997.

Geography


The approximate coordinates for Plant City is located in northeastern Hillsborough County at 28.01667°N, -82.13333°W (28.0142, –82.1289).

Interstate 4 runs through the northern part of the city, with access from Exits 17 through 25. I-4 leads east 12 mi to Lakeland and west 23 mi to Tampa. U.S. Route 92 is the main highway through the center of Plant City, running generally parallel to I-4. Florida State Road 39 crosses US 92 in the center of Plant City and leads north 15 mi to Zephyrhills and south 6 mi to Hopewell.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Plant City has a total area of 72.8 sqkm, of which 70.4 sqkm are land and 2.4 sqkm, or 3.31%, are water.

The city and its surrounding area are in the Southern Flatwoods ecological community as defined by the US Department of Agriculture. The region as a whole is noted for its sandy, infertile, and poorly drained soils. In and around Plant City, however, high organic matter content and scattered phosphate nodules make many of the soils more fertile than typical for the flatwoods.

Climate
Plant City, as does most of Florida, has a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen climate classification: Cfa), with humid and hot summers and warm, drier winters. It is close to having a tropical climate zone, since only one month (January) does not have a mean temperature over 64.4 F.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 39,764 people, 14,223 households, and 9,449 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 34,721 people, 11,992 households, and 8,640 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,915 people, 10,849 households, and 7,843 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,321.9 PD/sqmi. There were 11,797 housing units at an average density of 521.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 71.67% White, 17.42% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 16.16% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 9.10% from other races, and two or more races were 1.77% of the population.

As of 2000, there were 10,849 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $37,584, and the median income for a family was $43,328. Males had a median income of $33,417 versus $23,585 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,815. About 11.3% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The Hillsborough County School District operates all public schools in Plant City

Public high schools

 * Durant High School (9–12)
 * Plant City High School (9–12)
 * Simmons Exceptional Center (9–12)
 * Strawberry Crest High School (Dover, FL) (9–12)

Public middle schools

 * Marshall Middle School (6–8)
 * Tomlin Middle School (6–8)
 * Turkey Creek Middle School (6–8)

Public elementary schools

 * Bryan Elementary School (K–5)
 * Burney Elementary School (Pre K–5)
 * Cork Elementary School (K–5)
 * Knights Elementary School (K–5)
 * Lincoln Elementary School (K-5)
 * Springhead Elementary School (K–5)
 * Stonewall Jackson Elementary (K–5)
 * Trapnell Elementary School (K–5)
 * Walden Lake Elementary School (K–5)
 * Woodrow Wilson Elementary (K–5)

Other public schools

 * Plant City Adult Learning Lab (GED Prep)
 * Simmons Career Center (6–12)
 * Teen Parent East Program (K–12)

Private schools

 * Autumn Leaf Academy (PK)
 * Evangelical Presbyterian Church Learning Center (PK)
 * Faith Christian Academy of Plant City (K–12)
 * First Presbyterian Learning Center II (PK–K)

Bruton Memorial Library
The Quintilla Geer Bruton Memorial Library is located in Plant City and was built in 1960. It is a part of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative but is under the jurisdiction of the City of Plant City. There are 44,000 members as of 2014.

Bruton Memorial Library offers programs for children, young adults, and adults. Bruton Memorial Library also offers free access to multiple databases, tutoring websites, ebooks, emagazines, and movie streaming. Computers are available for use, as are laptops that can be used only within the library. A variety of activities and services are available to a variety of patrons, from book clubs to extensive workshops regarding the beginnings and upkeep of the cultivation of homes and gardens, as well as crafts available on Mondays and hobbyists convening for fabric arts like knitting or crocheting two Fridays a month. Crafts also extend to children and teens as well.

Economy
Wish Farms, the largest strawberry producer in Florida, has a large presence in Plant City.

Aviation
Plant City Airport is a public-use airport located 2 mi southwest of the central business district.

Railroad
Plant City Union Depot served both the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) and Seaboard Air Line Railroad even after their merger into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad until passenger service ceased operations in 1971. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. The east-west ACL tracks cross the north-south Seaboard tracks at a 90-degree angle at the southeast corner of the station, forming a diamond junction. Both tracks are now owned and run by Class 1 railroad CSX. Amtrak's Silver Star uses the line's west-to-eastbound ACL tracks, although it does not stop at the station. A train observation deck is present where railfans can watch CSX freight trains and the Amtrak Silver Star train pass. The closest other passenger stations are Tampa or Lakeland.

Major highways

 * (Interstate 4)

Law enforcement


The Plant City Police Department (PCPD) is the law enforcement agency for the city of Plant City. The annual budget for the police department for 2017-2018 was $10,413,994.

National Register of Historic Places
There are several locations in Plant City which have been included in the National Register of Historic Places. They are:


 * Bing Rooming House
 * Downtown Plant City Commercial District
 * Downtown Plant City Historic Residential District
 * Glover School
 * Hillsboro State Bank Building
 * Historic Turkey Creek High School
 * North Plant City Residential District
 * Plant City High School
 * Plant City Union Depot
 * Standard Oil Service Station

Attractions

 * Dinosaur World

Parks

 * Alafia River State Park is located nearby.
 * Alderman's Ford Regional Park
 * Edward Medard Park and Reservoir, a 1,284 acre preserve with 3.25 mile bridle path, fishing, and trails.

Mural ban
On October 12, 2009, the Plant City Commissioners voted 4-to-1 to essentially ban all new murals in the Historic District of Plant City. Current murals being painted are not affected by this ban, but no new murals can be painted unless the owner of the building can prove there was an already existing mural on the wall before 1994. The ban was set in motion by a complaint that a recent mural by Blake Emory—a rendition of Norman Rockwell's "April Fools"—contained a sex organ in the painting. Even though the creators of the mural insisted it was not intentional, and immediately altered the section of the mural, City Commissioners hastily cast the vote adding that they may revisit this ban in the future. City Commissioner Bill Dodson was the only vote against the ban saying he was looking for a more thought out and complete ordinance over an immediate and outright ban.

Notable people

 * Johni Broome, college basketball player
 * Quintilla Geer Bruton, library advocate and philanthropist
 * John Keasler, columnist who wrote 7,000 columns over 30 years for The Miami News
 * Parker Messick, professional baseball player
 * Ashley Moody, attorney and 38th Attorney General of Florida
 * Clay Roberts, professional soccer player and coach
 * Jeff Scofield, racing driver
 * Tyler Scofield, racing driver
 * Pam Tillis, country singer

Sister cities
Plant City has formalized sister city agreements with the following city: