Inverness, Florida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Inverness, Florida | |
| Location in Citrus County and the state of Florida | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States |
| State | Image:Flag of Florida.svg Florida |
| County | Citrus |
| Area | |
| - Total | 8.1 sq mi (21 km²) |
| - Land | 7.3 sq mi (18.9 km²) |
| - Water | 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²) |
| Elevation | 49 ft (15 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 6,789 |
| - Density | 838.1/sq mi (323.3/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 34450-34453 |
| Area code(s) | 352 |
| FIPS code | 12-33950GR2 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0284579GR3 |
Inverness is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,789 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,287 [1]. It is the county seat of Citrus CountyGR6.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Inverness is located at (28.839076, -82.340353)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.1 square miles (21.0 km²), of which, 7.3 square miles (18.9 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (10.12%) is water.
[edit] History
Inverness, Florida was established in 1889. Its original name was Tompkinsville. According to the late historian Mary McRae of Homosassa, Inverness got its name from a lonely Scotsman, far away from his home, who gazed upon the blue waters of the Indian-named Lake Tsala Apoka and thought, “but it looks like Inverness, between the headlands and the lakes’(115) in Scotland. And the beautiful place deserves the name of Inverness.” Inver is a Gaelic word meaning “mouth of the river”, and through the city flows the River Ness, originating from Loch Ness. Since Citrus County lies at the foot of one of the chain of lakes in the Citrus County, Inverness seemed an appropriate name.
Citrus County is located in the central part of Florida, 68 miles north of Tampa. The center of Florida is situated in Citrus County. Jaun Ponce de Leon was the first European to visit Citrus County, but the Indians were so hostile, he did not stay. The United States purchased Florida from Spain in 1821. It was between two rivers, just north of Crystal River that the land was first cleared, citrus groves started, and cattle ranches were developed. The settlement was known as Red Level. It was in Red Level, in Citrus County, that a famous confrontation took place between Emathla, chief of Black Dirt territory, and Osceola, the chief of the Seminoles. Emathla had agreed to leave the land and move to federally provided land in Oklahoma, but Osceola was determined that his people would not leave. Osceola stabbed Ematha to death.
Settlers started coming to Red Level and began a farming community. More and more people came and settled to the area and before long there was a need for a school, a church, and a post office. In 1830, there was a statewide population of 35,000. From early on, the people of Florida had trouble with the Seminole Indians. The second Seminole Indian War began in 1835 not far from Inverness, in a small town called Bushnell. The battles continued and one of the battles actually took place in Fort Cooper, in Inverness, which is about a mile from my house. Fort Cooper is now a State Park. The land was previously owned by John H. Eden, Jr. I personally know Mr. Eden and I am friends with his grandchildren. It was he and his family who gathered the land for the purpose of preserving history. The family sold the land that is now Fort Cooper State Park to the state in 1970. If you visit Fort Cooper State Park, it is possible to find arrowheads and other Indian artifacts. There is a full fort buried beneath the ground in the main part of the park. Historians buried the fort to preserve it.
Citrus County was born on June 2, 1887. Orange Groves were plentiful and phosphate was discovered. The population grew and a railroad system was put in through Floral City just five miles south of Inverness. A once small settlement, Tompkinsville became Inverness and it became the seat of Citrus County in 1891. By 1904, Inverness was thriving. Some prominent families of Inverness still have ties to the city today. One family was Howard B. Tuttle and his wife. Tuttle was the owner and developer of the Southern Phosphate and Development Company, which operated from 1820 to 1924. The initials of the company is the name of “Espedeco”. There are two other prominent families that I know of from Inverness. These two families are representatives of the ranching industry and the business industry. One of them is the Rooks family and the other is the Brannen family.
The Rooks family has lived in Citrus County since 1870. The family is mostly ranchers and farmers. Politics was also popular in the Rooks family. Two members were County Commissioners. Mr. and Mrs. David Rooks both attended ABAC and Davey Rooks is a presently a student at ABAC.
My dad is partners with Mr. Greg Hagar, one of the members of the Brannen family. I spoke with him while doing research on the City of Inverness. It was Greg’s grandfather, George Brannen Sr. that started a banking organization, Brannen Banks of Florida, Inc. with a staff of three people. Greg’s mother, Margaret Hagar, and his two uncles, Joe Brannen and George Brannen the II are on the board of directors of the bank. Today there are over 300 people employed by the Brannen Banks in three counties. The Bank of Inverness has three locations in Inverness. The great grandson of George Brannen Sr. graduated from ABAC. Mr. Greg Hagar’s family also represent a business in Inverness. George H. Brannen, SR. and Mr. Thomas Hagar established the Brannen Insurance Agency in 1929. In 1986, the agency was renamed The Hagar Group.
Citrus County is a county that survived two major wars and the Great Depression of 1930 and most of the people did not go hungry. The Court House in Inverness recently went through a restoration that was completed in five phases. In 1961, part of Elvis Pressley’s film “Pioneer Go Home,” was filmed in this courthouse.
The city of Inverness has a population of approximately 7000 people. It offers a small town atmosphere with freshwater fishing, hunting, and golfing. Salt-water fishing, manatee tours, and scuba diving is offered just 17 miles west on the gulf coast.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 6,789 people, 3,190 households, and 1,805 families residing in the city. The population density was 931.7 people per square mile (359.6/km²). There were 3,635 housing units at an average density of 498.9/sq mi (192.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.83% White, 5.20% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.42% of the population.
There were 3,190 households out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.60.
In the city the population was spread out with 16.6% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 19.3% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 38.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females there were 76.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,604, and the median income for a family was $35,342. Males had a median income of $27,255 versus $21,052 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,211. About 9.6% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.5% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Sister Cities
Inverness has one sister city:[1]
[edit] References
- ^ "Sister Cities Online Directory: Florida, USA." Sister Cities International, Inc.. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
[edit] External links
- City of Inverness official site
- Inverness, Florida is at coordinates Coordinates:
[edit] Tourism links
- Citrus County Visitors & Convention Bureau Official tourism information.
Inverness is also the home of the Cooter Festival, a local festival recognizing a local species of turtle. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart recognized this festival and did a feature of its connotative duality in his show.
Dunn, Hampton. Back Home A History Of Citrus County, Florida. Inverness: FL, 1976
Rooks, Justine.” Remember When.” Citrus County Chronicle August 1, 1998.
Hagar, Greg. Personal Interview. 17 Nov. 2007.
Municipalities and communities of Citrus County, Florida | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Inverness | ||
| Cities | Crystal River | Inverness | |
| CDPs | ||
| Communities | ||
de:Inverness (Florida) fr:Inverness (Floride) io:Inverness, Florida lmo:Inverness, Florida nl:Inverness (Florida) pt:Inverness (Flórida) vo:Inverness (Florida)
