Citrus County Florida   Located in West Florida

Citrus County Cities

Land area (rank): 629 square miles (42)
Population 1993 (rank): 100,829 (30)
Population density 1993 (rank): 160 persons per square mile (28)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 71.0% (7)

Physical Characteristics

Citrus County is on the Gulf coast, north of Tampa-St. Petersburg, and is bordered by Levy, Marion, Sumter, and Hernando counties. The county has 39 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 58.4 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.1 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 51.20 inches.

History

Citrus County was established in 1887 from Hernando County and named in honor of the citrus fruit. The Crystal River Indian mounds and museum are in Citrus County. David Levy Yulee, U.S. senator from Florida, established a thriving sugar plantation and mill near the town of Homosassa. The Yulee mansion was burned by Union troops in 1864 and the mill left in ruins.

Population

In 1993 nearly 90% of the county's population was in unincorporated areas, especially along highway 98. The incorporated place with the greatest population (6,462 in 1993) is Inverness followed by Crystal River (4,076 in 1993). Unincorporated places that experienced the most growth in the 1980s include Citrus Springs, Homosassa, Homosassa Springs, and Sugarmill Woods. Development is limited in both the extreme west and east by lakes, rivers, and wetlands. In 1993, 97% of Citrus County's population was white and 3% was nonwhite. In 1990, 1.8% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 100% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate for the county was 9.0 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 14.1 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992, the infant mortality rate was 5.6 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 45.8% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate for the county was 3.5%. In 1990, 68.6% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 10.4% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Central Florida Community College (Marion County).

Economy

The per capita income in Citrus County for 1993 was $15,708 (36th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $21,285. In 1989, 8.5% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 28.7% of personal income was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Citrus County were employed in the retail trade, services, and government sectors. The biggest employer in the county is Florida Power and the Crystal River nuclear power plant. In the retail trade sector, eating and drinking establishments and food stores employed the greatest numbers of persons. Medical and other health services and hotels and motels employed the greatest numbers of persons in the services sector. In 1992 there were 288 farms in the county, totalling 70,672 acres (18% of land in the county). Citrus County's leading farm products are poultry and hay. In 1991, 15 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 140 thousand board feet of hardwood logs, 4,485 cords of softwood for pulp, and 1,843 cords of hardwood for pulp were produced. In 1991, 1,130,370 pounds of fish and 1,480,819 pounds of shellfish were landed.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $66,100
Median monthly rent 1990: $297
Mobile homes as a % of total housing 1990: 31.5
Housing starts 1992: 1,148
Housing starts 1993: 1,297

In 1992 the price level index for Citrus County was 92.45 (52nd highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 7.9130, and the total taxable value of property was $3,663,977,452. Taxable sales totalled $575.70 million in 1992 and $639.80 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $14,657 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Citrus County's revenues totalled $75,404 thousand ($786.2 per capita) and its expenditures $68,873 thousand ($718.1 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 70.4% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 51.8% were registered Democrat and 39.1% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 36.7% of the votes were cast for Bush, 35.6% for Clinton, and 27.5% for Perot.

Places of Interest

Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, Crystal River Indian Mounds and Museum; Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins, Homosassa; Ft. Cooper, vicinity of Inverness.