Tavares, Florida

Tavares, Florida
City
City of Tavares

The Old Lake County Courthouse in March 2007

Logo
Motto: "America's Seaplane City!"

Location in Lake County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°48′6″N 81°44′1″W / 28.80167°N 81.73361°W / 28.80167; -81.73361Coordinates: 28°48′6″N 81°44′1″W / 28.80167°N 81.73361°W / 28.80167; -81.73361
Country  United States of America
State  Florida
County Lake
Incorporated 1880
Area
 • Total 7.5 sq mi (19.3 km2)
 • Land 7.1 sq mi (18.4 km2)
 • Water 0.4 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation 75 ft (23 m)
Population (2000)[1]
 • Total 9,700
 • Estimate (2008) 13,746
 • Density 1,300/sq mi (500/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 32778
Area code(s) 352
FIPS code 12-71225[2]
GNIS feature ID 0292058[3]
Website Official website

Tavares (pronounced tuh-vair-ees) is a city located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Lake County.[4] The population in 2015 was 14,583, with a total of 5,000 households and an average household income of $40,000.[5] It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is a popular Portuguese surname and toponym.

History

Union Congregational Church in Tavares. Organized in 1885, and completed in 1888 on land donated by St. Clair-Abrams, this was the first church in Tavares.

The city was founded by newspaper and railroad man Alexander St. Clair-Abrams in 1880 and named for a Portuguese ancestor. In 1883 a post office was established, which was followed by a hotel, three stores, a sawmill, and eight cottages in 1884.[6] While St. Clair-Abrams did not achieve his dream that Tavares become the state capital of Florida (Tallahassee has held the spot since 1823), in 1887 the city was named the seat of Lake County. St. Clair-Abrams later chartered a railroad to run from Tavares to Orlando. In 1919, Tavares incorporated as a town.

Geography

Tavares is located at 28°48′6″N 81°44′1″W / 28.80167°N 81.73361°W / 28.80167; -81.73361 (28.801670, -81.733548)[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19 km2); of this, 7.1 square miles (18 km2) (95.16%) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) (4.84%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1900113—
191017554.9%
1920359105.1%
19301,090203.6%
19401,1192.7%
19501,76357.6%
19602,72454.5%
19703,26119.7%
19804,39834.9%
19907,38367.9%
20009,70031.4%
201013,95143.8%
Est. 201515,430[8]10.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 9,700 people, 4,471 households, and 2,821 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,368.3 inhabitants per square mile (528.2/km2). There were 5,475 housing units at an average density of 772.3 per square mile (298.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.98% White, 7.70% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.46% of the population.

There were 4,471 households out of which 16.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.48.

In the city the population was spread out with 14.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 38.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,337, and the median income for a family was $36,243. Males had a median income of $28,911 versus $20,271 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,942. About 6.6% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The Tavares Seaplane Base[10] is a city-owned, public-use seaplane base located on Lake Dora in Tavares.[11] The base is popular and gives rise to the city's nickname, "America's Seaplane City".

Panorama of the Tavares Seaplane Base & Marina on Lake Dora

The LakeXpress is Lake County's public transportation and has been active since May 2007. LakeXpress is a fixed-route transportation service. It runs every hour from Lady Lake to Mount Dora with cirulator routes in the cities of Leesburg and Mount Dora.[12]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Population Estimates" (CSV). 2008 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau. July 1, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  5. ↑ "City Profile | Tavares, FL - Official Website". www.tavares.org. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  6. ↑ "History Of Tavares Includes Explorers, Developers". Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  7. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  8. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ Show, Christine (November 22, 2008). "Tavares keeps it simple in naming seaplane base". Orlando Sentinel.
  11. ↑ "Tavares Seaplane Base & Marina". City of Tavares. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  12. ↑ "LakeXpress - Lake County's Fixed-Route Public Transportation Service". www.ridelakexpress.com. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
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