Where is floral city fl

Located on the western banks of the Withlacoochee River, the original settlement at Floral City was surveyed and platted in In the early days, the center of phosphate mining in Florida was in Citrus County.

Floral City was larger than Miami back then. During World War I the center of phosphate mining moved southeast to the Bartow area east of Tampa and Floral City withered a bit as the mines in Citrus County were closed. Today, Floral City still offers the abundant wildflowers that originally earned it the name. Most of the townsite is part of the Floral City Historic District as this is a piece of "Old Florida" that still survives nicely.

There was a time when the bounty of Florida was proudly displayed along roadsides throughout the state. Fresh fruit and vegetable stands are still prominent here. Just down the street other fruit and vegetable stands also display the latest Florida grown produce and treasured regional classics like boiled peanuts.

You can even stay in a comfy cabin at one of two old fish-camp style resorts on Floral City Lake. Search Term. The Seminoles built a village in the early s near Floral City and named it Cho-illy-hadjo. The name apparently translates to "Crazy Deer's Foot. According to Allen Morris in "Florida Place Names" , a man from Vermont came down to the area in the s searching for orchids and other rare flowers.

He must have had some luck because at that time the area was known as "Cove Bend" and soon got changed to "Floral Cove" and finally Floral City. The town was platted in from their land. The town grew because of nearby phosphate deposits that spawned a productive mining industry. Some time around World War One the mines were played out and the town stopped growing for awhile. Like almost everybody else in Florida back then, he went bust after the major hurricanes of the late s and the Great Depression.

Instead of developing the golf course he had planned, he planted citrus trees on the rich soil of the island. At the peak of his operation he had acres planted with 31, trees.

Almost everyone in Floral City worked for Doc Ferris. Ever the promoter, Doc added a picture of the Ferris Wheel on some of his early citrus box posters. He also built fruit stands along many major Florida highways and even had fruit stands in some of the tourist hotels in Miami Beach. Among those early Ferris stores was the current one on U. I bought some great tangerines there recently. Most of Central Florida's citrus industry was wiped out in the freezes of and and changed this part of Florida forever.

An exception was the fertile hammock soil of Duval Island which still produces Valencia oranges, Ruby Red Grapefruit and Fall Glow tangerines in its 24 acre grove. This small community has done a good job in preserving the old oaks and native palms that give the town so much of its current day charm. There is a pioneer museum downtown and a couple of neat art galleries and antique shops along with a produce stand. The neighborhoods surrounding downtown are a treasure trove of authentic old Florida houses and other buildings.

It's a "Rails To Trail" project that was formerly a historic train route that was sold to the state in