Tarpon Springs, Florida

Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. Downtown Tarpon Springs has long been a focal point and underwent beautification in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is part of the Tampa Bay area. The population was 25,117 at the 2020 census.

As of 2000, Tarpon Springs had the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the US, with 10.4% of residents who had Greek ancestry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

The region, with a series of bayous feeding into the Gulf of Mexico, was settled by farmers and fishermen<ref name="PhillyTrib20201117">Template:Cite news</ref> around 1876. Some of the newly arrived visitors spotted tarpon jumping out of the waters and so named the location Tarpon Springs. The name is said to have originated with a remark by an early settler who said, "See the tarpon spring!" (most fish splashing here were mullet). In 1882, Hamilton Disston, who in the previous year had purchased the land, ordered the creation of a town plan.<ref name=HistoricalSociety/> On February 12, 1887, Tarpon Springs became the first incorporated city in what is now Pinellas County.<ref name=HistoricalSociety/> Less than a year later on January 13, 1888, the Orange Belt Railway, the first railroad line to be built in what is now Pinellas County, arrived in the city.<ref>Tap Lines – History of the Orange Belt Railway</ref> During this time the area was developed as a wintering spot for wealthy northerners.

In the 1880s, John K. Cheyney founded the first local sponge business. The industry continued to grow in the 1890s. Many people from Key West and the Bahamas settled in Tarpon Springs to hook sponges and then process them. A few Greek immigrants also arrived in this city during the 1890s to work in the sponge industry.

In 1905, John Cocoris introduced the technique of sponge diving to Tarpon Springs by recruiting divers and crew members from Greece. The first divers came from the Saronic Gulf islands of Aegina and Hydra, but they were soon outnumbered by those from the Dodecanese islands of Kalymnos, Symi and Halki. The sponge industry soon became one of the leading maritime industries in Florida and the most important business in Tarpon Springs, generating millions of dollars a year. The 1953 film Beneath the 12-Mile Reef, depicting the sponge industry, takes place and was filmed in Tarpon Springs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The city's Rose Cemetery, where Black residents are interred, is believed to contain burials which began in the late 1800s; the earliest legible marked burial is from 1904.<ref name="PhillyTrib20201117"/> The cemetery contains the grave of Richard Quarls, a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War who fought alongside his enslaver before moving to Tarpon Springs and choosing the new name "Christopher Columbus", and veterans of subsequent wars.<ref name="PhillyTrib20201117"/>

In 1947, a red tide algae bloom wiped out the sponge fields in the Gulf of Mexico, causing many of the sponge boats and divers to switch to shrimping for their livelihood, while others left the business. Eventually, the sponges recovered, allowing for a smaller but consistent sponge industry today. In the 1980s, the sponge business experienced a boom due to a sponge disease that killed the Mediterranean sponges. There is still a small active sponge industry.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Tarpon Springs has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (45.83%) is water.

Climate

Tarpon Springs' climate borders on humid subtropical and tropical savanna, with warm temperatures year-round, although winter nights are cool. Annual precipitation is around Template:Convert. Winters are warm, with daytime highs of Template:Convert, and nightly lows of Template:Convert. Freezing temperatures (Template:Convert or lower) occur infrequently, while snowfall is extremely rare; there was accumulation in 1977 and 1989, while the years 1899, 1954, 1958, 1973, 2001, 2006, 2010, and 2014 either saw light snow mixed with rain, or flurries. The record low temperature of Template:Convert was observed on four different dates: December 1, 1962, December 13, 1962, December 14, 1962, and January 13, 1985. Summers are hot and very humid, causing frequent afternoon thunderstorms that can occasionally produce hail, and, even tornadoes or waterspouts off the Gulf of Mexico. Daytime temperatures usually range from Template:Convert, with temperatures over Template:Convert very rare. The record high temperature of Template:Convert was observed on July 10, 1997. Spring and fall are generally warm. Template:Weather box

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

Tarpon Springs racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race	Pop 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	19,531	19,804	83.17%	78.85%
Black or African American (NH)	1,437	1,524	6.12%	6.07%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	50	56	0.21%	0.22%
Asian (NH)	331	360	1.41%	1.43%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)	19	16	0.08%	0.06%
Some other race (NH)	48	131	0.20%	0.52%
Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)	361	944	1.54%	3.76%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,707	2,282	7.27%	9.09%
Total	23,484	25,117	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 25,117 people, 10,971 households, and 6,191 families residing in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 23,484 people, 9,870 households, and 6,113 families residing in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 21,003 people, 9,067 households, and 5,947 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 10,759 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 90.07% White, 6.15% African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.33% of the population.

In 2000, there were 9,067 households, out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.78.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $38,251, and the median income for a family was $46,316. Males had a median income of $36,356 versus $25,252 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,504. About 7.7% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

In 2000, 84.99% of the population spoke English as a first language, while the second most spoken language was Greek, at 8.87% of residents. 3.46% spoke Spanish, 1.09% at French, German 0.56%, and Italian was spoken by 0.55% of people living in Tarpon Springs. In total, 15% of the population spoke a language other than English as a mother tongue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Arts and culture

File:Recent Sponge Harvest - panoramio.jpg

Sponge harvest

File:Spongeorama's Sponge Factory (Tarpon Springs, Florida) 01.jpg

The Spongeorama museum

File:Tarpon Springs old city hall01.jpg

Old City Hall.

File:Tarpon Springs Depot 2016.jpg

Tarpon Springs Depot, built 1909

Elaborate religious ceremonies are hosted by the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, part of the Greek Orthodox Church, including the January 6 Epiphany celebration. The first Greek immigrants depended on the sea and their boats for their livelihood. The Metropolitan of Atlanta usually presides over the blessings, sometimes joined by the Archbishop of America. The blessings conclude with the ceremonial throwing of a wooden cross into the city's Spring Bayou, and boys ages 16 to 18 dive in to retrieve it: whoever recovers the cross is said to be blessed for a full year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Museums include:

• Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum in Craig Park, which features the history and culture of the Greek Community.
• Safford House Museum
• The Depot Museum

Notable districts and properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places include:

• Tarpon Springs Greektown Historic District
• Tarpon Springs Historic District
• Arcade Hotel
• Old Tarpon Springs City Hall, which houses the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center.
• Old Tarpon Springs High School
• Safford House
• Tarpon Springs Depot

Sites related to the sponge industry include:

• E.R. Meres Sponge Packing House
• N.G. Arfaras Sponge Packing House

Library

The Tarpon Springs Public Library was founded in 1916 by Julia Roswell Smith Inness and other leading members of the Tarpon Springs community.<ref name=":0">Schnur, James Anthony, "The Tarpon Springs Public Library : A Cultural Treasure for Nearly a Century" (2013). USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Publications. 3082. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/fac_publications/3082</ref> The library began in the northern portion of the second floor of the Tarpon Springs City Hall and was supported by the Library Association and public dues. <ref name=":0" />

The Tarpon Springs Public Library has moved five times over the course of its history to accommodate its increasing collection to support the growing population of Tarpon Springs. <ref name=":1">"Tarpon Springs Public Library" (1998). Florida Library History Project. 35. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/fl_library_history/35</ref>In 1921, the library moved into a house on Orange Street owned by Miss Richey, who also managed the collection. <ref name=":0" /> After the sale of the house on Orange Street and some financial difficulties for the library due to the Great Depression, the library was set up in the Tarpon Hotel thanks to the support from the Tarpon Springs Enterprise Association. <ref name=":0" /> 

In 1937, a plot of land was donated by John and Mabel Cheyney to build a new library on what later became known as Library Lane.  Groundbreaking for this building began in July 1938.<ref name=":0" /> The library was located here until 1964 when a new library building opened in Coburn Park.<ref name=":0" /> The library was housed in this building until the current library building, located at 138 East Lemon St. Tarpon Springs, FL 34689, opened in January of 1997. <ref name=":1" />

The current Tarpon Springs Public Library building is 20,000 square feet and is located in the downtown area of Tarpon Springs.<ref name=":1" /> The front of the building is adorned with a fountain showcasing two life size Tarpons springing forth from the water in celebration of the city's namesake.<ref name=":0" />  The building entrance is decorated with Mediterranean green marble which was also used to create both the Circulation and Reference desks. <ref name=":0" /> 

Tarpon Springs Library is a member of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative. It offers Pinellas County residents access to its wide collection, free computer use, as well as one-on-one Genealogy assistance.   <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media

Tarpon Springs is the setting and primary filming location of the 1953 film Beneath the Twelve-Mile Reef which follows the lives of a family of Greek sponge fishermen and depicts the annual Epiphany celebration.Template:Citation needed

Infrastructure

File:TSPD Officer Rodriguez' patrol car.jpg

Tarpon Springs Police Department police car with ghost markings

Tarpon Springs Police Department has 57 total police officers, with 32 assigned to patrol.<ref>TSPD Command Staff, accessed 01/29/2025</ref><ref name="Patch">Women of The Tarpon Springs Police Department, The Patch, February 25th 2025, Alympia Peaceful</ref> Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue has 46 total firefighters in three fire stations.Template:Citation needed

AdventHealth North Pinellas is a hospital in Tarpon Springs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

• 2 Pistols, rapper
• Doug Ault, professional baseball player, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays
• Michael Bilirakis, former U.S. Representative
• Gus Bilirakis, U.S. Representative
• Wesley Charpie, soccer player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Chris Coghlan, professional baseball player
• Mason Cole, professional football player, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers
• Dieselboy, electronic music artist
• Billy "The Kid" Emerson, preacher and former rock and roll pianist and songwriter
• Michael Koulianos, preacher, writer and YouTuber
• Elaine Esposito, former record holder of the longest coma
• Wayne Fontes, NFL coach for the Detroit Lions
• Bertie Higgins, singer of "Key Largo"
• William W. Kingsbury, United States House of Representatives, territorial delegate from Minnesota Territory
• Themistocles Leftheris, 2006 Olympian (with Naomi Nari Nam) in pairs figure skating
• Lois Lenski, Newbery Medal-winning children's author
• Bertram Chapman Mayo (1865–1920), American newspaper promoter
• Melanie Safka, singer-songwriter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Savatage, heavy metal band and precursor to Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• Artavis Scott, wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers

Sister cities

In 2007 and 2008, the Tarpon Springs established sister city relationships with Kalymnos, Halki, Symi, Hydra, and Larnaca, Cyprus, recognizing the historical link with those Greek-speaking islands.Template:Citation needed

See also

• Greek diaspora
• Greektown
• Tarpon Springs High School
• Pinellas Trail

External links

• Template:Official website