Editing Citrus County, Florida (section)

==History==
The area covered by present-day Citrus County is thought to have been first occupied at least 10,000 years ago. About 2,500 years ago, mound-building Native Americans settled in the area and built the complex that now forms the [[Crystal River Archaeological State Park|Crystal River Archeological Site]]. The site was occupied for about 2,000 years. Why the complex was abandoned is currently unknown.<ref>[http://www.crystalriverstateparks.org/CrystalRiv3.html Crystal River State Archaeological Site<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604003135/http://www.crystalriverstateparks.org/CrystalRiv3.html |date=June 4, 2009 }}</ref>

Citrus County was created in 1887. The Citrus County area was formerly part of Hernando County. It was named for the county's citrus groves.<ref>{{cite book|title=Publications of the Florida Historical Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WZQ-AAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA30|year=1908|publisher=Florida Historical Society|page=30}}</ref> Citrus production declined dramatically after [[Great Freeze|the "Big Freeze" of 1894-1895]]: today, citrus is grown on one large grove, Bellamy Grove; additionally, some residents have citrus trees on their personal property.

After the Big Freeze the next major industry was [[phosphate]] mining, which continued until World War I. Planned industrial development surrounding the construction of the [[Cross Florida Barge Canal]] never came to fruition when the partially-built canal was terminated after environmental opposition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citrusbocc.com/aboutus/history.htm|title=Citrus County - A Little History|website=www.citrusbocc.com|access-date=June 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824232200/http://www.citrusbocc.com/aboutus/history.htm|archive-date=August 24, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> A later attempt to create a port ('''Port Citrus''') from the portion of the canal that was completed resulted in no significant progress and the county voted in 2015 to scuttle the project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://citrustimesonline.com/port-citrus-scuttled-2/2015/01/31/.html|title=Port Citrus Scuttled|date=February 1, 2015|website=citrustimesonline.com|access-date=June 7, 2016|archive-date=April 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402231112/http://citrustimesonline.com/port-citrus-scuttled-2/2015/01/31/.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The original Citrus County seat was [[Mannfield, Florida|Mannfield]] (incorrectly spelled Mansfield or Mannsfeld in some sources). The county seat was later moved to [[Inverness, Florida|Inverness]]; only a street and a pond remain of the original county seat town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usgennet.org/usa/fl/county/citrus/|title=Citrus County Florida INDEPENDENT History & Genealogy Page|website=www.usgennet.org|access-date=May 25, 2009|archive-date=August 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803103731/http://www.usgennet.org/usa/fl/county/citrus/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<!---needs shortening--->
The first library in Citrus County was founded in 1917 in [[Inverness, Florida|Inverness]]. Other branches opened in [[Floral City, Florida|Floral City]] in 1958, and [[Hernando County, Florida|Hernando]] in 1959, as well as the freestanding [[Crystal River, Florida|Crystal River]] and Homosassa Libraries. These libraries joined to create the Central Florida Library System in 1961. Beverly Hills Library opened in 1970 and joined the Central Florida Library System.<ref name="digital.lib.usf.edu">{{cite web|url=http://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0000153/00001|title=Citrus County Library|website=digital.lib.usf.edu|access-date=April 17, 2015|archive-date=May 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524034429/http://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0000153/00001|url-status=dead}}</ref> A Special Library Taxing District was created by the voters in March 1984.<ref name="digital.lib.usf.edu"/> In October 1987, the Citrus County Library System was established which allowed the county residents to administer their own system.<ref name="digital.lib.usf.edu"/>
[[File:WST Great Train Wreck of 1956(Pineola, Florida).jpg|200px|right|thumb|Sign on the [[Withlacoochee State Trail]] marking the site of the "Great Train Wreck of 1956" at [[Pineola, Florida]].]]

Over 100 people and 50 pets were rescued after ten feet of storm surge hit the area during [[Hurricane Helene]] in September 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Suter |first1=Ashley |last2=Rousseau |first2=Beth |date=September 27, 2024 |title=More than 100 residents rescued in Citrus County amid 10 feet of floodwaters |url=https://www.wfla.com/news/local-news/citrus-county/more-than-100-residents-rescued-in-citrus-county-amid-10-feet-of-floodwaters/ |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=WFLA |archive-date=September 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240928031935/https://www.wfla.com/news/local-news/citrus-county/more-than-100-residents-rescued-in-citrus-county-amid-10-feet-of-floodwaters/ |url-status=live }}</ref>