Editing Leesburg, Florida (section)

==History==

Leesburg was first settled in 1857 by Evander McIver Lee and Susannah Lee.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Fahs |first=Glorianne Seymour |title=Leesburg |last2=Grenier |first2=Bob |date=2013 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-0-7385-9079-0 |series=Images of America |location=Charleston, South Carolina}}</ref><ref name=LeeInc/> Shortly after Evander purchased his first property in the area, his brother Josiah joined him, purchasing land near Montclair Road. Several of his brothers followed him to the area. One of them, John <ref name=":1" /> Calvin Lee, was credited with giving the town its name. The city was incorporated in 1875, and was designated as the county seat of [[Sumter County, Florida|Sumter County]] for a time. When [[Lake County, Florida|Lake County]] was formed in 1887, Tavares was designated as its seat. It was officially incorporated as the "City of Leesburg" on July 12, 1875.<ref name=LeeInc/>

In the early 20th century, Leesburg was an important center for [[watermelon]] production. In 1930, it held its first Watermelon Festival, an annual tradition that lasted for nearly 30 years. But gradually watermelon production dwindled and, for the last festival in 1957, watermelons had to be brought to the city from outside the area.

[[Image:Motemorris02.jpg|thumb|left|Mote-Morris House]]
In 1938, during the [[Great Depression]], the [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] administration invested in infrastructure and improvement projects across the county. Its [[Works Progress Administration]] began work on the Venetian Gardens waterside park, located on the shores of Lake Harris. These canals and gardens have been a centerpiece of the community ever since.

[[Lake Square Mall]], the city's major shopping mall, opened in 1980.

On March 19, 1982, [[Ozzy Osbourne]]'s guitarist [[Randy Rhoads]], as well as the band's makeup artist and bus driver, were killed in a plane crash at Flying Baron Estates.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2011 |title=This Day in Music Spotlight: The Final Flight of Randy Rhoads |url=http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/spotlight-0319-2011.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714081636/http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/spotlight-0319-2011.aspx |archive-date=2018-07-14}}</ref>

The [[citrus]] industry was the principal business in this area for decades, but devastating freezes in December 1983 and February 1985 persuaded growers to move their groves further south. In 1997, Leesburg Bikefest started. It has since become an annual spring tradition, with upwards of 250,000 people attending every year.

Today, most of Leesburg's growth and economic development is the result of its increasing popularity as a retirement destination. In addition, the rapid growth of nearby [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] has resulted in demand for housing here, as many people commute to Orlando for work. In 1977, 2011, 2016 and 2017, the [[Leesburg High School (Leesburg, Florida)|Leesburg High School]] boys' basketball team won the FHSAA Class 4A State Championship, with the back to back 16/17 championships happening under head coach Sean Campbell.

In spring 2017, the Holding Company of [[the Villages]] planned to acquire 2,600 acres north and south of County Road 470 along the east side of [[Florida’s Turnpike]] for future development. The deal with the mega-retirement community has passed [[due diligence]] by the Leesburg City Commission. Age-restricted zoning ordinance changes have already been approved by the Leesburg Planning Commission (with the city commission giving final approval).<ref>{{cite news |last= Corder |first=David R. |url=http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/news/villages/villages-expansion-plans-energize-sumter-economy/article_e142e4b6-ed1e-11e7-b473-efc2331776d7.html |title=Villages Expansion Plans Energize Sumter Economy |work=The Villages Daily Sun |date=2017-12-30 |access-date=2017-12-30 }}</ref> The initial plans call for building approximately 4,500 homes and some [[commercial development]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Stanfield |first=Frank |url=http://www.dailycommercial.com/news/20180118/villages-expansion-deal-nears-completion |title=The Villages expansion deal nears completion |work=[[Daily Commercial]] |date=2018-01-18 |access-date=2018-01-19 }}</ref>