Editing Valrico, Florida (section)

== History ==
Before the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the area was known as Long Pond and consisted of several [[cotton]] [[Plantation complexes in the Southern United States|plantations]]. It was renamed Valrico, meaning "rich valley" in Spanish, in the 1880s when William G. Tousey, a philosophy professor from [[Tufts University|Tufts College]], purchased property in the area. In 1890, an influx of immigrants arrived, following the construction of the [[Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad]] through the area.

When the railroad was completed, Tousey began building up the community with retail stores, streets, and a bank. In 1893, Mr. Bryan built a steam mill at Valrico station.<ref name="Steam Mill">{{cite news |title=Valrico Doings |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52849079/valrico-doings/ |access-date=5 June 2020 |publisher=The Weekly Tribune |date=October 13, 1893}}</ref> In 1895, a major freeze halted these developments, and the population began to dwindle. Nonetheless, the town continued, and a schoolhouse was completed in 1896. The population continued to fall, from 100 people in 1893 to only 50 in 1911.

This setback did not deter local landowners from pushing forward with the town's development. From 1910 to 1914 Judge Hamner, Governor Van Sant, D. Humbird, W.H., S.C. Phipps and W.F. Miller started an improvement project along Hopewell Road, later designated [[Florida State Road 60|SR 60]]. W.F. Miller, serving as president of the Valrico Improvement Association, raised $3,500 to erect the Valrico Civic Center, now known as the [https://thevillageplayersvalrico.com/ James McCabe Theater]. The area's first [[general store]] was opened by Lovett Brandon in 1912.

Valrico once again suffered a major blow during the [[stock market crash of 1929]], which saw nearly every business in the town shut down. Not until the mid-1950s did the town begin to see growth again, primarily due to the connection of SR 60 to Tampa's Adamo Drive, placing Valrico right along a major Florida thoroughfare.<ref name="HC Atlas">{{cite web| title=Historic Resources Survey Report: Valrico| url=http://www.hillsborough.communityatlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/HILLSBOROUGH_COUNTY_Historic_Resources_Excerpts_Valrico.pdf| website=Hillsborough County Atlas| access-date=9 January 2017| date=1 October 1998}}</ref>