Nature Coast
Encyclopedia
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It comprises the inside curve or Big Bend
Big Bend (Florida)
The Big Bend of Florida, U.S.A., is an informal region of the state with no official surveyed boundary. It includes part of the counties of the Florida Panhandle. Geologists prefer to characterize Florida’s Big Bend as the drowned karst section of the coast that occurs between the mouth of the...
area of the western coast of the state and encompasses Citrus
Citrus County, Florida
Citrus County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 118,085. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 141,416 . Its county seat is Inverness, Florida...
, Dixie
Dixie County, Florida
Dixie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 13,827. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 14,647 . Its county seat is Cross City, Florida.- History :...
, Hernando
Hernando County, Florida
Hernando County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 130,802. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 165,409 . Its county seat is Brooksville, Florida. The majority of the county's population is in Spring Hill, west portion of Hernando...
, Jefferson
Jefferson County, Florida
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 12,902. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 14,490 . Its county seat is Monticello, Florida....
, Pasco
Pasco County, Florida
Pasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 344,765. The July 1, 2007 census estimate according to the U.S. Census Bureau for the county is 462,715. Its county seat is Dade City, Florida which is in the northeast part of the county - somewhat...
, Levy
Levy County, Florida
Levy County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 34,450. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 37,998. Its county seat is Bronson, Florida. Levy is pronounced lee vee.- History :...
, Taylor
Taylor County, Florida
Taylor County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 19,256. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 19,622 . Its county seat is Perry, Florida.- History :Taylor County was created in 1856...
, and Wakulla
Wakulla County, Florida
Wakulla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 22,863. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 28,212 people...
counties. This region of Florida is culturally partially southern, with the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
culture extending to Levy County with the lower southern end (Pasco, Hernando, and sometimes Citrus county) often considered part of the Tampa Bay Metropolian Area
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area
The Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently...
. Pasco County is sometimes considered part of the Sun Coast
Florida Suncoast
The Florida Suncoast is a colloquial name for the west-central and southwest peninsular Florida coastal area between Tarpon Springs to the north, and Naples to the south, and includes the Tampa Bay Area. This region is sometimes also referred to as the Sun Coast...
.
The history of the Nature Coast
The origin of the name "The Nature Coast": Devised in 1991 as part of a marketing campaign to lure vacationers to the nine county area, the name "Nature Coast" caught on quickly and describes the area formally known as the "Big Bend" of Florida.St. Petersburg Times article, St. Petersburg Times - Feb 23, 1994
Wildlife and Nature
Activities common in this area are: hunting, fishing, boating, bird watching, nature hiking and the like. Snorkeling spots are found in the rivers along the Nature Coast. Also diving and Manatee tours, predominate in areas such as Crystal River, Homosassa and Homosassa Springs.The Naturecoast is home to wildlife such as:
Deer, wild pigs, roseate spoonbills, alligators, raccoons, opossums, snakes, great blue herons, egrets, turtles and countless others, including at least 19 endangered species.
Additional information and facts about The Nature Coast
The NatureCoast covers 8 different counties and 1 partial county (Dunnellon is a part of Marion CountyMarion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
). It encompasses 980000 acres (3,965.9 km²).
There are also 50 Golf Courses located within these counties
Citrus
- Crystal River Archaeological State ParkCrystal River Archaeological State ParkCrystal River State Archaeological Site is a Florida State Park located on the Crystal River and within the Crystal River Preserve State Park. The park is located two miles northwest of the city of Crystal River, on Museum Point off US 19/98....
- Crystal River National Wildlife RefugeCrystal River National Wildlife RefugeThe Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in Kings Bay, in the town of Crystal River, and consists of 20 islands and several small parcels of land. The refuge was established in 1983, to protect the West Indian Manatee...
- Crystal River Preserve State ParkCrystal River Preserve State ParkCrystal River Preserve State Park is a Florida State Park that park contains 30,000 acres of undisturbed islands, inlets, backwaters, and forests. It is unique in that lies between temperate and sub-tropical climate zones and contains plants and animals from both. The park borders 20 miles of the...
- Hitters Hall of Fame
- Homosassa Springs Wildlife State ParkHomosassa Springs Wildlife State ParkHomosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is located near Homosassa Springs, Florida in the United States. The park is one of the best places in the state to view manatees, some of which are treated at the park before being released into the wild. Visitors can get close to the animals on a floating...
- Lake RousseauLake RousseauLake Rousseau is a reservoir on the Withlacoochee River in central Florida, USA, on the boundary of Levy County to the north-west, Marion County to the north-east, and Citrus County to the south. It was created in the 1920s when the river was dammed....
- Ted WilliamsTed WilliamsTheodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
Baseball Museum - Withlacoochee State TrailWithlacoochee State TrailWithlacoochee State Trail is a long paved, multi-use, non-motorized rail trail in Florida located in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.-The route:The southern terminus is at U.S. 98/301 south of Trilby, then runs north where it crosses over U.S...
- Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins State Historic SiteYulee Sugar Mill Ruins State Historic SiteYulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park is a Florida State Park located in Homosassa, off U.S. 19. It contains the ruins of a sugar plantation owned by David Levy Yulee. Yulee was a delegate of the Territorial Legislative Council. After Florida became a state, he was elected by the legislature...
Hernando
- The Heritage MuseumMay-Stringer HouseThe May-Stringer House is a historic building in Brooksville, Florida, United States. It is located at 601 Museum Court. On March 8, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places...
- Weeki Wachee SpringsWeeki Wachee SpringsWeeki Wachee Springs is a natural tourist attraction located in Weeki Wachee, Florida, where underwater performances by "mermaids", women dressed with fins about their legs as well as other fancy outfits, can be viewed in an aquarium-like setting in the spring of the Weeki Wachee River...
- Nature Coast Botanical Gardens
Levy
- Cedar Key Museum State ParkCedar Key Museum State ParkCedar Key State Museum is a Florida State Park located at 12231 SW 166th Court, Cedar Key, Florida. An important feature of the museum is the St. Clair Whitman house. The house depicts life in Cedar Key circa 1920 - 1930 and focuses on the life of St. Clair Whitman and his collections of sea shells...
- Cedar Key Scrub State ReserveCedar Key Scrub State ReserveThe Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve is a Florida State Park, located six miles northeast of Cedar Key on State Road 24. An ecologically oriented description of walks in the Reserve can be found at www.cedarkeyscrubwalks.com.-External links:* at...
- Cedar Keys National Wildlife RefugeCedar Keys National Wildlife RefugeThe Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located near Cedar Key, at the western end of SR 24. The refuge was established in 1929....
- Fanning Springs State ParkFanning Springs State ParkFanning Springs State Park is a Florida State Park, located on US 19/98 in the town of Fanning Springs. It contains one of the state's 33 first magnitude springs. As of 2008, decreased water emission levels at the springs technically requalify the first magnitude status as "historical first...
- Manatee Springs State ParkManatee Springs State ParkManatee Springs State Park is a Florida State Park located six miles west of Chiefland on SR 320, off US 19. Manatee Spring is a first magnitude spring that flows directly into the Suwannee River by way of a short run...
- Waccasassa Bay Preserve State ParkWaccasassa Bay Preserve State ParkWaccasassa Bay Preserve State Park is a salt marsh that stretches from Cedar Key and Yankee Town, and is only accessible by boat. Some access points are from County Road 40 in Yankee Town, County Road 326 in Gulf Hammock, and Cedar Key....
- Goethe State ForestGoethe State ForestThe Goethe State Forest is in the U.S. state of Florida. The forest is located primarily on the west coast, near Dunnellon. Three trailheads are located on County Road 337.-References and external links:*...
- Devil's Hammock Wildlife Management Area
Wakulla
- Bald Point State ParkBald Point State ParkBald Point State Park is a Florida State Park located south of Ochlockonee Bay, approximately seven miles southeast of Panacea, in Alligator Point, Tallahassee's closest beach, off U.S. 98, in northwestern Florida...
- Bradwell Bay WildernessBradwell Bay WildernessThe Bradwell Bay Wilderness is part of the United States National Wilderness Preservation System, located in the Panhandle. The 24,602 acre wilderness was established in 1975. "Bay" in this case means "a recess of land, partly surrounded by hills," which, in this particular instance, is...
- Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State ParkEdward Ball Wakulla Springs State ParkEdward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park is a Florida State Park in Wakulla County, Florida, USA. This 6,000 acre wildlife sanctuary, located south of Tallahassee, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and designated a National Natural Landmark...
- Ochlockonee River State ParkOchlockonee River State ParkOchlockonee River State Park is a Florida State Park. It is located on the Gulf coast, on U.S. 319 about four miles south of the town of Sopchoppy.-Ecology:...
- San Marcos de Apalache Historic State ParkSan Marcos de Apalache Historic State ParkSan Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park is a Florida State Park and historic site located in Wakulla County, Florida. It is located in St. Marks, off S.R. 363. The address is 148 Old Fort Road. On November 13, 1966, it was designated a National Historic Landmark and added to the U.S...
- St. Marks National Wildlife RefugeSt. Marks National Wildlife RefugeSt. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the United States. Established in 1931 as a wintering ground for migratory birds, it encompasses 68,000 acres spread between Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor Counties in the state of Florida.The refuge includes several Gulf...
- Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad Trail State ParkTallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad Trail State ParkTallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad Trail State Park is a rail trail and Florida State Park located on of the historic railbed of the Tallahassee Railroad, which ran between Tallahassee and St. Marks, Florida. The trail ends near the confluence of the St. Marks and Wakulla Rivers. The portion...
External links
- http://www.nmia.com/~allwayst/Florida'sNatureCoastSteinhatchee.html
- http://naturecoastcoalition.com/index.htm The Visual Spectrum (Publishers)