Safety Harbor, Florida
Encyclopedia
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
in Pinellas County
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was incorporated in 1917. The population was 17,203 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 17,550.http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2004-04-12.xls
It is governed by an elected Mayor and City Commission. City governmental departments are administered by a City Manager, who is appointed by the City Commission.
Geography
Safety Harbor is located at 28°0.3′N 82°41.7′W (28.0047, -82.6953). The harbor or bay of the same name on which it is located is the nearly-landlocked far northwestern extension of Tampa Bay, and the city is located on the west side of that bay.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²). 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (2.57%) is water.
Safety Harbor's tree-lined streets and quaint, "small-town" appearance are unusual in heavily-urbanized Pinellas County.
The CSX railroad
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
branch line from Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
to St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
bisects Safety Harbor. Passenger trains last used the line in 1984.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 17,203 people, 7,084 households, and 4,845 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,498.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,350.0/km²). There were 7,483 housing units at an average density of 1,521.7 per square mile (587.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.23% White, 4.14% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.68% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.65% of the population.
There were 7,084 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.85.
The age distribution of the population is: 21.8% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% age 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,378, and the median income for a family was $59,911. Males had a median income of $41,883 versus $31,165 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $28,632. About 3.6% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Early history
The area has been inhabited since the Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. In June 2008, a 6,000 year old spearhead was found at Marshall Street Park. The inhabitants of the area at the time of Spanish exploration were the Tocobaga
Tocobaga
Tocobaga was the name of a chiefdom, its chief and its principal town during the 16th century in the area of Tampa Bay. The town was at the northern end of what is now called Old Tampa Bay, an arm of Tampa Bay that extends northward between the present-day city of Tampa and Pinellas County...
Indians, who lived in villages around Tampa Bay. They were known for constructing various ceremonial and communal mounds, one of which is still visible in Safety Harbor's Phillippe Park (see photo). In 1528 Spanish explorer Panfilo de Narvaez
Pánfilo de Narváez
Pánfilo de Narváez was a Spanish conqueror and soldier in the Americas. He is most remembered as the leader of two expeditions, one to Mexico in 1520 to oppose Hernán Cortés, and the disastrous Narváez expedition to Florida in 1527....
landed in the area followed by Hernando De Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River....
in 1539. Safety Harbor (formerly known as Worth's Harbor) was first homesteaded by Count Odette Philippe, a Frenchman who is credited with introducing the grapefruit
Grapefruit
The grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
to Florida in 1823. The name Safety Harbor originated from the early 18th century when pirates were a substantial influence in the area. Once ships reached this area of the bay, all threats from pirates were gone and it was commonly referred to as a "Safe Harbor."
Springs
Safety Harbor is the home of the historic Espiritu Santo Springs, or "Springs of the Holy Spirit", a natural mineral spring. Its waters were given this name in 1539 by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who was supposedly searching for the mythical "Fountain of YouthFountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus, the Alexander romance, and the stories of Prester John...
".
Prior to the Spanish exploration of Florida, the Tocobaga
Tocobaga
Tocobaga was the name of a chiefdom, its chief and its principal town during the 16th century in the area of Tampa Bay. The town was at the northern end of what is now called Old Tampa Bay, an arm of Tampa Bay that extends northward between the present-day city of Tampa and Pinellas County...
and Timuquan Indian tribes are believed to have fished and bathed in the spring's waters.
In the twentieth century, Espiritu Santo water was bottled and sold commercially and, later, a health spa and hotel were built over the springs. The Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, as it is now known, continues to be a prominent visitor attraction in Pinellas County.
In 1964, the site was designated a Historical Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior and, in 1997, a Florida Heritage Landmark
Florida Heritage Landmark
A Florida Heritage Landmark is a designation given by the state of Florida that recognizes significant events, places, or people relating to architecture, history, or other Florida specific culture....
.
Schools
There are two public schools within the city: Safety Harbor Elementary School for grades 1–5 and Safety Harbor Middle School (Home of the Seahawks) for grades 6–8. The middle school was rebuilt in 2004 and now has five buildings surrounding a central courtyard, with adjacent sports fields and a regulation track field. As a joint project between the city of Safety Harbor and the school, the field and track facilities are open to the community. As of 2007, Safety Harbor Middle School has an enrollment of 1,370 students.Safety Harbor Middle School also has award winning MEGSSS (Mathematics Education for Gifted Secondary School Students) and an IMAST (Integrated Math and Science Technologies) programs.
The nearest school for grades 9–12 is Countryside High School
Countryside High School
Countryside High School, also known as CHS, is a public high school located in Clearwater, Florida. Established in 1981, it is a part of the Pinellas County Schools system, and is one of the larger schools in Pinellas County...
in Clearwater
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
.