Hernando County, Florida

Hernando County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 130,802. The 2006 estimate for the county is 165,409. Its is.

History
Around, Fort DeSoto was established in present-day Hernando County in the northeast edge of present-day to protect settlers in the area from Native Americans. Fort DeSoto became a small community center, trading post, and way station on the route to. When settlement by the fort began around 1845, it was alternatively known as Pierceville. There are presently Democrats that are the majority in Hernando County, if there are Republicans in the county it is a small number. The county is very liberal and yet so strict when it comes to the Adult business market.

Then encompassing a significantly larger area of west central Florida than it does today, Hernando County was officially established on, , two years prior to Florida's admission into the Union. It was created from portions of Alachua, Hillsborough and Orange Counties and included all of present day Citrus and Pasco Counties. Named for , whose name has also been honored in , Hernando County was briefly renamed Benton County in  for , a strong supporter of territorial expansion who aided in the county's creation. However, Benton fell out of favor with the county's residents later in the decade due to his decision to support the and overall reversal of his stance on slavery, and the county's name reverted in.

In December, the legislature designated the small port town of the County Seat. Residents living in the eastern section of the county instead desired a more central place for the county government, and by, voters had selected an inland site within five miles of the center of the county at the town of Melendez. In, the citizens of the Hernando County chose to rename the town, their new County Seat, in honor of , who in the same year beat fierce abolitionist  with a cane in the Senate chambers, winning the Congressman great renown in the South.

In, town founder Joseph Hale donated land for a county courthouse in the center of present-day Brooksville. Soon thereafter, the structure was completed servicing the county until September 29,, when it was destroyed in a fire.

During the, Hernando County primarily contributed foodstuffs, cotton, and lumber to the Confederacy. Although Union ships imposed a blockade on the port of, runners enjoyed a great deal of success--enough to lead the Union in June to order some 150-250 troops to destroy Confederate stockpiles in the county. In early July, the expedition marched northward from Anclote River to, meeting some resistance from assembled Confederate troops hastily organized to protect the city. The Federal troops won this engagement (known locally as the Brooksville Raid) and marched to Bayport, where they and an auxiliary force landing from gunboats sacked Rebel operations. The skirmish between Union raiders and local Confederates is reenacted annually in the county.

On January 2,, the divided Hernando County into three independent counties:  to the south,  to the north, and Hernando County in the middle. Since then, Hernando County's borders have remained unchanged.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,526 (589 ). 1,239 km² (478 sq mi) of it is land and 287 km² (111 sq mi) of it (18.80%) is water. According to the World Atlas USA, Hernando County is the geographic center of Florida.

Businesses
Hernando County is home to the largest (truck-to-truck) Wal-Mart Distribution Center in the U.S. approximately 1,600,000 square feet in size and located in Ridge Manor. The Airport Industrial Park is a 155-acre industrial park located near the Hernando County Airport. Over one hundred aviation, manufacturing and distribution businesses are located in this area.

Major highways

 * (Commercial Way) is a major commercial highway running parallel to the Gulf of Mexico on the western edge of the county, and used as a primary connecting route to cities on the west coast of Florida, including, , , , and , as well as and  to the north.
 * (Broad Street) runs parallel to US 19 through points in the center of the county, including downtown, where it intersects with SR 50 and US 98. It is still a primary connecting route with Tampa. Between Brooksville and , US 41 is a six-lane highway, and between Garden Grove and it's a four-lane highway. To the northeast, US 41 runs through part of the . Plans are currently under way to widen US 41 throughout Hernando County.
 * (Ponce de Leon Boulevard) runs diagonally across the county from the northwest to the southeast, where it exits into Pasco County, and runs concurrent with SR 50 in the eastern part of the county, intersects I-75 in Ridge Manor West and meeting the Suncoast Parkway at the parkway's current end near World Woods Golf Course north of Brooksville.
 * (Treiman Boulevard) is a north and south highway that crosses into the county briefly at its tapered eastern end, running parallel to I-75, and intersecting with SR 50 at.
 * runs north and south across the eastern part of the county, with one exit (Exit 301) at its intersection with US 98/SR 50. Once a major connecting point with Tampa, I-75 has been made obsolete for western residents of the county by the Suncoast Parkway.
 * () enters the county in the south slightly to the west of US 41, and ends in the far northern part of the county at US 98. (N.B. the Suncoast Parkway is considered incomplete; there are plans for it to extend through northern Hernando County and through adjacent Cittus County and head into Crystal River.) The Suncoast Parkway is a recently-constructed toll road that connects Hernando County with, where it becomes the and heads directly into  before reaching . SR 589 has four Hernando County exits:  (Exit 37),  (Exit 41),  (Exit 46), and (Future Exit 54).
 * (Cortez Boulevard) begins at US 19 in, runs through , and exits into at the eastern tip of the county. Along the way, it interchanges with the Suncoast Parkway, intersects with US 41 in Brooksville, runs concurrently with US 98, and intersects with I-75 in Ridge Manor West(Hernando County's only interchange with I-75) and US 301 in . A significant, well-developed highway in the county, SR 50 originally extended from US 19 to the Gulf Coast at . This section was given back to the County and is currently . Currently, S.R. 50 is used as a beeline route from the county to  in the east.
 * (Jefferson Street) is a spur of SR 50 that runs through downtown Brooksville running concurrently with both US 41 and US 98 at points.
 * (CR 574) is a major county road running roughly parallel to both SR 50 and the border with Pasco County beginning by US 19, intersects the Suncoast Parkway, and ends at US 41.
 * (CR 578) is a major county road running entirely along the border with Pasco County beginning at US 19, intersects the Suncoast Parkway, and ends at US 41. Due to increased congestion, it is planned to be upgraded from two to four lanes, and possibly upgraded from a county road to a state road.

Adjacent counties

 * - North
 * - East
 * - South

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 130,802 people, 55,425 households, and 40,016 families residing in the county. The was 106/sq mi (274/km²). There were 62,727 housing units at an average density of 51/sq mi (131/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.85%, 4.07% or , 0.30% , 0.64% , 0.02% , 0.98% from , and 1.13% from two or more races. 5.04% of the population was or  of any race. 91.1% spoke, 4.5% , 1.1% and 1.1%  as their first language.

There were 55,425 households, which 21.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the county the population was spread out with 18.90% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 20.40% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 30.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 90.50 males. For every 100 females, age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,572, and the median income for a family was $37,509. Males had a median income of $30,295 versus $21,661 for females. The for the county was $18,321. About 7.10% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the, including 15.90% of those under age 18 and 6.20% of those ages 65 or over.

Unincorporated

 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West
 * Ridge Manor West

Government links/Constitutional offices

 * Hernando County Board of County Commissioners
 * Hernando County Supervisor of Elections
 * Hernando County Property Appraiser
 * Hernando County Sheriff's Office
 * Hernando County Tax Collector
 * Hernando County Office of Business Development

Special districts

 * Hernando County School Board
 * Southwest Florida Water Management District
 * Spring Hill Fire Rescue

Judicial branch

 * Hernando County Clerk of Courts official website
 * Public Defender, 5th Judicial Circuit of Florida serving, Hernando, , , and counties
 * Office of the State Attorney, 5th Judicial Circuit of Florida
 * Circuit and County Court for the 5th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

 * Naturally Hernando - Nature Coast Coalition
 * Hernando County Tourism Development
 * [http://www.hernandocountyfair.org Hernando County Fair Asssociation}

Other sites

 * Early History of Hernando County
 * Hernando County Historical Advisory Commission