Plant City, Florida
If you’ve ever eaten a midwinter strawberry, chances are good it was grown in Plant City, Florida—known as the winter strawberry capital of the world. More than three-fourths of the nation’s midwinter strawberries are grown in Plant City on more than 7,000 acres of rich, fertile farmland.
As with many rural Florida communities, farming was the staple around which Plant City grew, initially as a large cotton center. Its original designation, Ichepucksassa, after an Indian village that once claimed the land, was a troublesome mouthful that didn’t last long. The community’s Irish postmaster renamed Ichepucksassa after his hometown in Ireland: Cork. But that didn’t last long either—in 1884, Henry Plant brought the South Florida Railroad into town; in 1885 the city was incorporated and renamed after him. The historic Union Station depot still stands on Palmer Street today, acting as a downtown area welcome center and mini-railroad museum.
Plant City, being 30-40 minutes by car from Tampa to east and Orlando to the west, is centrally located. Still, until the late 1990s, the sprawl and growth that affected most other areas in the Tampa Bay region seemed to pass Plant City by. As a result, the community today still offers a quiet, close-knit, small-town lifestyle, but with the all modern amenities city dwellers expect. It occupies 26 square miles, 10 miles west of Lakeland and 24 miles east of Tampa Bay.
With a population of 33,000+ people, and upwards of 87,000 in the surrounding region, Plant City is a vibrant mix of past and present—of yesterday and today. While the I-4 corridor to the north is home to much new high-tech and clean industry, agriculture still plays a key role in Plant City’s economy. The land is a patchwork of pasture and citrus groves, strawberry fields and plant nursery farms, older tree-lined residential areas and broad, sprawling fairways of the newer and ever-growing segment of planned communities.
Homes in Plant City
Because the city discourages mobile home developments, it is primarily a single-family home community. The median price of a single family home is $195,000, although starter homes and town-homes can be had for just under $100,000. Many vacant lots are still available, as are ranches and farmland. Country Hills is a popular Plant City neighborhood, just a stone’s throw away from the grounds of the famous Strawberry Festival. In Magnolia Green, an 88-acre single-family development touted as the “fastest selling community in Plant City,” a 3/2 home starts at $210,000. Royal Hills, off Turkey Creek Road five miles north of State Road 60, offers 350 homes in a country setting starting at $90,000. Walden Lake is a large, popular Plant City choice: with more than 3,000 homes on 2,000 acres and a country club, two 18-hole golf courses, tennis, hiking trails and more, the community offers lakefront homes starting at $120,000 up to one million, plus.
Despite much new growth, Plant City is still a historic community holding fast to its roots: it is home to two residential historic districts and thus a large number of structures built before World War II. A drive though these communities highlights the Bungalow, Craftsman and Colonial Revival architecture popular during the time. Its downtown historic district, most of which was built before 1925, is today experiencing much renewal and revitalization; downtown Plant City is fast becoming a small-town shopper’s mecca with brick-paved, pedestrian-friendly streets, towering trees, antique shops, outdoor cafes and 38 buildings of historical interest. Plant City’s midtown area, a traditionally heavy industry and commerce region covering 85 acres south of downtown, is slated for part-preservation, part-renovation: planners envision a new “village green” complete with small businesses selling neighborhood products and services.
Plant City Schools
Children in Plant City attend one of eleven elementary schools, six of which are “A” schools, three middle schools, two alternative/career schools for grades 6-12, and four high schools, two of which follow a non-traditional high school learning model. In keeping with its roots, Plant City High is included in the National Register of Historic Places.
Shopping and Dining in Plant City
Although Plant City is considered a small town, residents enjoy all the amenities of big city life. Applebees, Carrabbas, Chilis…all the major chains are in town. Shopping centers also dot the city, including the Plant City Outlet Mall. Nearby Lakeland Square Mall offers just about everything else you could need, including anchors Macy’s, Dillard’s, Sears and JC Penny’s.
But what really makes shopping and dining in Plant City special is the downtown historic district. Park for free in the ample downtown parking, and stroll the brick-paved streets exploring the various antique shops, outdoor cafés and ongoing special events. For antiques, visit the Olde Floridian, Pressed Penny or the Frenchman’s Market, a unique indoor flea market with more than 20 vendors selling their wares. Rest awhile and refuel at Linda’s Crabshack, the Whistlestop Café or Camelia Rose’s Tea Room. Or, try Snellgroves Restaurant, the oldest restaurant in Plant City famous for its handmade, country home-cooking.
Another local shopping experience is the State Farmer’s Market at Alexander and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The market is open seven days a week and offers local produce, plants and crafts.
And be sure not to miss Plant City’s key attraction: Parkesdale Farm Market, the largest family-run strawberry farm in the nation and home of the Parkesdale’s world-famous strawberry shortcake. People come from miles around, driving an hour, two hours or more, and stand in line ten hours a day just to sample the Farm’s renowned eight-inch-tall stack brimming with scarlet, golf-ball-sized strawberries.
Leisure and Play in Plant City
There’s always something to do in and around Plant City. Mid-January welcomes the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival, complete with parade, midway, concerts, educational tours and more. In late February-early March, Plant City swells with visitors from all over the world who come for the Florida Strawberry Festival, eleven days’ worth of strawberry goodness along with agriculture, livestock and industry exhibits, arts, crafts, parades, entertainment...and more strawberries! In November is the Pig Jam Barbeque Festival, and ongoing through the year is the Strawberry Classic Car Show. Also ongoing, during the first Saturday of every month, is the Plant City Bike Fest in downtown Plant City. Each month the city welcomes up to 12,000 motorcycle enthusiasts with a bike show, motorcycle expo and dozens and dozens of food vendors.
Right off exit 17 on I-4 is another Plant City affair, a favorite of area teachers: Dinosaur World, an outdoor museum in a lushly landscaped setting with more than 150 life-sized, scientifically accurate dinosaur models, fossil digs and a Skeleton Garden.
The Plant City Parks and Recreation Department keeps residents of all ages busy with a plethora of events and activities, including youth and adult volleyball, softball, tennis, flag football and kickball, exercise classes and bridge for the seniors, plus teen nights and kid nights and holiday events and more. The city is home to 19 different parks and playgrounds, including the popular Mike Sansone Park on Park Road northeast of town; the 77-acre park includes a skate park, seven lighted youth baseball fields, two softball fields, volleyball courts, picnic pavilions, two playgrounds, a paved wetland trail, and more.
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