Riverview, Florida

Follow the dark, clear waters of the Alafia River from the mouth of Hillsborough Bay, about five miles later you’ll find yourself in Riverview, Florida, a small but growing community with only a little under 10-square-acres proper to call its own. Pull your canoe, boat or kayak up to the public access ramps at Riverview Civic Center and Park. It’s early yet, so the air is quiet and still. Up and down the river a-ways, riverfront homes, stately and cozy, peek out from behind the oak, cypress and cedar trees; a reminder that you’re not in the wild. An egret squawks and perches on a piling nearby; he eyes you curiously: perhaps breakfast is here?   

Considered a suburb of its larger neighbor to the north, Brandon (itself considered a suburb of its larger neighbor Tampa), Riverview lies just east of Interstate 75 in Hillsborough County; as the crow flies, some 10 miles southeast of downtown Tampa. As its name implies, life in Riverview is about life on the river. The Alafia gently bisects the community from southwest to northeast; Alafia being an old Indian word meaning River of Fire, reflecting how the high phosphorus content of the water gave rise to strangely soothing shimmers of light beneath the surface.

Holding on to life on the river

The river’s on everyone’s minds these days. As new development spills in from all directions, community planners are working hard to protect and preserve the Alafia, which they see as their community’s unique, natural gift. Riverview was first settled in the 1840s; old-timers today still tell tales of a land that was once alive with red foxes, panthers, wildcats and bald eagles; with farming, fishing and family bonfires right on the riverfront. But Riverview natives are harder to find these days; most folks who today call Riverview home have roots somewhere else. MacDill Air Force Base lies just across the Bay, 10 miles away, so lots of military families call Riverview home. It’s even been told that circus performers retire to or winter in Riverview. It’s easy to see why: Riverview, being within minutes of Tampa and all its big city sports, culture and amenities, and an hours’ drive away from the white-sand Gulf beaches and two hours’ away from Walt Disney World and the Kennedy Space Center, is paradise of a 21^st century nature.

Riverview: a patchwork of yesterday and today

Riverview today is a unique patchwork of rural—and not. It feels like yesterday—and today. You’ll find acreage next to a tightly packed subdivision—seas of beautiful sun-bleached stucco on Spanish- and Mediterranean-style homes. Great bargains can be had in the Big Bend area, where well worn, older homes that have seen better days share land with shiny, new models that will, in time, follow in older neighbor’s footsteps.

Residential communities are popping up everywhere: Caterpillar diggers and bulldozers and dump trucks are common sights on the roads. And home prices are still fairly reasonable: it’s been said that Riverview is one of the last affordable places within the Tampa/St. Pete/Bradenton/Sarasota region: the median sales price of a three-bedroom home is right around $195,000.

FishHawk, a master-planned community that sits just east of Riverview proper, brings amenities galore to its residents: lagoon-style swimming pools with slides and waterfalls, brand new playgrounds, a massage center and café. Not to mention 30,000 square feet of specialty shops right within the community: there, you can sample and buy fine wines, enjoy handmade ice-cream and more. Within FishHawk are various smaller communities, which explains why homes in FishHawk can run from $150,000 up to $1 million—plus.

Summerfield, an upscale golf course community spread across the intersection of 301 and Big Bend Road, two of Riverview’s main thoroughfares, provides single family homes, town-homes and villas, as well as an area specifically designed for residents 55 and older. In Moss Creek, you’ll find three and four bedroom homes ranging from $130,000 up into the $200,000 range. Other communities on the south side of town include River Watch, River Woods, South Pointe and Panther Trace—and many more are in the building process. 

Riverview Schools

Eight elementary schools serve Riverview’s children; five of those schools received an “A” on their report cards. Riverview is also served by Guinta and Rodgers Middle schools, as well as Riverview High—also an “A” school.  Riverview is also home to a highly acclaimed charter school for children in grades K-5. The charter, called Kids Community College, follows a collegiate model in offering electives, second languages, music and art. Children up to a year old are considered “freshman”; they progress through their education to earn various Master’s degrees (from first to fourth grades), and then finally to their “doctorate,” which they earn when they complete grade five.

Shopping and Dining in Riverview

Sleepy and quiet as it may be, Riverview is within easy reach of many major malls, including the popular Westfield Brandon Mall just minutes away and the Ellenton Outlet, about an hour’s drive south off Exit 224 on I-75. As evidence of growth, Riverview also boasts a new Super-Target. And new shopping centers sprout up all the time: a new Publix shopping plaza in the Summerfield area was born in 2005; it includes Hollywood Video, the UPS store, Papa John’s Pizza, a nail salon, dry cleaners…all the amenities city-dwellers-turned-rural expect.

Dining in Riverview is just as easy—a short drive to Brandon or Tampa brings you within reach of any flavor or taste your heart desires. But that doesn’t mean to have to leave Riverview to eat: Captain Jack’s Restaurant is a local favorite for fresh seafood and juicy steaks. DaSilva’s Coffee on Boyette Road will fill your cappuccino and caffeine craving. And don’t forget the Dogwater Café in Riverbay Plaza: try to make their famous Houdini burger, loaded with beef and chili and shredded jack and cheddar cheeses, disappear!

Leisure and Play in Riverview

Folks in Riverview don’t lack for leisure either: the town holds two golf courses, an annual Hog Roast and Silent Auction and a lighted boat parade each Christmas. If golf’s not your thing, try the river—there’s boating, fishing, water-skiing, canoeing, jet-skiing—or even just sunbathing at the park at Riverview Civic Center. Visit Steven J. Wortham Park, a hidden treasure for families: it offers well-kept picnic and playground facilities, a pond for public fishing, hiking trails, horse trails and more. If baseball’s your game, visit the recently renovated Vance V. Vogel Park off I-75: it boasts seven baseball fields with updated concessions, dugouts, lights and fencing.  And just to the east is Lithia Springs, a popular swimming and diving destination where you can enjoy a crystal clear Florida aquifer teeming with diverse underwater life and cool, 68 degree waters all year long. And then there’s Tampa and the beaches of Pinellas County to the west; Orlando, Disney and Fort Lauderdale to the east. When Riverview is home, you’re never more than a few hours’ travel to some of the most popular tourist destinations in America.