Sinkholes in Hillsborough County, FL | Florida Sinkholes

Hillsborough County, FL

Hillsborough is a historic county located in west-central Florida. It was named after Wills Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough and British Secretary of State to the Colonies from 1768 to 1772.

This county was founded in 1834, and its current 1,020-square-mile area was drawn from part of the original sprawling territory of Alachua County. Hillsborough itself later yielded portions of its larger original area to its current-day surrounding counties. These include Manatee County to the south, Polk County to the east, and Pinellas County on the west. The waters of Tampa Bay separate Hillsborough from Pinellas and the bay’s coastline also defines Hillsborough’s western boundary.

Hillsborough County is composed of four jurisdictions, three of which are incorporated—Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. Of these three, Tampa, the county seat, is the largest both in size and population, with Plant City second and Temple Terrace third.

Rosy Economy

Notably, Tampa has been ranked 14th in 2017 among big US cities based on affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety. Given these highly desirable attributes, Hillsborough has established itself as a popular destination for new residents. From 2010 to 2017, the county’s population has risen 14.6 percent to over 1.4 million.

The advance in the county’s population dovetails with the economic strength of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area. Its economic drivers are diverse and include the downtown Tampa’s financial district and the Port of Tampa—Florida’s largest seaport based on tonnage.

Perfect Lifestyle Mix

Significant economic impact is also being delivered by the county’s private and public colleges and universities, as well as by the medical and healthcare sector in Hillsborough. The county’s economy draws strength too from its beaches and nature parks, such as the Apollo Beach Nature Preserve and the Hillsborough River State Park both providing tourism dollars all year round.

In addition, Hillsborough thrives and attracts new residents because of its vibrant agriculture sector producing bountiful harvests of wide-ranging fruits and vegetables, as well as poultry products. The county too has a robust aquaculture industry which provides such products as aquarium fish and aquatic plants.

References:

• Hillsboroughcounty.org
• Census.gov
• Hillsboroughcounty.org
• Wikipedia.org