Leesburg, Florida

Leesburg, Florida
City
City of Leesburg
Leesburg City Hall
Motto: "The Lakefront City"
Location in Lake County and the state of Florida
Coordinates:
Country	United States of America
State	Florida
County	Lake
Government
• City Manager	Al Miner
• Deputy City Manager	Michael Rankin
Area
• Total	24.5 sq mi (63.3 km2)
• Land	18.7 sq mi (48.3 km2)
• Water	5.8 sq mi (15 km2)
Elevation	95 ft (29 m)
Population (2005)
• Total	19,086
• Density	651.3/sq mi (252.1/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	34748, 34788
Area code(s)	352
FIPS code	12-39875
GNIS feature ID	0285440

Leesburg is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,956 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 19,086. Leesburg is located in central Florida, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the Oklawaha River system. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Leesburg is the home of Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) with campuses also in Clermont, Florida and Sumterville, Florida. It is also the home of Beacon College.

History

Historic Mote-Morris House

Leesburg was first settled in 1857 by Evander McIver Lee. Several of Evander Lee's brothers followed him to the area. One of these brothers, Calvin Lee, was credited with giving the town its name.

The city of Leesburg was first incorporated in 1875, and was the county seat of Sumter County for a time until Lake County was formed in 1887.

In the early 20th century, Leesburg was an important center for watermelon production. In 1930, Leesburg held its first Watermelon Festival, an annual tradition that would last until watermelon production in the area dwindled to the point that watermelons for the last festival in 1957 had to be brought in from outside the area.

In 1938, the WPA began work on the Venetian Gardens waterside park, on the shores of Lake Harris. The canals and gardens of this park have been a centerpiece of the community ever since.

Lake Square Mall, the city's major shopping mall, opened in 1980.

On March 19, 1982, Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads, as well as the band's cook and bus driver, were killed in a plane crash at Flying Baron Estates.

The citrus industry was the principal business in Leesburg for many years, until devastating freezes in December 1983 and February 1985 persuaded growers to move their groves further down the Florida peninsula.

In 1997, Leesburg Bikefest started. It has since become an annual spring tradition, with upwards of 250,000 people visiting the motorcycle festival.

Today, most of Leesburg's growth and economic development is the result of the increasing popularity of the area as a retirement destination and the rapid growth of nearby Orlando.

The last scene in the 2009 film "Away We Go" was filmed here.

In 2011, the Leesburg High School boys basketball team won the 4A state championship.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.4 square miles (63 km²). 18.7 square miles (48 km²) of it is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km²) of it (23.65%) is water.

Several major highways pass through Leesburg, including U.S. Highway 27, U.S. Highway 441 and S.R. 44. Florida's Turnpike passes just to the south and west of Leesburg. Leesburg was on the Western leg of the historic Dixie Highway.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	200		—
1890	722		261.0%
1900	765		6.0%
1910	991		29.5%
1920	1,835		85.2%
1930	4,113		124.1%
1940	4,687		14.0%
1950	7,395		57.8%
1960	11,172		51.1%
1970	11,869		6.2%
1980	13,191		11.1%
1990	14,903		13.0%
2000	15,956		7.1%
2010	20,117		26.1%
Est. 2014	21,524		7.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,956 people, 6,775 households, and 4,078 families residing in the city. The population density was 854.8 inhabitants per square mile (330.0/km²). There were 7,742 housing units at an average density of 414.8 per square mile (160.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.60% White, 29.12% African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.12% of the population.

There were 6,775 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,988, and the median income for a family was $33,250. Males had a median income of $25,840 versus $20,888 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,762. About 16.2% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.3% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

• Beacon College
• Lake–Sumter State College

Notable people

• Dan Hinote, St. Louis Blues center was born in Leesburg.
• Austin "Red" Robbins (1944–2009) NBA player was born in Leesburg
• Abe Anellis (1914–2001), a food microbiologist who worked for the U.S. Army and was born in Mahilyow, Belarus, retired to Leesburg in 1977, where he lived until his death.
• Rear Admiral George Stephen Morrison (January 7, 1919 - November 17, 2008) grew up in Leesburg and was the father of Jim Morrison (James Douglas Morrison) (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) of The Doors (60's Rock band)
• Bill McBride (1945-2012), former candidate for Florida Governor, grew up in Leesburg.
• David McCheyne Newell (1898-1986), author, journalist
• Johnny Thunder (Born Aug 15, 1932), singer
• Susan Harrison (Born Aug 26, 1938), actress
• Jonathan Hay (Born Dec 16, 1973), music producer, publicist

Organizations

• Leesburg Partnership
• Downtown Leesburg Business Association
• Leesburg Area Chamber Of Commerce

External links

• Official Leesburg, FL website
• Lake-Sumter State College
• Becaon College