Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 23,484 at the 2010 census. Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the US. Downtown Tarpon has long been a focal point and is currently undergoing beautification.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Tarpon Springs has a total area of 16.9 square miles (44 km2). 9.1 square miles (24 km2) of it is land and 7.7 square miles (20 km2) of it (45.83%) is water.
History
The region, with a series of bayous feeding into the Gulf of Mexico, was first settled by white and black farmers and fishermen around 1876. Some of the newly arrived visitors spotted tarpon jumping out of the waters and so named the location Tarpon Springs. In the 1880s, it was developed as a wintering spot for wealthy northerners. During the same decade, John Cheyney founded the first local sponge business. The industry continued to grow in the 1890s, and many blacks and whites from Key West and the Bahamas settled in Tarpon Springs to harvest and process sponges. A few Greek immigrants arrived in this city during the 1890s to work in the sponge industry.
In 1905, John Cocoris introduced the technique of sponge diving to Tarpon Springs and recruited divers and crew members from Greece. The first divers came from the Saronic Gulf islands of Aegina and Hydra, but they were soon outnumbered by those from the Dodecanese islands of Kalymnos, Symi and Halki. The sponge industry soon became one of the leading maritime industries in Florida and the most important business in Tarpon Springs, generating millions of dollars a year. The 1953 film Beneath the 12-Mile Reef, depicting the sponge industry, takes place and was filmed in Tarpon Springs.
When a red tide algae bloom occurred in 1947, wiping out the sponge fields in the Gulf of Mexico, many of the sponge boats and divers switched to fishing and shrimping for a livelihood and others left the business. However, the sponges eventually recovered and there has remained a consistent but smaller sponge industry. In the 1980s, the sponge business experienced a boom due to a sponge disease that killed the Mediterranean sponges. Today there is still a small active sponge industry. Visitors can often view sponge fishermen working at the Sponge Docks on Dodecanese Boulevard. In addition, visitors can enjoy shops, restaurants, and museum exhibits that detail Tarpon Springs' Greek heritage.
In 2007 and 2008, the City of Tarpon Springs established Sister City relationships with Kalymnos, Halki, Symi, and Cyprus, honoring the close historical link with these Greek-speaking islands.
Historic sites
There are several locations in Tarpon Springs which have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
- Tarpon Springs Historic District
- Tarpon Springs Greektown Historic District
- Arcade Hotel
- Old Tarpon Springs City Hall
- Old Tarpon Springs High School
- Safford House
Many sites related to the sponge industry within the Greektown District have also been recognized. They include but are not limited to two packing houses:
- E. R. Meres Sponge Packing House
- N. G. Arfaras Sponge Packing House
And several boats:
- N. K. Symi (Sponge Diving Boat)
- St. Nicholas III (Sponge Diving Boat)
- St. Nicholas VI (Sponge Diving Boat)
- Anastasi Sponge Diving Boat
Tourist attractions
Dodecanese Avenue in the Greektown Historic District of Tarpon Springs is still thriving both as both a traditional community and as a current tourist destination. The street winds its way from Pinellas Avenue west along the Anclote River. Along the way it passes the marina, the sponge boats docked along the Sponge Docks on the north side of the street and the Sponge Exchange on the south side of the street, west to the boats docked outside Pelican Point Seafood. Numerous restaurants serve traditional Greek cuisine and fresh seafood. There are also small shops that sell everything from natural sponges to imported goods. Along the working waterfront street, locals greet each other in Greek and stop to chat without regard to the traffic.
The nearby beaches, part of the Pinellas County parks, are popular for swimming, windsurfing, picnics, boating, and other water sports. People also come to the beaches to watch the beautiful sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico. Sandy barrier islands off shore shift position over time with the waves and storms. They are accessible by boat and are especially ideal for shell spotting and watching bottlenose dolphins at play. One permanent island, Anclote Key, is a State Park Preserve with a historic lighthouse, bird nesting colonies and pristine beaches.
The Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum in Craig Park offers an exhibition about the history and culture of the Greek Community. The Cultural Center at 101 W. Pinellas Avenue has a changing roster of exhibits of local interest. The Safford House Museum on Parkin Court is a historical house museum that tells the fascinating story of one of the city's early families. The Depot Museum on Tarpon Avenue provides an overview of Tarpon Springs history.
Epiphany celebration
Tarpon Springs is known for elaborate religious ceremonies hosted by the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, part of the Greek Orthodox Church, including the January 6 Epiphany, celebration that includes youths diving for a cross and the blessing of the waters and the boats. Since the livelihood of the initial Greek immigrants hinged around the sea and their boats, their attachment to a religious service centered on requesting divine protection for what used to be a highly risky job can be easily explained.
The celebration attracts Greek Americans from across the country, and the city's population is known to triple in size for that day. The Metropolitan of Atlanta usually presides over the blessings, sometimes joined by the Archbishop of America. The blessings conclude with the ceremonial throwing of a wooden cross into the city's Spring Bayou, and boys ages 16 to 18 dive in to retrieve it: whoever recovers the cross is said to be blessed for a full year. Following the blessings, the celebration moves to the Sponge Docks where food and music are made part of the festivities.
On January 6, 2006, the 100th anniversary celebration of the Epiphany services in Tarpon Springs was the occasion for a visit by Bartholomew I, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is considered "first among equals" of all hierarchs of the Orthodox Church. He presided over the Epiphany services in one of the few visits to America by an Ecumenical Patriarch.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,003 people, 9,067 households, and 5,947 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,297.1 per square mile (887.2/km²). There were 10,759 housing units at an average density of 1,176.7 per square mile (454.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.07% White, 6.15% African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.33% of the population. 11.8% of the total population reported their ancestry as Greek, which is included in the 90.07% White statistic. 8.87% reported speaking Greek at home, while 3.46% speak Spanish, and 1.09% French [2].
There were 9,067 households out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.78.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,251, and the median income for a family was $46,316. Males had a median income of $36,356 versus $25,252 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,504. About 7.7% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
- Scenes of Tarpon Springs
Notable people
- Michael Bilirakis, former United States Representative (1983-2007)
- Gus Bilirakis, United States Representative (2007- )
- Norm Augustinus, cult writer
- Chris Coghlan, outfielder for the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs and 2009 Rookie of the Year
- Dieselboy, electronic music artist
- William "Billy the Kid" Emerson, rock & roll and R&B singer and songwriter
- Elaine Esposito, record holder of the longest coma
- Wayne Fontes, former NFL coach for the Detroit Lions
- Bertie Higgins, singer of "Key Largo"
- George Katsaros, rembetika musician
- William W. Kingsbury, United States House of Representatives, Territorial Delegate from Minnesota Territory
- Themistocles Leftheris, 2006 Olympian (with Naomi Nari Nam) in pairs figure skating
- Ted Watts, cornerback of the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, New York Giants, and San Diego Chargers
- 2 Pistols, rapper
References in Entertainment
Tarpon Springs is referenced by Cmdr. Tucker in Star Trek: Enterprise episode "The Crossing".
See also
- Tarpon Springs High School
- Greektown
- Greek diaspora
References
External links
- City of Tarpon Springs official website
- History of Tarpon Springs
- Fred Howard Park
- Anclote Key Preserve State Park
- Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, Tarpon Springs Merchant Association
Interesting Informations
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