Citrus County was created in 1887 and was named in honor of the massive citrus tree groves making up the area’s land. While the big freeze during the winters of 1893 and 1894 destroyed the area’s citrus industry, phosphate found in Floral City provided the area an opportunity to launch into the mining industry. Before the Spanish settled in Florida, Native Americans used the area that has now become the Crystal River Archeological Site as a ceremonial burial and ritual exchange site. The area that now makes up Citrus County is on the west central coast of Florida and was originally a part of Hernando County. Today, Citrus County is also known as “the water lovers Florida” because the county has six lakes, seven rivers, multiple natural springs, small streams and ponds, and access to the Gulf of Mexico. For those who love the outdoors but aren’t water lovers, the area is also known as “the gem of Florida’s Nature Coast”. Nature lovers will find Citrus County the perfect place to call home because of the county’s access to multiple waterways, nature preserves, protected parks, and protected land and wildlife refuges which form a natural playground with endless opportunities for the outdoor lover and adventure seeker to explore. Citrus County is the perfect home for anyone who enjoys boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, bird watching, golfing, hunting, picnicking, and any other outdoor activity you can think of. In the early 1980’s, Citrus County was designated as Florida’s Manatee capital, and is now the only place in the United States where you can legally swim and interact with the West Indian manatee. Finally, the county is also only about an hour drive away from Orlando and about an hour and half drive away from Tampa – some of the state’s largest tourist areas – providing the perfect opportunity to live in an area where you can easily access major attractions but still be far enough away to enjoy the Old Florida lifestyle.
Home Buyer Information
- Citrus County consists of 15 cities
- The Average Home Listing Price in Citrus County is $195,228
- The Average Home Listing Price Per Square Foot in Citrus County is $111
- The Average Home Selling Price in Citrus County is $138,520
- The Average Home / Apartment Rental Price in Citrus County is $1,200 per month
- The Median Household Income in Citrus County is $39,054 per year
Community Information
- Citrus County Chronicle or Citrus Times Online – everything you need to know about the local Citrus County area news https://www.chronicleonline.com/ or https://www.citrustimesonline.com/
- Citrus County Community Information – https://www.citrusbocc.com/
- Crystal River Airport –
- Inverness Airport –
- Citrus County Property Appraiser – https://www.citruspa.org/
- Citrus County Clerk of Courts – https://www.citrusclerk.org/
- Citrus County Tax Collector – https://www.citrustc.us/
Local School Information
Citrus County School District is committed to remaining focused on their mission of making every school a place “where learning is the expectation and caring is the commitment” every day. Serving more than 15,250 students in their 22 public schools and 1,181 students in their 7 private schools.
- Citrus County Public Schools – https://www.citrusschools.org/
- Citrus County Private Schools – http://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/private-schools/parent-info.stml
- Citrus County Charter Schools – http://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/charter-schools/charter-school-faqs.stml
- Information About Florida’s School Choice Program – floridaschoolchoice.org
- School Reviews and Information – greatschools.org/florida or www.privateschoolreview.com/florida/citrus-county
- College of Central Florida Citrus Campus – 352-746-6721 or https://www.cf.edu/citrus
- Withlacoochee Technical College – 352-726-2430 or https://www.wtcollege.org/
Crime Data
- Citrus County Crime Statistics – https://www.areavibes.com/citrus+hills-fl/crime/
- Citrus County Interactive Crime Map – https://www.crimereports.com/agency/citrus-county-sheriff-s-office-fl#!/
- Citrus County Sheriff’s Office – https://www.sheriffcitrus.org/
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement – fdle.state.fl.us/FSAC/County-Profiles/Citrus.aspx
- Sexual Offenders and Predators Information – https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/sops/neighborhoodSearch.jsf
Utilities Contact Information
- Citrus County Utilities (Water) – 352-527-7650 or https://www.citrusbocc.com/waterres/cs/customer-service.htm
- Constate Utilities (Water) – 352-382-0090 or https://constateutilities.com/
- Floral City Water Association – 352-726-3366 or https://fcwater.com/
- Homosassa Special Water District Board – 352-628-3740 or https://www.homosassawater.com/
- Ozello Water Association Inc. – 352-795-5331 or https://www.ozellowater.com/
- Rolling Oaks Utilities Inc. – 352-746-4291 or https://rollingoaksutilities.com/index.html
- Progress / Duke Energy – 800-700-8744 or https://www.duke-energy.com/home
- SECO Energy – 352-726-3944 or https://secoenergy.com/tag/citrus-county/
- Withlacoochee River Electric Corporation – 352-795-4382 or https://www.wrec.net/
- Florida Public Utilities Electric, Propane, and Gas Services – 800-427-7712 or fpuc.com
- Brighthouse / Spectrum Cable, Internet, and Telephone Services – 352-746-0755 or https://www.brighthouse.com/ or https://www.spectrum.com/
- Comcast Cable, Internet, and Telephone Services – 800-266-2278 or https://www.xfinity.com/
- Embarq / CenturyLink Telephone Services – 866-304-6820 or https://www.centurylink.com/
Shopping
- Howard’s Flea Market – 352-628-3532 or https://howardsfleamarket.com/
- The Shoppes of Heritage Village – 352-564-1400 or https://theshoppesofheritagevillage.com/
- The Crystal River Mall – 352-795-2585 or https://www.crystalrivermall.com/
Things To Do
- River Ventures – 352-364-9181 or https://www.riverventures.com/
- Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park – 352-628-5343 or https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/ellie-schiller-homosassa-springs-wildlife-state-park
- Manatee Tours – 352-257-8687 or https://www.discovercrystalriverfl.com/play/meet-a-manatee/
- GatorWorld Parks of Florida – 352-462-9500 or https://www.gatorworldparks.com/
- Old Courthouse Heritage Museum – 352-341-6428 or https://www.cccourthouse.org/courthouse-museum.php/
- Floral City Heritage Hall and Museum – 352-726-7740 or https://floralcityhc.org/museum.html
- Coastal Heritage Museum – 352-257-3870 or https://citruscountyhistoricalsociety.org/crystalriver.php
- Citrus County Speedway and Track – 352-726-9339 or http://www.citruscountyspeedwayandtrack.com/
- Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park – 352-795-3817 or https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/yulee-sugar-mill-ruins-historic-state-park
- Withlacoochee State Trail – https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/withlacoochee-state-trail
- Three Sisters Springs – 352-586-1170 or http://www.threesistersspringsvisitor.org/
- Crystal River Archaeology State Park – 352-795-3817 or https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/crystal-river-archaeological-state-park
- FloridaTree-Top Adventure – 352-601-4687 or https://floridatreetop.com/
- Faith Haven Christian Retreat Center – 352-206-2990 or https://faithhavencrc.org/
- Monkey Island – 352-628-2474 or http://www.riversideresorts.com/MonkeyIsland.html
- Fort Island Gulf Beach – 352-527-7540 or http://www.discovercrystalriverfl.com/partner/fort-island-gulf-beach/