Brandon is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 77,895; according to the American Fact Sheet, the community had a population in 2007 of 90,470, which is an increase of 16.1% or 12,575 people.
Founding
Its history began on January 20, 1857, when John Brandon arrived at Fort Brooke (now Tampa) from Mississippi with his wife Martha and six sons. At first he moved his family to what is now the Seffner area. Then in August 1858, John Brandon, purchased 40 acres in the New Hope area (now Brandon). and 160 acres (0.65 km2) later on and then named his land Brandon. John and Victoria's house was located on what would become the corner of Knights and Victoria Street. Four years later, the New Hope Church was built on land donated by Brandon. Besides being the first church in the community, it also served as Brandon's first school.
After John's passing in 1886 and Martha's passing, Victoria, John's second wife he married after Martha's passing, took a leading role in the community. The community's first post office was opened in Victoria's home, when she became the postmistress.
In 1890, the Florida Central and Peninsula Railroad came through the area, encouraging the people of New Hope to build a depot on Moon Avenue. Victoria convinced a civil engineer for the railroad to survey the area and lay out a town site. He surveyed 40 acres (160,000 m2) and prepared a map, and Victoria named the town Brandon, after her husband John Brandon. The main land mark Stowers Funeral Home is a famous land mark in Brandon, built by John Brandon's son James.
Early 20th century
Since then, Brandon has grown in spurts, beginning with the first general store opened by Dan Galvin on the corner of Moon Avenue and Victoria Street. In 1905, a school was built on Parsons Avenue and Victoria allowed new teachers to board with her so that the new school would have a teacher.
At the time, Valrico began to develop as Victoria's son Lovic, moved there and opened a general store. Lovic and Victoria's other son, Mark, organized the Valrico Baptist Church in 1915, which later moved to Brandon and became the First Baptist Church in 1930.
By 1916, the community needed a large central school to house all of the area's students, so the Brandon Grade School (now McLane Middle School) was built on Knights Avenue to house grades 1 through 12.
The first Brandon census was taken in 1922 when the population was 100. In 1925, Hopewell Road became a 9-foot (2.7 m) wide, paved road and residents such as Clarence Hampton began building business along it in 1927. Clarence opened the first gas and service station.
During the 1920s, the eastern border of Brandon was Pinewood Avenue. Beyond that, was the Kingsway Poultry Colony, where chickens were raised during the winter to be sold in Ybor City. During the Great Depression, the poultry farms closed, and Brandon stabilized with a population of about 250 people.
Most local residents worked in the two orange packing houses in Valrico. The center of town remained at Moon Avenue and Victoria Street, where the train depot, post office, school, and grocery store were all located. For entertainment and everything else, the train to Tampa was the way to go, as only a few paved roads existed with most being dirt or shell topped, making the drive to Tampa very difficult.
World War II was an interesting time in Brandon, with little growth, but a definite edge as they had the food they raised on their farms. After the war, new businesses began to open again. A drug store and soda fountain at the corner of Parsons Avenue and Hopewell Road quickly became a popular teenage hangout. In 1950, Scogin's opened their famous variety store on Hopewell Road, and in 1953, Brandon got its first doctor, Dr. V. R. Hunter.
The 1950s were the beginning of the real growth period for Brandon. Yates Elementary was built in 1954, followed by Mann Junior High School in 1957. Brandon Grade School, on Knights Avenue, became the first Brandon High School. At the time, there were fewer than 100 graduates a year. In 1956, Hopewell Road was connected to Adamo Drive, which made access to Tampa easier, thus turning Brandon into a bedroom community. With commuters, came subdivisions, the first of which was Hill-Dale Heights on Kingsway Avenue. The Brandon News was established in 1958 as a one-page newsletter and advertisement for Scogin's clothing store, written by Al & Chris Scogin. Brandon's first honorary Mayor's race was held in 1959 and was won by Nat Storms.
Era of rapid growth
In 1959, the Brandon Chamber of Commerce was formed to help promote business and growth. By the early 1960s, Brandon's population was 8,000, and it was estimated that one new family moved into town every day. Brandon began spreading out into the bordering communities of Limona, Seffner, and Valrico; Hopewell Road became four lanes wide and was designated State Road 60. Soon, the town's first shopping center, Brandon Center, was built, and Brooker Elementary School and the Brandon Swim and Tennis Club both opened in 1965. In the next few years, Kingswood Elementary School, the Brandon Public Library, and many housing developments, shopping centers, and golf courses further fueled or reflected the influx of new residences and businesses.
By the 1970s, growth was causing traffic congestion, as approximately 430 commercial and service businesses, 3 malls and a population of 40,000 were all contained with-in a six-mile (10 km) radius.
In the mid 1970s, Hillsborough Community College moved to Brandon by holding classes at public schools. More indications of the increasing population were the building of Brandon Community Hospital and the Brandon Cultural Center (now the Center Place Fine Arts and Civic Association).
Brandon took off rapidly during the 1980s. Development of the southern area of Brandon brought thousands of new residents. On September 27, 1986, I-75 began to bring traffic through the Brandon area, dramatically changing the community and helping its population reach approximately 100,000 with over 2,500 business by 1988.
Description
Brandon's census boundaries include Interstate 75 to the west, Valrico to the east, Riverview to the south, and Seffner to the north. The zip codes that served the area are 33509 (P.O. Station), 33510, and 33511.
Geography
Brandon is located at 27°56′5″N 82°17′21″W / 27.93472°N 82.28917°W / 27.93472; -82.28917 (27.934651, -82.289078), which places it approximately midway between Tampa and Plant City and easily accessible from Interstate 4 and Interstate 75.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 29.3 square miles (75.9 km²), of which, 28.7 square miles (74.4 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (1.95%) is water.
Some of the neighborhoods within Brandon include Barrington Oaks East,Brandon Hills, Kensington Estates, La Viva, and Limona.
Climate
Brandon, like the Tampa Bay area, has a warm climate. Unlike Tampa and Pinellas County, Brandon's winters average 38 nights below freezing, and is cooler than Tampa. The summers are long and hot, and average 85 degrees; winters are cold and dry, averaging 62 degrees. Brandon, like the rest of the Tampa Bay area, receives abundant rainfall, as it receives 44 inches of rain annually. Brandon's winters sometimes have low temperatures in the 30s for more than 4 days while Tampa can have low temperatures in the 40s and 50s in that same period of time. The winter temperatures in Brandon are known to be in the low 20s at least 2 times a year, but the high temperatures can stay in the 50s and 60s for over a month. Although snow is rare, it occurs once every 10 years.
Demographics
Historical populations
Census
Pop.
%±
1960
1,665
—
1970
12,749
665.7%
1980
41,826
228.1%
1990
57,985
38.6%
2000
77,895
34.3%
As of the census bureau's 2006-2008 American Community Survey, there were 92,512 people, 35,913 households, and 25,135 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,223.4 people per square mile (1,047.2/km²). There were 38,358 housing units at an average density of 1,336.5/sq mi (409.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.4% White( 61.9% non-hispanic white), 12.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.8% Asian, less than 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos were 19.1% of the population. [1]
There were 28,807 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $51,639, and the median income for a family was $56,931. Males had a median income of $37,454 versus $28,935 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,080. About 6.9% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Westfield Shopping Center Mall (formerly Brandon Town Center)
Establishments
Known for being Tampa's premier bedroom community, Brandon boasts many characteristic establishments that have lasted over a quarter of a century. Brandon is known as the birthplace of Beef O'Brady's, a family-oriented bar and grill chain restaurant prevalent throughout the Southeastern United States.
Brandon is home to Westfield Shoppingtown (originally Brandon Town Center). The local movie theater is Regency 20. The community home to the official World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) training facility for future superstars, Florida Championship Wrestling. Brandon has a Running Club called the Brandon Running Association. It is home to the Brandon Ballet company. Brandon is also home to the Florida Academy for the Performing Arts based at Music Showcase.
Founding
Its history began on January 20, 1857, when John Brandon arrived at Fort Brooke (now Tampa) from Mississippi with his wife Martha and six sons. At first he moved his family to what is now the Seffner area. Then in August 1858, John Brandon, purchased 40 acres in the New Hope area (now Brandon). and 160 acres (0.65 km2) later on and then named his land Brandon. John and Victoria's house was located on what would become the corner of Knights and Victoria Street. Four years later, the New Hope Church was built on land donated by Brandon. Besides being the first church in the community, it also served as Brandon's first school.
After John's passing in 1886 and Martha's passing, Victoria, John's second wife he married after Martha's passing, took a leading role in the community. The community's first post office was opened in Victoria's home, when she became the postmistress.
In 1890, the Florida Central and Peninsula Railroad came through the area, encouraging the people of New Hope to build a depot on Moon Avenue. Victoria convinced a civil engineer for the railroad to survey the area and lay out a town site. He surveyed 40 acres (160,000 m2) and prepared a map, and Victoria named the town Brandon, after her husband John Brandon. The main land mark Stowers Funeral Home is a famous land mark in Brandon, built by John Brandon's son James.
Early 20th century
Since then, Brandon has grown in spurts, beginning with the first general store opened by Dan Galvin on the corner of Moon Avenue and Victoria Street. In 1905, a school was built on Parsons Avenue and Victoria allowed new teachers to board with her so that the new school would have a teacher.
At the time, Valrico began to develop as Victoria's son Lovic, moved there and opened a general store. Lovic and Victoria's other son, Mark, organized the Valrico Baptist Church in 1915, which later moved to Brandon and became the First Baptist Church in 1930.
By 1916, the community needed a large central school to house all of the area's students, so the Brandon Grade School (now McLane Middle School) was built on Knights Avenue to house grades 1 through 12.
The first Brandon census was taken in 1922 when the population was 100. In 1925, Hopewell Road became a 9-foot (2.7 m) wide, paved road and residents such as Clarence Hampton began building business along it in 1927. Clarence opened the first gas and service station.
During the 1920s, the eastern border of Brandon was Pinewood Avenue. Beyond that, was the Kingsway Poultry Colony, where chickens were raised during the winter to be sold in Ybor City. During the Great Depression, the poultry farms closed, and Brandon stabilized with a population of about 250 people.
Most local residents worked in the two orange packing houses in Valrico. The center of town remained at Moon Avenue and Victoria Street, where the train depot, post office, school, and grocery store were all located. For entertainment and everything else, the train to Tampa was the way to go, as only a few paved roads existed with most being dirt or shell topped, making the drive to Tampa very difficult.
World War II was an interesting time in Brandon, with little growth, but a definite edge as they had the food they raised on their farms. After the war, new businesses began to open again. A drug store and soda fountain at the corner of Parsons Avenue and Hopewell Road quickly became a popular teenage hangout. In 1950, Scogin's opened their famous variety store on Hopewell Road, and in 1953, Brandon got its first doctor, Dr. V. R. Hunter.
The 1950s were the beginning of the real growth period for Brandon. Yates Elementary was built in 1954, followed by Mann Junior High School in 1957. Brandon Grade School, on Knights Avenue, became the first Brandon High School. At the time, there were fewer than 100 graduates a year. In 1956, Hopewell Road was connected to Adamo Drive, which made access to Tampa easier, thus turning Brandon into a bedroom community. With commuters, came subdivisions, the first of which was Hill-Dale Heights on Kingsway Avenue. The Brandon News was established in 1958 as a one-page newsletter and advertisement for Scogin's clothing store, written by Al & Chris Scogin. Brandon's first honorary Mayor's race was held in 1959 and was won by Nat Storms.
Era of rapid growth
In 1959, the Brandon Chamber of Commerce was formed to help promote business and growth. By the early 1960s, Brandon's population was 8,000, and it was estimated that one new family moved into town every day. Brandon began spreading out into the bordering communities of Limona, Seffner, and Valrico; Hopewell Road became four lanes wide and was designated State Road 60. Soon, the town's first shopping center, Brandon Center, was built, and Brooker Elementary School and the Brandon Swim and Tennis Club both opened in 1965. In the next few years, Kingswood Elementary School, the Brandon Public Library, and many housing developments, shopping centers, and golf courses further fueled or reflected the influx of new residences and businesses.
By the 1970s, growth was causing traffic congestion, as approximately 430 commercial and service businesses, 3 malls and a population of 40,000 were all contained with-in a six-mile (10 km) radius.
In the mid 1970s, Hillsborough Community College moved to Brandon by holding classes at public schools. More indications of the increasing population were the building of Brandon Community Hospital and the Brandon Cultural Center (now the Center Place Fine Arts and Civic Association).
Brandon took off rapidly during the 1980s. Development of the southern area of Brandon brought thousands of new residents. On September 27, 1986, I-75 began to bring traffic through the Brandon area, dramatically changing the community and helping its population reach approximately 100,000 with over 2,500 business by 1988.
Description
Brandon's census boundaries include Interstate 75 to the west, Valrico to the east, Riverview to the south, and Seffner to the north. The zip codes that served the area are 33509 (P.O. Station), 33510, and 33511.
Geography
Brandon is located at 27°56′5″N 82°17′21″W / 27.93472°N 82.28917°W / 27.93472; -82.28917 (27.934651, -82.289078), which places it approximately midway between Tampa and Plant City and easily accessible from Interstate 4 and Interstate 75.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 29.3 square miles (75.9 km²), of which, 28.7 square miles (74.4 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (1.95%) is water.
Some of the neighborhoods within Brandon include Barrington Oaks East,Brandon Hills, Kensington Estates, La Viva, and Limona.
Climate
Brandon, like the Tampa Bay area, has a warm climate. Unlike Tampa and Pinellas County, Brandon's winters average 38 nights below freezing, and is cooler than Tampa. The summers are long and hot, and average 85 degrees; winters are cold and dry, averaging 62 degrees. Brandon, like the rest of the Tampa Bay area, receives abundant rainfall, as it receives 44 inches of rain annually. Brandon's winters sometimes have low temperatures in the 30s for more than 4 days while Tampa can have low temperatures in the 40s and 50s in that same period of time. The winter temperatures in Brandon are known to be in the low 20s at least 2 times a year, but the high temperatures can stay in the 50s and 60s for over a month. Although snow is rare, it occurs once every 10 years.
Demographics
Historical populations
Census
Pop.
%±
1960
1,665
—
1970
12,749
665.7%
1980
41,826
228.1%
1990
57,985
38.6%
2000
77,895
34.3%
As of the census bureau's 2006-2008 American Community Survey, there were 92,512 people, 35,913 households, and 25,135 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,223.4 people per square mile (1,047.2/km²). There were 38,358 housing units at an average density of 1,336.5/sq mi (409.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.4% White( 61.9% non-hispanic white), 12.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.8% Asian, less than 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos were 19.1% of the population. [1]
There were 28,807 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $51,639, and the median income for a family was $56,931. Males had a median income of $37,454 versus $28,935 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,080. About 6.9% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Westfield Shopping Center Mall (formerly Brandon Town Center)
Establishments
Known for being Tampa's premier bedroom community, Brandon boasts many characteristic establishments that have lasted over a quarter of a century. Brandon is known as the birthplace of Beef O'Brady's, a family-oriented bar and grill chain restaurant prevalent throughout the Southeastern United States.
Brandon is home to Westfield Shoppingtown (originally Brandon Town Center). The local movie theater is Regency 20. The community home to the official World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) training facility for future superstars, Florida Championship Wrestling. Brandon has a Running Club called the Brandon Running Association. It is home to the Brandon Ballet company. Brandon is also home to the Florida Academy for the Performing Arts based at Music Showcase.
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