Learn More About Tavares, Florida
Learn More About Tavares, Florida
Sitting on a land area of more than 7 square miles, Tavares is a city of over 14,000 people positioned in the central part of Florida. It is the county seat of Lake County and is situated northwest of the city of Orlando. The community is included in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The creation of Tavares in 1880 is credited to Alexander St. Clair-Abrams, who named it after an ancestor from Portugal. The name is a popular surname in that European country. The town was incorporated in that same year. The railroad and newspaper man, who chartered a railroad to connect the community to Orlando, had the dream of Tavares becoming the capital of Florida, but Tallahassee has refused to relinquish that position since 1823. However, the town did become the seat of Lake County in 1887. The City of Tavares was incorporated in 1919.
In 2015, the city was said to be home to 14,583 people, an increase of more than 10 percent over the 13,951 reported five years earlier. It had about 5,000 households. Tavares appears to appeal especially to older citizens, if the 2000 census data is anything to go by. About 60 percent of the people here were 45 years or older and the median age was calculated at 56 years. Notable people from the community include professional basketball player Jermaine Taylor, comic strip historian Allan Holtz, and NASCAR driver Fireball Roberts.
Lake County’s fixed-route transportation service LakeXpress, which started in 2007, provides public transportation around Tavares. It offers hourly service from Lady Lake to the serene city of Mount Dora. The transit service has circulator routes in Mount Dora and Leesburg.
Nicknamed “America’s Seaplane City,” Tavares is a very popular place among seaplane enthusiasts. You may hear not a few stories about the special aircraft while there. The community provides the location for landings of thousands of seaplanes every year. The city-owned, public-use Tavares Seaplane Base & Marina, situated on Lake Dora and part of Wooton Park, is quite popular. Pilots arrive here every day from numerous locations across the United States and outside the country. If you are adventurous enough, you may have opportunity to experience the thrill of being on a plane landing in areas different from the usual – without runways or airport towers.
You are not likely to be bored when in Tavares. This is because you always have something interesting to engage in at every point in time. A nice selection of parks and recreational facilities all around provide opportunities for one exciting activity or the other. Skateboarding, kayaking, golf and tennis are some of the exciting activities that can be enjoyed in the city. You may as well opt to explore unspoiled Florida wilderness. Attractions around the area include Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park, Gatorland and Lake County Historical Museum.
Tavares is a nice place to own a home. It seems to appeal more especially to older individuals with its somewhat peaceful setting. You are not very likely to have a dull time in America’s Seaplane City with many stirring activities on ground.
