Crystal River, FL

Crystal River is a city located in Citrus County, Florida. The population was 32,851 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg- Clearwater, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city was founded in 1925 and named for the crystal clear water of the nearby Crystal River. The area had been used by Native Americans for centuries as a hunting ground and trading post. In 1892, George W. Harkness purchased 640 acres of land near what is now Crystal River from the state of Florida for $10 an acre and began developing citrus groves and a cattle ranch. Harkness named his new town Crystal River after the crystal clear water that ran through his property.

In 1925, Harkness sold development rights to his town to A.E. "Ace" Taylor who built several small businesses in Crystal River before selling them to developers in 1927 who developed residential areas and opened up shops and restaurants catering to tourists visiting nearby attractions such as Walt Disney World and Cypress Gardens amusement park which were both only 10 miles away from downtown Crystal River at that time

In 1931, developer Cesar Pelli bought Taylor's development rights and began developing what would become one of Florida's most prestigious golf courses - Pine Lakes Country Club - on part of Taylor's original holdings

In 1935, Pelli completed construction on what would become one of Crystal River's most iconic structures - The Colonial Inn which still stands today as one of Citrus County's oldest continuously operating hotels In 1938 he also built The Plaza Hotel which still operates today as a luxury hotel In 1942 he completed construction on what would become Crystal River's first shopping center - The Shops at Colonial Place which included a Woolworths grocery store, JCPenney department store, two movie theaters (one with its own soundstage), two bowling alleys (one with its own bar), three restaurants (including a drive-in), four banks (two with drive-ins)and more than 50 small businesses including jewelers, opticians, hair stylists etc . This shopping center was so successful that it led to the construction of additional shopping centers throughout Citrus County over the next several decades including: Towne Center at Colonial Place (1949), Northgate Shopping Center (1954), Southgate Shopping Center (1960) , Colony Square Shopping Center (1968) , Suncoast Square Shopping Center(1978) , Gateway Village Shopping Center(1982). Today these centers are collectively known as "The Shops at Colonial Place" .

AsCrystalRiver continued to grow in popularity thanks to its excellent golfing facilities , luxurious hotels , upscale shopping malls , excellent schools system and proximity to major tourist destinations such as Walt Disney World Resort & Universal Studios Hollywood theme park it soon became evident that additional housing needs must be addressed if this rapidly growing community was going to continue prospering . In 1971 developer Don Dutton purchased Pelli's development rights and began planning what would become one of Citrus County's largest residential developments yet - Woodlands Estates which consisted of more than 6500 homes spread out over more than 1000 acres along State Road 54 just outside downtown CrystalRiver . Woodlands Estates opened its doors in 1974 and quickly became known not only for its beautiful homes but also for its excellent schools system which included: elementary schools: Cedar Ridge Elementary School; middle school: Westwood Middle School; high school: Citrus Hills High School ; private schools : St John Bosco Catholic School & Bishop Moore Catholic School ; parks : Cedar Ridge Park & Woodlands Park ; lakes : Lake Tarpon & Lake Okeechobee . Today Woodlands Estates remains one of Citrus County’s most popular residential developments with nearly 4000 homes currently occupied .