History Of Largo Florida
The area now known as Pinellas County was
first inhabited by the Timucua Indians, one of
four tribes in Florida. The Timucuans cultivated
cornfields, constructed substantial homes and
were very involved in trading with the tribes of
the north. When Spanish explorer Panfilo de
Narvaez landed on the Pinellas Peninsula in
1528, he met great resistance from the
Timucuans, and he and his crew suffered the
ravages of storms, hunger and exposure which
decimated the exploring party. Only four men
found their way back to Spanish settlements in
Mexico. Over the next 300 years, various parties
of French and Spanish explorers attempted to
settle the area, with little success. In fact,
it wasn't until 1823 that Count Odet Phillippe,
a surgeon in Napoleon's army, became the first
permanent settler in Pinellas County.
A steady stream of settlers moved to the area
throughout the 1800s, including such notable
families as the Taylors, McMullens, Wilcoxes and
Belchers. It was 1886, when the Orange Belt
Railroad was coming through the area that
residents came together to give their community
a name. It seemed that the railroad would only
build a station if the stop had a name. Some
residents wished to name the town after the
daughter of a prominent resident Gideon Blitch -
Luluville. But ultimately they chose to name
their town Largo, after the town's large lake.
(In an ironic twist, the lake which gave name to
Largo was completely drained by the Cross Bayou
Drainage District 50 years later). Others argue
that Largo gained its name from the city of
Largo, Scotland, where several of the area's
settlers came from. Because of its central
location and rich farmlands, Largo quickly
became the center of the area's citrus industry,
earning the title "Citrus City." Largo citrus
was being shipped by the ton to eager customers
in the North.
The town was officially incorporated in 1905,
and in 1913 became the first town in Florida -
and second in the nation - to adopt a town
manager form of government. The town grew
rapidly through the boom times of the 1920s, but
was hit hard by a freeze in the latter part of
the decade, and then by the Great Depression.
Due to mounting debt, the City of Largo was
contracted to its original 1905 boundaries and
once again became the Town of Largo.
When World War II veterans returned home, they
quickly discovered the joys of living on
Florida's suncoast, previously only known to the
local farmers and a few rich vacationers,
brought to the area on the rail lines built by
Henry Flagler and Henry Plant. The population
boomed, growing from just 1,500 residents in
1950 to over 5300 ten years later. An unexpected
freeze in 1962 dealt a serious blow to Largo's
agricultural industry, and as groves were sold
off, developers were quick to move in to build
homes for a growing population. By 1970, Largo's
population reached more than 22,000, and a new
City of Progress was born.
Today, Largo is a community of more than 70,000
residents and continues to grow through
voluntary annexation. Over the last 10 years,
the City has developed such landmark projects as
Largo Central Park and the Largo Cultural
Center. Downtown redevelopment is currently
underway, and plans are in place to open a new,
93,000 square-foot library in 2005. From the
days of its pioneer roots to today, Largo
remains your City of Progress.
Largo Florida Realtor
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