Wauchula

Home Sweet Home

Cattle (65,000 head) outnumber people. Perhaps 21,046 foks inhabit Hardee County. All the towns are small towns, even the three incorporated municipalities: Wauchula, the county seat and biggest town, enjoys a neighborly feeling among its approximately 3,600 residents; Bowling Green is home to 2,000; Zolfo Springs has 1,300 citizens but no springs. Housing is affordable; the air is clean; the roads are uncrowded. So if you yearn for small-town life or a peaceful rural home site, you can find it here, perhaps even situated on the aptly named Peace River, which runs north/south through the county and right through Zolfo Springs.

Vital Stats

Population: 21,046
Median age: 33.7
New citizens: 100 yearly
New job creation: N/A
Unemployment rate: 14.4 percent in August, 1999
Cost of living: 91.93 on Florida Price Level Index (weighted state average=100)
Per capita income: $15,817
Median household effective buying income: $23,008

Rain & Shine

Its mild sunny climate stimulates crops and groves to grow while pleasing the people who live here and the snowbirds who congregate primarily in 11 parks designated for recreational vehicles and sporting 2,500 RV hookup sites. Most of the countryside is flat, but its fairly high and dry compared to coastal counties. At an approximate elevation of 55 feet and with at least one spot 109 feet above sea level, the locals maintain the county is less humid than coastal regions. Temperatures average 65 degrees Fahrenheit in winter, 71 degrees in spring, 82 degrees in summer and 69 degrees in the fall. Annual rainfall averages 58 inches.

Job Market

Major employment categories and the percentage of the total labor force involved in those industries include: 30 percent in the service industry; 15 percent in public administration; 14 percent in retail trade; and 13 percent in agriculture and forestry. Orange groves fill more than 50,000 acres. Truck farming and canning provide lots of jobs, too. Cucumbers grow in abundance; some call Hardee the Cucumber Capital of the United States. Other crops include peppers, squash, tomatoes, watermelon, blueberries and strawberries. Plant nurseries are becoming more prevalent. Horse breeding provides jobs. In fact, the Paso Fino Horse Owners and Breeders Association Inc. is headquartered in Bowling Green.

The Hardee County School District employs 750; it's the county's largest employer. Other employment centers include Chapman Fruit (350); Hardee County Correctional Institute (300); Hardee County government (250); Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation (200); Overlook Groves (200); Cargill Fertilizer-Mining (180); Wauchula State Bank (115); Mancini Packing (110); and Bowling Green Enterprises (100).

Class Notes

Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the state's Department of Education (http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm). There you'll discover everything you'll need to know about Florida schools -- in general and in particular. All you need is the name of your county and the names of the schools students from your neighborhood attend.

Use links from the DOE home page for general information about entrance requirements, immunizations and so forth.

For the nitty-gritty details that really matter, click on the logo for the "Florida School Indicators Report."

Getting Around

The main road in this rural county is U.S. Highway 17, a north/south artery. S.R. 64 (a.k.a. the Florida Cracker Trail) provides the primary east/west route, although several state and county roads connect populated areas throughout the county. It's about 50 miles west to Interstate 75 and the same distance north to I-4. Two cab companies and one charter bus service operate in Hardee County, but for commercial bus service, plan on getting to Lakeland. CSX rail service is accessible for freight shipments a few miles west of Wauchula, but for Amtrak service, find a way to Sebring. Wauchula Municipal Airport is five miles southwest of town. Its 4,000-foot, paved runway is used by small, private planes. And the hospital has a helicopter pad. But for major airports, residents go to Tampa, Orlando and Sarasota, all comparatively short drives away.

Great Outdoors

Wauchula means "cry of the sandhill crane." The environment remains a source of inspiration for most of Hardee County's residents. Open space and clear air abound, although wilderness areas aren't as vast here as they are in parts of the Panhandle or the Everglades. Plenty of uninhabited territory plus agricultural and grazing properties, give the entire county a feeling of spaciousness. You can sing "Don't Fence Me In" and feel sure you'll get your wish. The area's wide open spaces also recall the old days in Florida. Combining sport, history and outdoor enjoyment, the Florida Cracker Trail Ride during the first week of March passes through the county and attracts nearly 150 riders (on horses and mules--believe it!) who participate enthusiastically in the annual cross-Florida trek. Starting in Bradenton and finishing in Fort Pierce, the ride re-enacts the cracker cowboys' return trip--sans steers--after riding the trail on long, hot and tiring cattle drives a century ago.

A good place to walk nature trails while simultaneously experiencing a part of Florida's past is Paynes Creek State Historical Site in Bowling Green. In addition to a trading post and fort, you'll see Indian artifacts at this former skirmish site. (The Seminole Indians attacked in 1849 at the location where a blockhouse guarded the bridge over the Peace River.)

Good Sports

The lovely Peace River offers a range of recreation opportunities from running the rapids to gliding peacefully down river--depending upon what part of the river you encounter. Boating and waterskiing activities, in fact, occupy many residents, as evidenced by a rather high number of registered private pleasure boats for so small a population. Roads aren't crowded, so cyclists have lots of room to roam. Hunting, fishing, boating, golfing, swimming and tennis keep active sports participants entertained. Members of the Saddle Club hold local rodeo events monthly. Lovers of spectator sports will probably need to settle for the local sports league or high school team in order to view amateur athletic teams mixing it up. To see the pros play, plan on driving to Orlando to see hoops the Magic way or to the Tampa Bay area for Ligntning hockey or Buccaneer football. In 1998, St. Petersburg will welcome its long-awaited baseball team, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Hot Times in the City

There's enough to do--but not too much. You'll need some creativity and a willingness to join one or more of the 100 civic organizations or 80 churches. Restoring antique cars and square dancing are popular here. There's no movie theater and not many choices for in-county live entertainment either--no big performance hall, no parimutuel wagering, no symphony, no ballet. Plans are in progress to restore the Wauchula City Hall Auditorium and transform it into a small but first-rate performing arts center that would draw people from all over the county. Currently, to experience high culture residents drive a few miles west to Sarasota.

Western-style rodeo fun occurs right here at home in one of Florida's two, covered rodeo arenas located in Wauchula. By far the biggest annual party happens during late February and early March in Zolfo Springs. Called Pioneer Park Days, it's patterned after an old-time country fair and attracts nearly a quarter-million visitors. Also in March, but important more to locals than visitors, the Hardee County Fair is held in the Agri-Civic Center in Wauchula. In December, Wauchula residents enjoy the Christmas Parade plus the tree lighting and concert at City Hall. Don't miss the Wilderness Wildlife Museum (a.k.a. Call of the Wild Wildlife Museum) near Ona, the Florida Cracker Trail Museum in Zolfo Springs' Pioneer Park or Solomon's Castle, a metal sculpture featuring 60 stained-glass windows, southwest of Zolfo Springs. Located at 302 East Bay St., Azalea Hill (sometimes referred to as the Carlton Albert Estate) is Wauchula's most famous home. Listed as an historical site by the Federal National Register, it's still privately owned by a member of the family that has occupied it for almost a century.

Shop 'til You Drop

Sorry, not here you won't. Three shopping centers represent most retail buying opportunities beyond food and drink and agricultural supplies. Shop-a-holics make the trek to Orlando, Sarasota, Lakeland or Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater.

Nightlife

About half the eateries are fast-food places. Fifty-six food establishments don't necessarily equal an urban-style nightclub scene or guarantee high-quality restaurants, but places to party and to dine well--if not elegantly--exist here, of course. Restaurants recommended by residents include Roosters and Alapulco Cafe in Zolfo Springs and Nicholas' Family Restaurant, Double J Country Kitchen and The Bread Board in Wauchula. A newcomer's best bet is to ask around and call ahead. Question what's on the menu. what house specialities are served; then inquire about prices. Retirees who listen only to golden oldies might not enjoy a cowboy hangout with country and western music blaring and barbecue as the main item on the menu. For other folks, such an establishment would qualify as a genuine "find." Because of its rhyming name, it's rather hard to forget Boat in the Moat restaurant, part of the Solomon's Castle attraction.

College Scene

This isn't the home of any post-secondary schools. Three community colleges are within a 50-mile radius of Hardee County. They are: Polk Community College in Winter Haven, South Florida Community College in Avon Park (and its branch here in Hardee) and Manatee Community College in Bradenton.

To attend four-year colleges and universities, locals who want to stay close to home select the state-operated University of South Florida in Tampa or its small but prestigious branch in Sarasota known as New College. Some prefer one of the area's two private colleges: Florida Southern College in Lakeland or Warner Southern in Lake Wales. Hardee County High School and South Florida Community College both operate major vocational/technical divisions. And Ridge Vo-Tech isn't far away.

Just for Seniors

Hardee County's population is relatively young. Only 15 percent of its residents are older than 65, yet the seniors who are here plan to stay. Sixty-plus residents favor the quiet countryside and little towns, the absence of crowds at the supermarkets and on the roads and the comparatively low cost of living. Other bonuses of special interest to those on fixed incomes or with large estates: Florida imposes no income or inheritance taxes, nor does it charge sales tax on food or perscription medications.

There's a Senior Center where congregate meals are served as part of Fellowship Dining service. Homemaker services and some in-home care are available via Hope of Hardee. Call the Elder Helpline at 941/773-6880 for assistance. The Information and Referral (I&R) specialist who answers your call should be able to guide you. I&R staffers are familiar with senior services offered anywhere in the county, whether public or private, free or fee-based.