Ivan Gillis

Active Retirement Communities

 State:     Florida

City:       Ruskin

Ruskin is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,321 at the 2000 census.

Situated on the shores of the Little Manatee River, the town and college were named after the English writer and social reformist John Ruskin (1819-1900).

In 1907, Dr. George McAnelly Miller, a former Chicago prosecuting attorney and professor, and former president of Ruskin College in Trenton, Missouri, relocated his family to the area, and along with his brother-in-law Albert Peter Dickman's family. They purchased land and started to setup homes, a saw mill, and a school. Mrs. Adaline D. Miller, (Dr. Miller's wife) founded a post office on August 7, 1908. This day is recognized as the official founding day of the town.

The Millers began Ruskin College in 1910 with Dr. Miller serving as president and Adeline Miller serving as Vice President. Continuing with the college's former practices, students worked a portion of each day as part of their education and as a way to pay for tuition and board (that is a very socialist practice, still practiced in countries like Cuba.) It offered three years of preparatory classes, students could then attend the college, taking classes in art, drama, language, literature, music, shorthand, social sciences, and speech. In 1913 the school has 160 students.

At this time U.S. Highway 41 was only a more than a nine foot wide shell road paid for by a $30,000 local bond issue. Because of the growing importance of truck farming, these roads and others were built to facilitate the transportation of produce to local markets throughout the 1920s. The railroad track connected Ruskin to the Seaboard Airline Railroad line in 1913. On the eve of the college's demise in 1918, Ruskin had a population of 200 Ruskinites, as they are called. The majority of people appeared to have been truck growers. These residents supported a saw mill, a turpentine still, a syrup factory, a black smith, a newspaper, a lawyer, two carpenters, and three general stores. Rachel W. Billings served as postmaster and as the Universalist Reverend. With this foundation, it is not surprising that even with the destruction of the college the colony survived.

Poor crop yields in the mid to late-1980s drove some farmers to the wall. Many borrowed money, sometimes as much as $500,000, against their land to plant their crops. Consequently, many farmers were forced out of business, and others chose to leave farming forever. Due to the impact of the North Atlantic Trade Agreement in the 1990s which allowed Mexican tomatoes to flood the U.S. market and with ever increasing water restrictions, tomato acreage continued to decline. Less than half the number of acres planted with tomatoes in the early 1990s were planted in 1997. The housing boom of the first decade of the XXI Century turn most of the tomato and orange plantations into new housing development, bringing thousand of new inhabitants to the area.

.Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2008: $34,547 (it was $28,228 in 2000)

Ruskin:	$34,547
Florida:	$47,778

Estimated per capita income in 2008: $16,197

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $163,418 (it was $70,200 in 2000)

Ruskin:	$163,418
Florida:	$218,700

Mean prices in 2008: All housing units: $171,557; Detached houses: $215,944; Townhouses or other attached units: $151,020; In 2-unit structures: $151,812; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $348,684; Mobile homes: $33,967; Occupied boats, RVs, vans, etc.: $5,000

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Ruskin: 93.7 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

 In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

·        Climate Charts

1.      Average Temperature

2.      Precipitation (Rain)

3.      Humidity

4.      Wind Speed (MPH)

5.      Snowfall

6.      Sunshine

7.      Cloudy Days

·        Tornado Activity History

·        Hospitals & Medical

·        Airports

·        Colleges/Universities

·        High Schools

·        Locations of Interest

·        Shopping Centers

·        Churches

·        Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Creeks/Parks

·        Tourist Attractions

·        Banks

·        Housing Costs Information

·        Crime Statistics

·        Radio Stations AM/FM

·        TV Broadcast Stations

·        Discussion Forums

For the above information and photos, click this link:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Ruskin-Florida.html

Total Tax Burden--Data for Calculation

http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate1.html#FLORIDA

Listing of Active Retirement Communities:

http://www.retirenet.com/location/communities/36-florida/1-active-lifestyles?city=33570-ruskin

Visit our Senior Cruising Site at: http://seniorcruisers.org

Other sites of interest:

World of Collectibles

http://www.collectibleshg.info

Information on: Architectural Collectibles, Art Collectibles, Artist Trading Cards , Books & Paper Collectibles, Brand Name Products Collectibles, Clothing Fabric & Textiles Collectibles, Collectibles UnLimited, Doll Collectibles, Household & Furnishings Collectibles, Militaria Collectors, Movies & TV Collectibles, Music Collectibles, Musical Instruments Collectibles, Nature And Animal Collectibles, Numismatics (Currency Collecting), Pottery & Glass Collectibles, Technology Collectibles, Theme Collectibles

DOGS

http://www.zcanines.com

Information on:  Overview Of Dogs, Sporting Dogs, Hounds Dogs, Terrier Dogs, Toy Dogs, Non-Sporting Dogs, Herding Dogs, Miscellaneous Class Dogs, Foundation Stock Service® Breeds Dogs

CATS

http://www.zcats.com

Information on: Cats Overview, Abyssinian Cat, America Cat Bobtail, American Curl Cat, American Shorthair Cat, American Wirehair Cat, Balinese Cat, Birman Cat, Bombay Cat, British Shorthair Cat, Charteux Cat, Colorpoint Shorthair Cat, Cornish Rex Cat, Devon Rex Cat, Egyptian Mau Cat, European Burmese Cat, Exotic Cat, Havana Brown Cat, Japanese Bobtail Cat, Korat Cat, LaPerm Cat, Maine Coon Cat, Manx Cat, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat Cat, Oriental Cat, Persian Cat, Himalayan Cat, Ragamuffin Cat, Russian Blue Cat, Scottish Fold Cat, Selrik Rex Cat, Siamese Cat, Siberian Cat, Singapura Cat, Somali Cat, Sphynx Cat, Tonkinese Cat, Turkish Angora Cat, Turkish Van Cat

BIRD WATCHING

http://www.zavians.com

Information on:  Overview Of Birds, Ostriches-Emus-Kiwis, Gulls, Plovers, Loons, Grebres, Albatrosses, Penguins, Pelicans, Tropical Birds, Storksm Flamingos-Birds, Falcons-Birds, Eagles-Birds, Hawks-Birds, Cranes-Birds, Doves And Pigeons, Parrots,Cuckoos, Owls, Nightjars, Hummingbirds, Kingfishers-Birds, Woodpeckers, Mousebirds, Passerines 

"/>

\