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Tarpon Springs, FL 1 of 110 Active Retirement Communities Location
Active Retirement Communities State:
Florida City: Tarpon
Springs Tarpon
Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,003 at the 2000 census. According to
the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 22,554. Tarpon
Springs is notable for having the highest percentage of Greek-Americans of any city in the
US. The region, with a series
of bayous feeding into the Gulf of Mexico, first attracted attention as a place for winter homes about
1876. Some of the newly arrived visitors spotted tarpons jumping out of the waters and so named the location Tarpon Springs. The
first Greek immigrants arrived to this city during the 1880s, when they were
hired to work as divers in the growing sponge harvesting industry. In 1905, John Cocoris introduced the technique of sponge diving to Tarpon Springs.
Cocoris recruited Greek sponge divers from the Dodecanese Islands of Greece, in particular Kalymnos, Symi and Halki leading, by the 1930s, to a very productive sponge industry in
Tarpon. When a red tide algae bloom occurred in 1947, wiping out the sponge fields in
that region of the Gulf of Mexico, most of the sponge boats and divers switched to
fishing and shrimping for a livelihood. The city then converted most of its
sponge-related activities, especially the warehouses where they were sold, into
tourist attractions. The Sponge Docks are now mostly shops, restaurants, and
museums dedicated to the memory of Tarpon Springs' earlier industry. Most
sponges sold on the docks are now imports: Relatively few sponges are harvested
from the area, although attempts have been made in recent years to restart local
sponge harvesting. Led by local businessman George Billiris, in the late 1980s
the sponge industry made a comeback and in the fall of 2007, a record harvest of
sponges by a single boat was made. The celebration attracts
Greek Americans from across the country, and the city's population is known to
triple in size for that day. The Metropolitan of Atlanta usually presides over the blessings, sometimes joined by the Archbishop of
America. The blessings conclude with the
ceremonial throwing of a wooden cross into the city's Spring Bayou, and boys
ages 16--18 dive in to retrieve it: whoever recovers the cross is said to be
blessed for a full year. Following the blessings, the celebration moves to the
Sponge Docks where food and music are made part of the
festivities. Income & Housing Costs Numbers: Estimated median household income in 2008: $47,305 (it
was $38,251 in 2000)
Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Tarpon
Springs: 92.9 (less than average, U.S. average is 100) ·
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Discussion
Forums For the above information and photos, click this link: http://www.city-data.com/city/Tarpon-Springs-Florida.html Total Tax Burden--Data for Calculation http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate1.html#FLORIDA Listing
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