Nature Coast

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Map of Florida's Nature Coast Nature Coast of Florida map.png
Map of Florida's Nature Coast

The Nature Coast is an informal, unofficial region of the U.S. state of Florida. The broadest definition of the Nature Coast includes the eight counties that abut the Gulf of Mexico along the Big Bend Coast defined by geologists: from west to east, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco counties. [1] [2] (Note that the Big Bend Coast differs from the Big Bend region of Florida.) The name "Nature Coast" was originally devised as part of a marketing campaign to promote tourism in Levy, Citrus, Hernando, and parts of Marion and Pasco counties. [3]

Contents

Many businesses and organizations incorporate "Nature Coast" in their names, but most of them do not explicitly define the region, or define a smaller region. For instance, the Nature Coast State Trail, which is officially designated as part of Florida’s Statewide System of Greenways and Trails, is located in Dixie, Gilchrist and Levy counties. [4] [5] The Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve includes 800 square miles (2,100 km2) of coastal water in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties. [6] The Nature Coaster website covers only Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties. [7]

The lower southern end (Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus County) are often considered part of the Tampa Bay Area. [8] [9]

Activities common in this area include hunting, fishing, boating, bird watching and nature hiking. Snorkeling spots are found in the rivers along the Nature Coast. Diving and manatee tours are available, predominantly in areas such as Crystal River, Homosassa and Homosassa Springs.

The Nature Coast is home to wildlife including deer, wild pigs, roseate spoonbills, alligators, raccoons, opossums, snakes, great blue herons, egrets, turtles and at least 19 endangered species.

There are also 50 golf courses in the area.

Attractions

Citrus

Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, partly in Hernando County
Crystal River Archaeological State Park
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
Crystal River Preserve State Park
Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
Lake Rousseau
Withlacoochee State Trail
Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins State Historic Site

Hernando

The Heritage Museum
Weeki Wachee Springs

Jefferson

Letchworth Mounds

Levy

Cedar Key Museum State Park
Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
Fanning Springs State Park
Manatee Springs State Park
Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park
Goethe State Forest

Marion

Rainbow Springs State Park
Silver Springs State Park

Pasco

Pioneer Florida Museum and Village
Starkey Wilderness Preserve
Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park
Conner Preserve

Taylor

Forest Capital Museum State Park

Wakulla

Bradwell Bay Wilderness
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park
Ochlockonee River State Park
San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad Trail State Park

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal River, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Crystal River is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,396 in the 2020 census, up from 3,108 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was incorporated in 1903 and is the self-professed "Home of the Manatee". Crystal River Preserve State Park is located nearby, and Crystal River Archaeological State Park is located in the city's northwest side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citrus County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Citrus County is a county located on the northwest central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 153,843. Its county seat is Inverness, and its largest community is Homosassa Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hernando County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Hernando County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 194,515. Its county seat is Brooksville, and its largest community is Spring Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homosassa, Florida</span> Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Homosassa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,299 at the 2020 census, down from 2,578 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is located near Homosassa Springs, Florida, in the United States. The park is one of the notable locations in the state to view manatees. Visitors can get close to the animals on a floating observatory. Black bears, bobcats, white-tailed deer, American alligators, and river otters have also been seen in the park. The park is also home to the hippopotamus Lu, famously known for his performances in many movies for the past 40 years. The park is officially named Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in honor of Elmyra Felburn Schiller, a benefactor of the Florida state park system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal River Preserve State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

Crystal River Preserve State Park is a Florida State Park, originally known as the Crystal River Buffer Preserve. The Preserve comprises 27,500 acres of salt marsh, tidal creeks, mangrove islands, hardwood forests, coastal scrub and pine flat woods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Withlacoochee River (Florida)</span> River in Florida, United States

The Withlacoochee River or Crooked River is a river in central Florida, in the United States. It originates in the Green Swamp, east of Polk City, flowing west, then north, then northwest and finally west again before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico near Yankeetown. The river is 141 miles (227 km) long and has a drainage basin of 1,170 square miles (3,000 km2).

Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (GFBWT) is a 2,000 mile (3200 km) long collection of more than 500 locations in the U.S. state of Florida where the state's bird habitats are protected. The trail promotes birdwatching, environmental education and ecotourism. The GFBWT is a program of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, supported in part by the Florida Department of Transportation and the Wildlife Foundation of Florida. It is modeled after the successful Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail. Trail sites area identifiable by prominent road signs bearing the Swallow-tailed kite logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Florida Water Management District</span> Regional governmental district in Florida, United States

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is one of five regional agencies directed by Florida state law to protect and preserve water resources. Established in 1961, the agency operates and maintains several large properties and flood protection projects, sometimes with other agencies. The District's responsibilities have expanded to include managing water supply and protecting water quality and the natural systems — rivers, lakes, wetlands, and associated uplands. The district's stated mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks, and ensure the public's water needs are met.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bend (Florida)</span> Region of the state Florida, United States

The Big Bend of Florida, United States, is an informally named geographic region of North Florida where the Florida Panhandle transitions to the Florida Peninsula south and east of Tallahassee. The region is known for its vast woodlands and marshlands and its low population density relative to much of the state. The area is home to the largest single spring in the United States, the Alapaha Rise, and the longest surveyed underwater cave in the United States, the 32-mile (51 km) Wakulla-Leon Sinks cave system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal River (Florida)</span> River in Florida, USA

Crystal River is a very short river in Citrus County, Florida, flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. It is just seven miles long, and has a drainage basin of five square miles, joining Kings Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. The river's significance is in the thirty natural springs that add an average of 300 million gallons of warm water to the river every day. These springs include Three Sisters Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Sisters Springs (Florida)</span> Natural springs in Crystal River, Florida, US

Three Sisters Springs is located on the Crystal River, in Citrus County, Florida, United States, at 28.888725°N 82.589191°W. It is in a natural inlet on the east side of Kings Bay. It contains three spring areas that contain many sand boils and vents. The land surrounding the springs was privately owned property and there is presently no landfall or boat tie-up permitted; the only access to the springs is blocked by concrete posts to stop the boats from entering. Only kayaks, canoes, and swimmers are permitted in the area but from outside the Park. The property around Three Sisters was acquired in 2010 and is open to the public from November 15 through March 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 19 in Florida</span> Highway in Florida

U.S. Highway 19 (US 19) runs about 262 miles (422 km) along Florida's west coast from an interchange with US 41 in Memphis, south of Tampa, and continues to the Georgia border north of Monticello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 41 in Florida</span> Highway in Florida

U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) in the state of Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs 479 miles (771 km) from Miami in South Florida northwest to the Georgia state line north of the Lake City area. Within the state, US 41 is paralleled by Interstate 75 (I-75) all the way from Miami to Georgia, and I-75 has largely supplanted US 41 as a major highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 98 in Florida</span> Highway in Florida

U.S. Route 98 is a major east-west thoroughfare through the U.S. state of Florida. Spanning 670.959 miles (1,079.804 km), it connects Pensacola and the Alabama/Florida state line to the west with Palm Beach and the Atlantic coast in the east. It is the longest US road in Florida, as well as the longest US road in any state east of the Mississippi River.

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nature Coast State Trail</span>

The Nature Coast State Trail (NCST) is a 31.7-mile long segment of Florida's Statewide System of Greenways and Trails System built along abandoned railroad tracks, and designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Recreation Trail. It has two primary sections following unused rail lines that were originally built by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. It includes historic sites such as a 1902 train trestle bridge over the Suwannee River near Old Town and train stations in Trenton, Cross City, and Chiefland. At Wilcox Junction abandoned rail tracks cross and connect with several communities. The trail is available to hikers, cyclists, and horse riders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bend Coast</span> Coastal area in Florida

The Big Bend Coast is the marshy coast extending about 350 kilometres (220 mi) from the western end of Apalachee Bay down the west coast of peninsular Florida to the Anclote River or Anclote Key. It partially overlaps the coast line of the Big Bend region of Florida, and is coterminous with the coast line of the Nature Coast region of Florida. Most of the coast remains undeveloped, with extensive salt marshes, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and oyster reefs offshore, and coastal hammocks onshore.

References

  1. "Where would you like to go?". Florida Nature Coast. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  2. "Florida Nature's Coast". Nature Coast Coalition. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  3. "Marketing the Nature Coast". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  4. "Nature Coast State Trail". State of Florida. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  5. "Nature Coast State Trail". Florida Nature Coast. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  6. "Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve". Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  7. "Nature Coast Area Map". NatureCoaster. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  8. Walton, Chelle Koster (2008). Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coast Adventure Guide. Hunter Publishing. ISBN   978-1-58843-675-7.
  9. "Our Region".