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Did You Know... City Trivia P - T
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Click the following links for municipalities beginning with the letter:
P | Q | R | S | T
City of Pahokee
Pahokee was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the July/August 2004 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
City of Palatka
The Indians long regarded the area as an important place on the river and held canoe races at this point. The first contraction of the Indian word used as the city's name was spelled "Pilatka," but postal authorities complained that this was too easily confused with Picolata, further down the river, and so the "i" was changed to an "a."
City of Palm Bay
First called Tillman, named after a group of businessmen, the city was later renamed Palm Bay when the Tillmans went bankrupt. The town was named after a beautiful bay which borders the eastern side of the city.
Town of Palm Beach
In August 1887, the many palm trees on the island inspired the name "Palm Beach." These trees came from the cargo of coconuts on the Spanish ship Providencia, which wrecked on January 9, 1878.
City of Palm Beach Gardens
A divided roadway between hills of coral rock, accented with shrubs, flowers, towering palm trees and a pair of transplanted banyan trees (one 60-feet tall, weighing about 75 tons) began the legacy of this beautiful garden city.
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Town of Palm Beach Shores
The town’s winter population is three times higher than the permanent population.
Village of Palm Springs
Palm Springs covers 1.6 square miles, 700 acres of which was once a dairy farm.
City of Palmetto
Palmetto is the oldest city in Manatee County. The city's roots are deep in agriculture. Every year in November, Farm City Week is celebrated, which is culminated by the annual Tomato Fiesta.
City of Panama City
The city holds an annual Oktoberfest, the Spring Festival of Arts, Flying Scots Winder National and a Bed Race for Muscular Dystrophy.
City of Panama City Beach
The cities of Edgewater, Long Beach, West Panama City Beach and Panama City Beach were all combined in the late 1960s to form the present geographical area known as Panama City Beach.
City of Parker
The name "Parker" was derived from W.H. Parker, a long-time resident and primary landowner and developer.
City of Parkland
The city has an unusually heavy tree canopy and supports an equestrian and rural lifestyle, with an emphasis on open space and tree preservation. The area hosts an annual community festival with a Western theme.
City of Paxton
The area has a small K-12 school that has championship boys' and girls' basketball teams.
Town of Pembroke Park
The town was initially named Pembroke. In 1959, Hollywood Ridge Farms, a subdivision, was incorporated and the towns were merged as Pembroke Park.
City of Pembroke Pines
Pembroke Pines was the first municipality in Florida and the second in the nation to build a charter school.
Town of Penney Farms
Residents of the Penney Retirement Community, Inc., which is located within the town limits, make up 70 percent of the town's population.
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City of Pensacola
Pensacola shares with St. Augustine the distinction of being Florida's two oldest incorporated cities.
City of Perry
Perry is the only incorporated city in Taylor County.
Town of Pierson
Pierson is considered the fern capital of the world. The city is also the hometown of famous baseball player Chipper Jones.
City of Pinellas Park
Each year, the city sponsors "Pride in the Park Week," a daylong celebration with entertainment, exhibits, food, show and displays.
City of Plant City
Plant City was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the May/June 2004 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
City of Plantation
Most of the city is on land that used to be known as the Fred C. Peters Plantation. Development of the city began with sales of one-acre suburban sites usable for truck gardening, which were called "plantation homes." Therefore, Plantation was selected as the name of the city when it was incorporated.
Town of Polk City
Polk City was named after its county, which in turn had been named after President James K. Polk.
Town of Pomona Park
"Pomona" was named after the Roman goddess of fruit trees, usually depicted as holding fruit and a pruning knife. In the first half of the century there were many citrus groves here. Now, there are virtually none.
City of Pompano Beach
The city serves as a Goodyear blimp base, hosts an annual seafood festival and has an 887-foot municipal pier, one of the longest in South Florida.
Town of Ponce Inlet
Ponce Inlet is known for its beach, inlet and lighthouse.
City of Port Orange
The owners of the Dun-Lawton plantation with its sugar mill were the first occupants of this site. Indians destroyed it in 1836. In 1861, Edward Archibald McDaniel established a plant here for making salt, boiling water from the Halifax River in kettles formerly used by the sugar mill. The salt was sold to the people of the interior during the Civil War.
City of Port Richey
Port Richey was established in 1883 and named for its first postmaster and early settler, Aaron McLaughin Richey.
City of Port St. Joe
Port St. Joe was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the March/April 2008 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
Port St. Lucie
Port St. Lucie was one of the first cities in the state to institute a stormwater fee. It was also one of the first cities in the country to have an accredited police department and to institute a community-oriented policing program.
City of Punta Gorda
Punta Gorda is located on the southern shore of the Peace River as it opens into Charlotte Harbor. The city is known for its beautiful parks and special events, including the annual block party (third weekend in April).
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City of Quincy
Quincy was named for the sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, and was awarded the "All America City" designation in 1996.
Town of Reddick
The town was established in 1882 and named for its postmaster, John Mills Reddick.
Town of Redington Beach
Redington Beach and its offshoots were named for Charles E. Redington, a developer of the area.
Town of Redington Shores
Redington Shores offers an annual town-wide picnic that is free to all residents as well as an annual town-wide garage sale and spring-cleaning.
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City of Riveria Beach
During the post-World War I period, the town's population never exceeded 800. The city relied on commercial fishing for economic vitality during this period and was settled by fishermen from the out islands of Bimini and the Bahamas. This led to Riviera Beach being referred to as "Conch Town" by many of the locals.
City of Rockledge
The city's name was derived from the formation of coquina rock, which crops out in ledges along the shore of the Indian River.
Village of Royal Palm Beach
The village has been designated a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation for many years and received the Growth Award from the foundation in 1992 and 1995 for education and public relations in partnership as it relates to forestry. The entire village is designated as a bird sanctuary.
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City of Safety Harbor
Safety Harbor, home of the Espiritu Santo Mineral Springs, is the oldest settlement on the Pinellas Peninsula. Dr. Odet Phillipi settled it in 1823 as Espiritu Santo (Holy Spirit). Espiritu Santo water was world famous when the city was incorporated. It was named after Hernando DeSoto's own expression upon first seeing the Safety Harbor coast. The explorer exclaimed, "Here in truth man may find the Holy Spirit."
City of San Antonio
Judge Edmond F. Dunne, a former chief justice of Arizona, founded San Antonio as a Catholic colony in 1881. Family tradition says that Dunne had once lost his way in the Arizona desert while prospecting for silver and prayed to his patron saint for rescue, vowing he would give the name of San Antonio to a settlement he contemplated founding in Florida. The place in Florida that he finally selected had been called Clear Lake. In fulfillment of his promise, he founded a settlement there and renamed it San Antonio.
City of Sanford
Troops stationed on the shores of Lake Monroe, Florida, in December 1836 were Sanford's first settlers. The camp, originally known as Camp Monroe and later Fort Mellon, was one of a permanent line of garrisons extending to Tampa, Florida, which were established to protect the settlers of the peninsula from the Seminole Indians.
City of Sanibel
The city strives to protect and enhance its unique, barrier island environment. The island is broken down into ecological zones, allowing the least amount of development in the most sensitive areas (mangrove forests, interior wetlands and gulf beaches).
City of Sarasota
The origin of the place-name "Sarasota" is unknown. Some believe it was named Sara de Soto after the daughter of Hernando de Soto and an unknown Indian woman. Others believe the name is derived from an Indian word meaning "Place of the Dance" (a festival gathering place). The name first appears in print as "Zarazote" on a land grant map of 1763.
City of Satellite Beach
The community sprang up near Cape Canaveral and, because its growth paralleled the U.S. space industry growth, "Satellite Beach" seemed an appropriate selection.
Village of Sea Ranch Lakes
This suburban community was named for the Sea Ranch Hotel, a landmark across the highway from the town site.
City of Sebastian
Sebastian was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the January/February 2005 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
City of Sebring
Sebring holds a 12-hour Sebring Grand Prix race.
City of Seminole
Seminole is the site for the Seminole Pow-Wow Festival and the Miss Seminole Pageant, which is part of the Miss America Pageant. Annual events include the Blue Grass Festival, Kids Appreciation Day, Halloween in the Park, and Yule Log Lighting.
Town of Sewall's Point
In 1889, Henry Edwin Sewall and his wife arrived and gave the Sewall's Point peninsula its name. They built their home on the riverbank and in 1891 established a post office with a loading dock at the southern tip of Sewall's Point. The dock became a regular stopping place for Indian River travelers.
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Town of Shalimar
The town lies adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base, the largest U.S. military reservation. Shalimar is surrounded by protected inland water, but provides access to the Gulf. Its name means "lovely home by the beautiful water."
Town of Sneads
The town was named for a pioneer dentist of the area, who died at Marianna in 1930.
City of Sopchoppy
The city's name is Creek Indian meaning "dark or black water." Another interpretation says the name comes from the Creek words "sokhe" (twisted) and "chapke" (long). The name is derived from the dark waters of the Sopchoppy River that flow in a twisting pattern through the town.
City of South Bay
South Bay is located on the southeast corner of Lake Okeechobee, the second largest lake in the United States. The city is part of the Everglades agricultural area, which produces vast amounts of sugar cane and winter vegetables.
City of South Daytona
In 1975, the remains of a giant sloth were found in a borrow pit on Nova Road in South Daytona. The sloth is housed in the Museum of Arts and Science in Daytona Beach.
City of South Miami
One of the first pioneers in South Miami was Wilson A. Larkins, who brought his own herd of cattle from Tennessee, opened a dairy, general store, became postmaster, built a telephone line from Coconut Grove to South Miami (then called "Larkins") and operated the switchboard.
Town of South Palm Beach
The town is only five-sixths of a mile long, but during tourist season its population almost doubles.
City of South Pasadena
South Pasadena is predominantly a retirement community. An annual walkathon, the "South Pasadena Stroll," is sponsored for residents, including those in nursing homes.
City of Springfield
The city owns and operates its own television cable system.
City of St. Augustine
St. Augustine was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the March/April 2004 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
City of St. Augustine Beach
The city has created a unique regional drainage system shared by three agencies: the Florida Department of Transportation, St. Johns County and the St. Augustine Beach.
City of St. Cloud
St. Cloud was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the September/October 2008 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
Town of St. Leo
St. Leo was founded as a Catholic community in 1885. The town was incorporated by members of a Benedictine monastery, or abbey, for the purpose of starting a school. The town was named for the canonized Pope Leo I. Today, the town still has a population of very few laypersons.
City of St. Marks
The city is located between two rivers and approximately eight miles from the Gulf of Mexico. One of these rivers, the Wakulla River, originates from the famous Wakulla Springs, the deepest spring in the U.S.
City of St. Pete Beach
St. Pete Beach provides 4.1 miles of publicly enjoyed beach lands, from historic Pass-A-Grille (one of the oldest settlements in Florida) to the mouth of Blind Pass.
City of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the September/October 2006 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
City of Starke
The original city encompassed 40 acres. It was first part of New River County, which, after many years of feuding, was divided into the counties of Union and Bradford. Starke is located near Camp Blanding, the Florida Army National Guard’s primary training area.
City of Stuart
More than half of the city's property tax comes from commercial real estate.
City of Sunrise
In 1960, developer Norman Johnson and others purchased some land to construct a group of residences called Sunset Golf Homes. To attract people, an upside down house was constructed. Once people saw the upside down house, they took note of the area and its potential.
Town of Surfside
The name, derived from the town's location (it is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean), was originally developed as a subdivision.
City of Sweetwater
Sweetwater was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the July/August 2003 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
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City of Tallahassee
The first known settlers arrived in 1539, when DeSoto met here with the Apalachee tribes, who controlled the fields and streams. About 1633, the Spanish mission of San Luis was established and stood a few miles northwest of the present downtown Tallahassee. Tallahassee was chosen for the capital of Florida on March 4, 1824, while Florida was still a territory.
City of Tamarac
Tamarac covers an area of 12 square miles in the central part of Broward County. The city has many events throughout the year, including a Volunteer Day, the "Turkey Trot" and a special week of events highlighting the Fourth of July.
City of Tampa
Tampa was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the September/October 2006 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
City of Tarpon Springs
Tarpon Springs was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the November/December 2004 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
City of Tavares
Major St. Clair Abrams founded Tavares in 1880. Tavares was named for a Spanish ancestor of Major Abrams and is Portuguese for "the Hub." Abrams was in hopes that the city would become the capital of Florida.
City of Temple Terrace
Temple Terrace was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the July/August 2004 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
Village of Tequesta
This small suburb with six shorelines is home to the Lighthouse Gallery and School of Art. Tequesta is the obsolete Aboriginal name for Biscayne Bay.
City of Titusville
Titusville was featured in the "Did You Know" column of the January/February 2003 issue of Quality Cities. Please click here to view the article.
City of Treasure Island
The history of pirates roaming the area played a part in the original naming of Treasure Island when, in 1918, a developer staged the finding of a buried treasure chest on the beach containing sand and a one-hundred-pound pig of lead, which had been split in half. The chest had been planted the previous night. The "find" was quickly taken into St. Petersburg where the word spread fast and soon people were clamoring to get to the "Treasure Island."
City of Trenton
Trenton is close to the Suwannee and Santa Fe Rivers for recreation, and close to Gainesville for entertainment, shopping, cultural activities, universities, medical centers, an interstate highway and an airport.
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