Brandon, FL

Brandon, Florida

Introduction to Brandon, Florida

Brandon is an unincorporated community located in Hillsborough County, Florida. The community is situated about 10 miles east of Tampa, near Florida's Gulf Coast. Easily accessible from Interstates I-4 and I-75, Brandon is the largest unincorporated community in the state of Florida.

Named for founder and landowner John Brandon, the community originated in the late-nineteenth century and has since grown in spurts; at first sporadically until around 1950, when a real growth period began. By the early 1960s, Brandon's population was around 8,000 and it was estimated that on average a new family moved into town every day. By the late 1980s, the population had climbed to around 100,000 with over 2,500 businesses having sprung forward. Although still unincorporated, Brandon has grown by leaps and bounds and today could well be considered a major urban area, with an ongoing influx of new public schools, corporate centers and industries.

Things to Do in Brandon

Located within minutes of downtown Tampa, Brandon combines small town living with easy access to the big city. There is plenty to do within Brandon itself, but even more when including the beaches and attractions nearby. Brandon is home to Westfield Shoppingtown (originally known as Brandon Town Center), a 900,000+ square-foot shopping facility and the Tampa area's premier shopping destination. One of Brandon's most notable annual events is the Brandon Balloon Classic. Held every April, the two-day celebration features over 50 hot air balloons from all over the country.

The city of Orlando is about 90 minutes away from Brandon. In addition to Walt Disney World, attractions in the Orlando area include Universal Studios and Sea World Florida. The Tampa area, only minutes away, has its own share of popular attractions, including the following:

• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay: An African-themed family entertainment park with a combination of world-class animal habitats, thrilling rides, live entertainment, dining, and shopping.
• The Florida International Museum (St. Petersburg): Features a permanent Kennedy Exhibition in addition to a variety of changing exhibits.
• The Florida Aquarium: Includes over 10,000 plants and animals, plus exhibits featuring Australian sea dragons and invertebrates.
• Florida Holocaust Museum: The fourth-largest Holocaust museum in the country.
• Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI): The largest science center in the Southeast with 450 interactive activities.
• Tampa Museum of Art: Exhibitions range from contemporary to classic with a permanent collection of Greek and Roman antiquities.
• WildLife on Easy Street: More than 200 big cats and other animals.

Sports fans can enjoy professional action of both the major league and minor league variety in nearby Tampa, home to the following teams:

• Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL)
• Baseball: Tampa Bay Devil Rays (MLB)
• Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
• Arena Football: Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
• Minor League Baseball: Tampa Yankees (Single-A affiliate of the N.Y. Yankees)

Tampa is also the Spring Training site of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. The city of Lakeland, less than 30 minutes away, is home to the Lakeland Flying Tigers, the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Lakeland also serves as the Detroit Tigers Spring Training site.

High Points

Brandon strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Florida):

Category	Trophy
Low Rate of Poverty (vs. State)	Top 12%
People in Middle Class or Better (vs. State)	Top 14%

Comparative Profile of Brandon, FL

Comparing Brandon to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Florida (State):

Ratings range from (lowest) to (highest).

The People

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Racial Diversity
Children Under 5 Years Old
Female Share of the Population
Well-Paid Single Women
Male Share of the Population
Well-Paid Single Men
Age of the Population
Senior Citizens

Families

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Portion of People Married
Average Household Size

Wealth

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
People Above Poverty
People in Middle Class or Better
Median Family Income
College Educated Adults

Commute & Sprawl

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Working at Home
Short Commute Times
Walking and Biking to Work
Public Transportation Use

Housing

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Housing Recently Built
Seasonal and Vacation Housing
Affordability of Property Taxes
Affordability of Rents
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals
People Living Alone

Brandon Almanac

Brandon Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

• Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
• Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

Brandon Population (2000)

(From 2000 Census, as reported by individuals)

Political Contributions (2004)

Money donated by Brandon residents to parties and candidates for the 2004 elections.

by Political Party

by Presidential Candidate

Nearby Cities and Towns

Brandon Hospitals

BRANDON REGIONAL HOSPITAL
(Proprietary)
119 OAKFIELD DR
(813) 681-5551
Emergency Service: Yes

Starbucks in Brandon

Wal-Mart in Brandon

Brandon High Schools (2004)

BRANDON HIGH SCHOOL
1101 VICTORIA STREET
813-744-8120
Serves 2,039 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 16.4

Brandon Colleges

(List of All Florida Colleges)

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