Hernando County is located on the central-west coast of Florida north of Tampa Bay. It is bounded by the Gulf of Mexico on the west, Citrus County to the north, Sumter County to the east, and Pasco County to the south. Hernando County stretches 37 miles east to west, and 18 miles north to south for a total of 478.3 square miles. (approximately 306,000 acres) The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) checked in with a Census 2000 population of 2.4 million.
As part of the Nature Coast, vast tracts of public land have been preserved in Hernando County. These include the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, Chinsegut Hill National Wildlife Refuge, Withlacoochee State Forest, Weeki Wachee Preserve, and the PK Ranch. Recreation also abounds on the Withlacoochee and Weeki Wachee Rivers as well as at the Silver Lake Recreation Area, and the first-magnitude Weekee Wachee Springs. The latter were recently purchased by the State of Florida.
With an average January temperature of 60 degrees, year-round outdoor recreation is the mantra in Hernando County. Hunting, fishing, camping, paddling, birding, and hiking are just a few of the many recreational opportunities enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Championship golf courses, paved or wilderness bicycle trails, and the Croom Motorcycle Recreation Area attract visitors from far beyond the County borders.
The Census 2000 population for Hernando County was 130,802. According to Hernando County public records, the population in 2005 has increased to 153,644. Unincorporated Spring Hill in the southwest, is the largest Hernando County community with a population of 70,000 to 85,000 depending on where boundaries are drawn. The City of Brooksville, the county seat, population 7,227, is rich in history and traditions. The only other city within Hernando County is Weeki Wachee, population 12, which incorporated many decades ago to appear on Florida maps in promotion of the Buccaneer Bay/Weeki Wachee Resort "City of Mermaids".
In 2001, the Turnpike District of the Florida Department of Transportation opened 42 miles of the Suncoast Parkway connecting northern Hernando County with the Tampa International Airport and Westshore District of Tampa. The north-south tollway translates to less than 30 minutes to Tampa for many Spring Hill residents.
Hernando County is also well connected by Interstate 75 and US 301 in the east, US 41 and US 98 in the central part of the County, and US 19 in western Hernando County. Other Florida cities lying within an hour's drive of the County are Lakeland, Ocala, and Orlando. The County is served by the local Hernando County Airport and Tampa International Airport, 45 miles to the south.
