Located at the hub of Florida’s Nature Coast, 70 miles north of Tampa and 60 miles northwest of Orlando, Citrus County rises from the clear, azure waters of the Gulf or Mexico in the west to the rolling green pastures where thoroughbred horses graze in the county’s central region, and falls again in the east to the streams, lakes, and thick forest of the Withlacoochee region. On the northern and eastern borders, the Withlacoochee River presents 45 miles of river front beauty and recreational opportunity. Northeast of Inverness, the long, lazy Withlacoochee helps refresh the Tsala Apopka chain of lakes, a 23,000 acre bass-rich playground for fishermen and a wetland home for a dozen species of bird and mammal considered rare elsewhere in America.

Along US 19, bisecting western Citrus County, a string of first and second magnitude springs give birth to Citrus County’s other protean, crystal clear rivers, including the Homosassa, the Chassahowitzka, and the Crystal. Flowing at a constant temperature of 72 degrees, these spring-spawned streams provide the endangered West Indian Manatee, America’s largest fresh water mammal. with its favored winter home. The people of Citrus County take pride in assisting state and federal efforts to protect this American cousin of the elephant. large herds of manatees are seen from December through March.

Few counties in Florida enjoy a more salubrious year-round climate than Citrus. Summer days average 82 degrees, moderated by constant breezes from the lakes and the Gulf of Mexico; while winter lows average 62 degrees, encouraging the dedicated gardener to experiment with a wide variety of flowers and vegetables every month of the year. Rainfall averages 45 to 52 inches, most of it falling during the summer months.