Before the Civil War, the area was known as Long Pond and consisted of several cottonplantations. It was renamed Valrico, meaning "rich valley" in Spanish, in the 1880s when William G. Tousey, a philosophy professor from Tufts College, purchased property in the area. In 1890, an influx of immigrants arrived, following the construction of the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad through the area.
When the railroad was completed, Tousey began building up the community with retail stores, streets, and a bank. In 1893, Mr. Bryan built a steam mill at Valrico station.[4] In 1895, a major freeze halted these developments, and the population began to dwindle. Nonetheless, the town continued, and a schoolhouse was completed in 1896. The population continued to fall, from 100 people in 1893 to only 50 in 1911.
This setback did not deter local landowners from pushing forward with the town's development. From 1910 to 1914 Judge Hamner, Governor Van Sant, D. Humbird, W.H., S.C. Phipps and W.F. Miller started an improvement project along Hopewell Road, later designated SR 60. W.F. Miller, serving as president of the Valrico Improvement Association, raised $3,500 to erect the Valrico Civic Center, now known as the James McCabe Theater. The area's first general store was opened by Lovett Brandon in 1912.
Valrico once again suffered a major blow during the stock market crash of 1929, which saw nearly every business in the town shut down. Not until the mid-1950s did the town begin to see growth again, primarily due to the connection of SR 60 to Tampa's Adamo Drive, placing Valrico right along a major Florida thoroughfare.[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Valrico CDP has a total area of 14.2 square miles (36.8 km2), of which 13.8 square miles (35.8 km2) are land and 0.42 square miles (1.1 km2), or 2.92%, are water.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 37,895 people, 14,079 households, and 10,337 families residing in the CDP.[10]
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 35,545 people, 12,217 households, and 9,833 families residing in the CDP.[11]
2000 census
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 6,582 people, 2,632 households, and 1,826 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,176.9 inhabitants per square mile (454.4/km2). There were 2,831 housing units at an average density of 506.2 per square mile (195.4/km2). The racial makeup of the community was 89.32% White, 3.21% African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.47% Asian, 3.57% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.82% of the population.
In 2000, there were 2,632 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.
In 2000, in the CDP, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the community was $98,700. and the median income for a family was $105,475. About 3.8% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
