Come Drive Along as we explore beautiful Tarpon Springs, Florida on the Gulf Coast, not far from Tampa Bay. Located in Pinellas County, Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the US. and is known as the "Sponge Capital of the United States."

History (from Wikipedia):
The region, with a series of bayous feeding into the Gulf of Mexico, was first settled by white and black farmers and fishermen around 1876. Some of the newly arrived visitors spotted tarpon jumping out of the waters and so named the location Tarpon Springs. In 1882, Hamilton Disston, who in the previous year had purchased the land where the city of Tarpon Springs now stands, ordered the creation of a town plan for the future city. On February 12, 1887, Tarpon Springs became the first incorporated city in what is now Pinellas County. Less than a year later on January 13, 1888, the Orange Belt Railway, the first railroad line to be built in what is now Pinellas County, arrived in the city. During this time the area was developed as a wintering spot for wealthy northerners.
In the 1880s, John K. Cheyney founded the first local sponge business. The industry continued to grow in the 1890s. Many people from Key West and the Bahamas settled in Tarpon Springs to hook sponges and then process them. A few Greek immigrants also arrived in this city during the 1890s to work in the sponge industry.
In 1905, John Cocoris introduced the technique of sponge diving to Tarpon Springs by recruiting divers and crew members from Greece. The first divers came from the Saronic Gulf islands of Aegina and Hydra, but they were soon outnumbered by those from the Dodecanese islands of Kalymnos, Symi and Halki. The sponge industry soon became one of the leading maritime industries in Florida and the most important business in Tarpon Springs, generating millions of dollars a year. The 1953 film Beneath the 12-Mile Reef, depicting the sponge industry, takes place and was filmed in Tarpon Springs.
In 1947, a red tide algae bloom wiped out the sponge fields in the Gulf of Mexico, causing many of the sponge boats and divers to switch to shrimping for their livelihood, while others left the business. Eventually, the sponges recovered, allowing for a smaller but consistent sponge industry today. In the 1980s, the sponge business experienced a boom due to a sponge disease that killed the Mediterranean sponges. Today there is still a small active sponge industry. Visitors can often view sponge fishermen working at the Sponge Docks on Dodecanese Boulevard. In addition, visitors can enjoy shops, restaurants, and museum exhibits that detail Tarpon Springs' Greek heritage.
In 2007 and 2008, the City of Tarpon Springs established Sister City relationships with Kalymnos, Halki, Symi, and Larnaca, Cyprus, honoring the close historical link with these Greek-speaking islands.

On this drive, you'll see the Historic Sponge Docks on Dodecanese Boulevard which also has a multitude of shops, restaurants, and attractions. Next, we pass through the Historic Downtown area with its many antiques shops. We then drive through beautiful residential areas wrapped around what looks like lakes but are actually bayous. Entering Fred Howard Park, we drive down a forest road. Suddenly, the trees give way to a spectacular water-lined driveway across Howard Park Causeway to Howard Park Beach located in Saint Joseph Sound and overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. We then travel through more residential areas as we head back to the Sponge Docks. Finally, we take a brief stroll around at night on New Year's Day!

Welcome to a relaxing series that will be featured every now and again on FAD1010... Driving Around. High quality POV videos captured with a GoPro Hero7 Black and the GoPro Suction Mount attached to the outside windshield of my car.

1st "Driving Around" video - Tampa, Florida:    • Driving Around: TAMPA, Florida  

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