thumb|upright|Crystal River's Water Tower
Crystal River is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,396 in the 2020 census, up from 3,108 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was incorporated in 1903 and is the self-professed "Home of the Manatee". Crystal River Preserve State Park is located nearby, and Crystal River Archaeological State Park is located in the city's northwest side.
Crystal River is at the heart of the Nature Coast of Florida. The city is situated around Kings Bay, which is spring-fed so it keeps a constant temperature year-round. A cluster of 50 springs designated as a first-magnitude system feeds Kings Bay. A first-magnitude system discharges 100 cubic feet or more of water per second, which equals about 64 million gallons of water per day. Because of this discharge amount, the Crystal River Springs group is the second largest springs group in Florida, the first being Wakulla Springs in Wakulla County near Tallahassee. Kings Bay can be home to over 400 manatees during the winter when the water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico cools, and is the only place in the United States where people can legally interact with them in their natural conditions without that interaction being viewed as harassment by law enforcement agencies. Tourism based on watching and swimming with manatees is the fastest growing contribution to the local economy. In 2005, there was a movement to dissolve the city which did not succeed, and the city has since grown by annexation.
Geography
275px|left|thumb|Kings Bay is fed by a springs system; it is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by the [[Crystal River (Florida)|Crystal River.]]
Crystal River is located northwest of the center of Citrus County on the northeast side of Kings Bay and the Crystal River, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Routes 19 and 98 pass through the center of the city, leading south to Homosassa Springs and north to Chiefland. State Road 44 leads east from Crystal River to Inverness, the Citrus County seat.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Crystal River has a total area of , of which is land and 9.35% is water.
History
In the Pleistocene era, the land on which Crystal River is located was vastly different from today. The west coast of Florida is thought to have extended an additional into the Gulf of Mexico. During excavations for the Crystal River Nuclear Plant in 1969, scientists discovered rhinoceros and mastodon bones, as well as the shells of an extremely large armadillo and a large land tortoise. The Native American name for Crystal River was Weewahi Iaca.
Crystal River Mall opened north of the center of town in 1990, which is now closed down.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+Crystal River racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|2,592
|2,780
|83.40%
|81.86%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|231
|239
|7.43%
|7.04%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|8
|13
|0.26%
|0.38%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|64
|44
|2.06%
|1.30%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|3
|1
|0.10%
|0.03%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|0
|19
|0.00%
|0.56%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|49
|134
|1.58%
|3.95%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|161
|166
|5.18%
|4.89%
|-
|Total
|3,108
|3,396
|
|
|-
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Crystal River had a population of 3,396. The median age was 59.8 years. 13.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 39.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.7 males age 18 and over.
97.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,587 households in Crystal River, of which 17.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.8% were married-couple households, 21.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 3,108 people, 1,472 households, and 835 families residing in the city.
In 2010, the population density was . There were 2,036 housing units at an average density of .
In 2010, there were 1,472 households, out of which 18% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.3% were non-families. 56.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.61.
In 2010, in the city, the population was spread out, with 15.9% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 15.7% from 25 to 44, 31% from 45 to 64, and 33.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. The population was composed of 1,477 males and 1,631 females.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,485 people, 1,498 households, and 927 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,956 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.76% White, 12.88% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 3.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2000, there were 1,498 households out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.68.
In 2000, in the city the population was spread out with 19.0% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $37,207, and the median income for a family was $47,250. Males had a median income of $39,357 versus $25,417 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,866. About 3.5% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Crystal River uses a city council with five elected members, including the mayor. As of March 2024, the current mayor of Crystal River is Joe Meek.
Education
thumb|[[Crystal River High School]]
The city is served by Citrus County Schools. Residents are zoned to Crystal River Primary [elementary] School, Crystal River Middle School, and Crystal River High School.
The Coastal Region Library of Citrus Libraries is in Crystal River.
Healthcare
The only hospital that operates in Crystal River is TGH Crystal River.
Notable people
- Mike Hampton, professional MLB player
- Rob Hermann, American Greco-Roman wrestler and coach
- May Mann Jennings, former First Lady of Florida and civic activist
- Gerald "Jerry" Wood Merrick, songwriter
- Jack Roland Murphy, jewel thief
- Wendi Richter, professional wrestler
References
External links
- City of Crystal River official website
- Crystal River News, historical newspaper for Crystal River openly accessible in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library
- Citrus County Visitors & Convention Bureau