Leesburg is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. As of 2020, the population had exactly 27,000 residents.
Leesburg is in central Florida, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the Ocklawaha River. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Lake–Sumter State College and Beacon College are located in Leesburg.
History
Leesburg was first settled in 1857 by Evander McIver Lee and Susannah Lee.
The citrus industry was the principal business in this area for decades, but devastating freezes in December 1983 and February 1985 persuaded growers to move their groves further south. In 1997, Leesburg Bikefest started. It has since become an annual spring tradition, with upwards of 250,000 people attending every year.
Today, most of Leesburg's growth and economic development is the result of its increasing popularity as a retirement destination. In addition, the rapid growth of nearby Orlando has resulted in demand for housing here, as many people commute to Orlando for work. In 1977, 2011, 2016 and 2017, the Leesburg High School boys' basketball team won the FHSAA Class 4A State Championship, with the back to back 16/17 championships happening under head coach Sean Campbell.
In spring 2017, the Holding Company of the Villages planned to acquire 2,600 acres north and south of County Road 470 along the east side of Florida’s Turnpike for future development. The deal with the mega-retirement community has passed due diligence by the Leesburg City Commission. Age-restricted zoning ordinance changes have already been approved by the Leesburg Planning Commission (with the city commission giving final approval). The initial plans call for building approximately 4,500 homes and some commercial development.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (23.65%) is water.
Leesburg is located 44.5 miles NNW of Orlando, 270 miles N of Miami, and 221 miles SW of Tallahassee, the state capital.
Several major highways pass through Leesburg, including U.S. Highway 27, U.S. Highway 441 and S.R. 44. Florida's Turnpike passes just to the south and west of Leesburg. Leesburg was on the western leg of the Dixie Highway.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Leesburg has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+Leesburg racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|11,917
|13,978
|59.24%
|51.77%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|5,560
|6,811
|27.64%
|25.23%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|55
|63
|0.27%
|0.23%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|340
|520
|1.69%
|1.93%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|43
|78
|0.21%
|0.29%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|17
|190
|0.08%
|0.70%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|380
|1,115
|1.89%
|4.13%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|1,805
|4,245
|8.97%
|15.72%
|-
|Total
|20,117
|27,000
|
|
|-
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Leesburg had a population of 27,000. The median age was 43.7 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.3 males age 18 and over.
98.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 11,348 households in Leesburg, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.0% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2000 census
As of the census and in 2007, it moved to a building. The library joined the Lake County Library System in 2002.
The Leesburg Center for the Arts is a nonprofit founded in 2000 to provide art education and exhibitions.
The Leesburg African American Museum contains African-American artifacts.
The Melon Patch Players is a nonprofit theater group founded in 1951.
Sports
Baseball
From 1922 to 1924, the city's Cooke Field was used by the Philadelphia Phillies for their spring training sessions. On March 14, 1923, the stadium was used for the site of an exhibition game between the Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1936, the city built the Ballpark at Venetian Gardens, which was used by several minor league baseball clubs that played in the Florida State League from 1937 to 1968. The city won league titles in 1941 and 1946. Since 2007, the city has been the home of the Leesburg Lightning, a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball team in the Florida Collegiate Summer League.
Shooting exhibitions
During the 1920s, sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who had a residence in Leesburg, performed shooting exhibitions at Cooke Field, including one for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Education
thumb|[[Leesburg High School (Leesburg, Florida)|Leesburg High School]]
Public schools
Lake County Schools operates public primary and secondary schools:
Public high school
- Leesburg High School
Public middle schools
- Carver Middle School
- Oak Park Middle School
Public elementary schools
- Beverly Shores Elementary School
- Leesburg Elementary School
- Treadway Elementary School
Other public school
- Rimes Early Learning and Literacy Center
Private schools
- First Academy-Leesburg
- Saint Paul Catholic School-Leesburg
Colleges
- Beacon College
- Lake–Sumter State College
Infrastructure
Leesburg International Airport is a small hub airport at the intersection of CR 44 and US 441, in front of Lake-Sumter State College. It is a hub of JetSky airlines, and serves Lake, Sumter, and Marion Counties.
Notable people
- Abe Anellis, a food microbiologist born in Mahilyow, Belarus, retired in Leesburg in 1977
- Vince Fechtel Jr., politician
- Susan Harrison, actress
- Virgil D. Hawkins, African-American attorney and civil rights activist
- Jonathan Hay, music producer, publicist
- Syd Herlong, politician
- Dan Hinote, St. Louis Blues center, born in Leesburg
- Bill McBride, former candidate for Florida governor, husband of former Florida CFO Alex Sink, grew up in Leesburg
- David McCheyne Newell, author, journalist
- Ginger Minj (Joshua Allen Eads), drag queen
- George Stephen Morrison, raised in Leesburg, father of Jim Morrison of The Doors
- Austin "Red" Robbins, ABA player, born in Leesburg
- Brady Singer, professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals
- Robert S Singleton, American engineer and scientist, graduated from Leesburg High School
- Johnny Thunder, singer
- Lillian Vickers-Smith, first female newspaper sports editor and writer for the Leesburg Commercial