Tarpon Springs is the oldest city in Pinellas County, Florida.
With a population of around 30,000 , it is not far from Tampa, Florida
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| Downtown Tarpon Spring, Florida |
We have never heard of this city before until we are in Florida. While chatting with the hotel staff, one of the friendly staff personnel recommended us to visit this place not too far from where we are.
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| We came across a winery on our walk to Tarpon Springs |
Tarpon Springs used to be the playground of the wealthy northerners .
These seasonal residents built luxurious estates along the Spring Bayou.
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| A poster with a sponge diver in Tarpon Spring, Floride |
In the 1880's, people discovered the rich sponge beds under the waters in the Gulf. A sponge industry started to flourish.
Experienced and young sponge divers were recruited from the Dodecanese Islands of Greece to Tarpon Springs to dive for these sponges.
By 1905, there were five hundred Greek sponge divers working with fifty boats in Tarpon Springs.
The sponge industry lasted for over thirty years becoming the most important industry in Florida, more important than the citrus and tourism industry.
With many sponge divers and their families coming to the city, from Greece, a Greek community was established and has been thriving in Tarpon Springs since 1905.
Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of concentration of Greek Americans,
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| A Greek Orthodox Church, Tarpon Springs |
Tarpon Springs is a unique town with two cultures coexisting and thriving in harmony: a rich Victoria culture and a thriving Greek community.
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| Downtown of Tarpon Springs |
As we strolled along the downtown streets and historic area of Tampa Springs, we saw shops, buildings and churches from both cultures.
It is a beautiful town with an interesting
and a non violent past!
R.T.
Tarpon Springs
Florida
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