PLANT CITY, Fla. — Just east of Tampa, you will find Plant City. It sits at the crossroads of old Florida charm and new opportunity.
“We have all kinds of really cool businesses, lots of local restaurants. So, it's definitely a destination place for you to come out on the weekends,” said Libby Hopkins, the director of Plant City History and Photo Archives.
WATCH Plant City: A small town with deep roots in agriculture
Life moves at its own pace here, with friendly faces, historic streets and an unmistakable sense of community.
“Everybody really is big on the community here in Plant City, and we love to give back to the community and support everybody in a lot of different ways,” said Katie Bock, brand manager at Keel Farms.
Plant City is rooted in hard work and heart.
“You have people who've been here for generations, for 100 plus years, and they're kind of, they've built the groundwork for what Plant City is,” said Cody Lenz, the co-owner of Three Hands Mead Company.
Known as the “Winter Strawberry Capital of the World,” this city of roughly 40,000 is famous for its annual strawberry festival. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every spring from all over the world.
But beyond the berries, Plant City is growing fast. Thanks to downtown revitalization efforts, new restaurants, boutiques and art spaces are springing up in historic brick buildings.
City leaders are working hard to preserve the small-town feel while also welcoming development.
“We’ve operated with growth from a position of quality over quantity. We just don't want to see a lot of growth. We want to manage our growth. We want growth that reflects the values of our community,” said Bill McDaniel, the City Manager.
From hometown pride to future promise, Plant City is proving that growth doesn’t have to come at the cost of small-town charm or community spirit.
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