Thonotosassa once was Hillsborough County’s premier fruit-growing region. Today, the area remains rural in nature, favored by Tampa professionals who enjoy small town living while just having a 20 minute drive to downtown Tampa. Thonotosassa is situated in the north central section of Hillsborough County, approximately 14 miles northeast of Tampa. Between 1812 and 1820, a Seminole-Creek village was located southeast of the Lake. The name Thonotosassa comes from the Seminole-Creek words “thlonto” and “sasse”, meaning the place was a source of valuable flint. The Seminole community is known to have existed near the Lake as late as 1843, led by Billy Bowlegs, a prominent Seminole Chief. Changes to the Thonotosassa area came with the arrival of the first group of white settlers in 1846. A.C. Moore established Thonotosassa’s first general store in 1883; and, in the same year, children were taught in the local one-room log schoolhouse. In 1893, the Tampa and Thonotosassa Railroad was born, which allowed for local farmers get their citrus crop to market as well as regularly scheduled mail deliveries.
