Lutz, Florida

Lutz, Florida
Unincorporated Community
Lutz Train Depot
Nickname:  "Cactus Hat"
Location in Hillsborough County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°8′22″N 82°27′43″W / 28.13944°N 82.46194°W / 28.13944; -82.46194
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Hillsborough, Pasco
Area [1]
• Total	26.84 sq mi (69.51 km2)
• Land	24.43 sq mi (63.27 km2)
• Water	2.41 sq mi (6.24 km2)
Elevation	69 ft (21 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	23,707
• Density	970.48/sq mi (374.70/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	33548, 33549, 33558, 33559
Area code	813
FIPS code	12-41775[2]
GNIS feature ID	0286224[3]

Lutz /ˈluːts/ is an unincorporated community in Hillsborough County and Pasco County, Florida, United States, 15 miles (24 km) north of Tampa. While there is a census-designated area of Lutz, the community itself extends beyond those boundaries into other census-designated areas.

Lutz began with the construction of a small train depot on the Tampa Northern Railroad. The area surrounding the depot officially became known as "Lutz" when the U.S. Postal Service authorized a post office. The community was named for W. P. Lutz, who was credited with bringing the railroad to town.^[4]

As people moved to the rural community from Tampa, the Lutz area continued to grow until it no longer depended on the "Lutz Junction", which was demolished in the late 1960s.

In 2000, a replica of the depot was rebuilt in the approximate location, which is now at the intersection of Lutz-Lake Fern Road and U.S. Highway 41. The post office's structure is still in the same place today, although it is now an art gallery. A public library is located behind the train depot replica. This area is known as "Beautiful Downtown Lutz" and had a song written about it in 1981.^[5]

Part of the movie Edward Scissorhands was filmed on Tinsmith Circle in the neighborhood of Carpenter's Run in north Lutz in Pasco County. In the credits the town is named in the "Thank you" section.^[6]

Lutz is located in northwestern Hillsborough County and southern Pasco County at 28°8′22″N 82°27′43″W / 28.13944°N 82.46194°W / 28.13944; -82.46194 (28.139428, -82.462028).^[7] It is bordered to the east by a region of Tampa known as New Tampa, to the south by the Lake Magdalene and University unincorporated communities, and to the west by unincorporated Keystone, all in Hillsborough County. To the north, Lutz is bordered by Land o' Lakes and Wesley Chapel in Pasco County.

Interstate 275 runs through the east side of Lutz, joining its parent highway Interstate 75 in the northeast corner of the community. U.S. Route 41 runs through the center of Lutz, and Florida State Road 597 forms part of the western border. Downtown Tampa is 14 miles (23 km) to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Lutz CDP has a total area of 27.1 square miles (70.2 km²), of which 24.6 square miles (63.8 km²) are land and 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²), or 9.06%, are water.^[8]

ZIP codes which serve Lutz and the surrounding areas are 33548, 33549, 33558 and 33559. These ZIP codes extend north past the Hillsborough County line to State Road 54 in unincorporated southern Pasco County. That area is also called Lutz, and often referred to as "Pasco Lutz" by residents and newspapers.^[9]

As of the 2020 census,^[11] the Lutz CDP had a population of 23,707 with 8,584 households.

By age, the population was split as follows: 4.7% of the population were under 5 years old, 23.1% were under 18 years old, and 18.7% were 65 years and older. 50.3% of the population were female.

77.6% were white, 5.4% were black or African American, 0.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.3% were Asian, 9.3% were two or more races, and 14.4% were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 1,700 veterans (including Steve) living in the CDP and 10.2% of the population were Foreign born persons.

97.0% of the households had a computer and 94.9% of the households had a broadband internet subscription.

Of the population aged 25 years or older, 97.0% had a high school diploma or higher and 49.5% of that same population had a Bachelor's degree or higher.

Of the population under 65 years old, 6.6% lived with a disability and 7.7% of that same population did not have health insurance.

The median household income was $91,875 with a per capita income of $46,908. 3.8% of the population lived below the poverty threshold.

Lutz is served by Hillsborough & Pasco County Public Schools through the following:

• Schwarzkopf Elementary School
• Lutz K-8
• Mckitrick Elementary School
• Bexley Elementary School
• Miles Elementary School
• Buchanan Middle School
• Martinez Middle School
• Walker Middle School
• Ben Hill K-8
• Maniscalco K-8
• Freedom High School
• Gaither High School
• Steinbrenner High School
• Sickles High School
• Sunlake High School

• Lutz Civic Association
• History of Lutz