Oldsmar, Florida Oldsmar, Florida Aerial view of Oldsmar from the east Aerial view of Oldsmar from the east Oldsmar is a town/city of 13,591, as of the 2010 census, in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The Oldsmar name dates to April 12, 1916 when automobile pioneer Ransom E.
Olds purchased 37,541 acres (151.92 km2) of territory by the northern part of Tampa Bay to establish "R.
The name was later changed to Oldsmar, then to "Tampa Shores" in 1927, and finally back to Oldsmar in 1937.
Oldsmar includes a several parks along Tampa Bay, historic bungalows, a downtown, and a commercial region along West Hillsborough Avenue.
The historical society operates a exhibition in Oldsmar, and the town/city erected a new library in 2013.
In hopes of returning to the days of "Old Florida", Oldsmar's downtown is presently undergoing redevelopment accomplishments.
Oldsmar jubilates its history every year with Oldsmar Days and Nights, including parades, car shows (featuring the Oldsmobile), and carnival rides.
Notable Oldsmar businesses include the close-by Tampa Bay Downs and the manufacturing office of Nielsen Media Research.
According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 9.7 square miles (25.0 km2), of which 8.7 square miles (22.5 km2) is territory and 0.97 square miles (2.5 km2) (9.83%) is water. There were only a handful of pioneer in the region in 1916 when Ransom Eli Olds decided to purchase 37,541 acres (151.92 km2) on the northern tip of Tampa Bay from Richard Peters in what is the present-day Oldsmar.
At the age of 52, the inventor of the Oldsmobile and REO cars embarked on a grand undertaking, turning the untamed territory in northern Tampa Bay into a bustling community.
The name was later changed to Oldsmar.
In 1927 the name was changed again to Tampa Shores, and finally in 1937 it was changed back to Oldsmar.
Petersburg, Oldsmar was ripe for development.
Petersburg was through Oldsmar.
The streets of Oldsmar were unusually wide, and more than 20 miles (32 km) of sidewalk were installed.
He used the slogan "Oldsmar for Health, Wealth and Happiness".
He tried to entice Northern companies to move their businesses to Oldsmar by offering inexpensive labor.
The first library in Oldsmar was started by the Woman's Club in 1919.
In 1977 the Oldsmar Library was donated to the town/city and moved from the Woman's Club building to State Street in the City Hall Annex.
Original plans for Oldsmar encompassed a golf course and a luxurious hotel on the bay, but neither ever materialized.
The foundry produced the Olds Chair (also called the Oldsmar Chair), a sturdy chair made out of either yellow pine or cypress.
Renamed Oldsmar Tractor Co., Olds was hoping they could devise a machine to cut through the palmetto roots.
A casino was constructed by the bay, and busloads of citizens from Tampa and Pinellas County would flock to the Oldsmar Casino to spend the weekend.
The Oldsmar pier stretched out a thousand feet into Tampa Bay, and amid Prohibition, boats loaded with coconuts would arrive at the end of the pier with bottles of rum hidden in with the coconuts.
The Oldsmar Casino later changed its name to the Two Bits Club.
Oldsmar sits like a plateau where the territory altitude never rises higher than 20 feet (6.1 m) above sea level.
Some of the earliest homes assembled in Oldsmar remain on Park Boulevard.
When he realized Oldsmar was not burgeoning as he had anticipated, he started liquidating his assets.
Olds left the town of Oldsmar after suffering a financial loss of nearly $3,000,000.
The populace of Oldsmar was only about 200 when he left.
To avoid scandal, the town of Oldsmar was retitled Tampa Shores.
The Associated Press said that the Oldsmar building, with a cost figure of $80 million, was its "nerve center." In 2003 the business moved into its Oldsmar complex and merged its employees there, with workers from Dunedin and other areas in Pinellas County moving into the Oldsmar building. Oldsmar is part of the Pinellas County Schools precinct and is served by Countryside High School, along with sections served by East Lake High School.
Olds Park Dock Panoramic photograph into Upper Tampa Bay The Oldsmar Public Library "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Oldsmar city, Florida".
Oldsmar Historical Society - Brief History of Oldsmar "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Oldsmar city, Florida".
(Excerpted from Reflections of Oldsmar, 1996) Modern Oldsmar: Rediscovered at Last contributed by Paula Geist City of Oldsmar official website Oldsmar 100 Centennial 1916 - 2016 official website Municipalities and communities of Pinellas County, Florida, United States Belleair Beach Belleair Bluffs Clearwater Dunedin Gulfport Indian Rocks Beach Largo Madeira Beach Oldsmar Pinellas Park Safety Harbor St.
Categories:
Cities in Pinellas County, Florida - Populated places on Tampa Bay - Cities in Florida - Populated places established in 1916 - 1916 establishments in Florida
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