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Howeyhouse01Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5
CHistory
History · Howey-in-the-Hills

Howey-in-the-Hills dates to 1921, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 32% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Howey-in-the-Hills was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Its Register listing is the Howey House. Below: maps from 1969 on and the census since 1930.

1921founded
1on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Howey-in-the-Hills began

When was Howey-in-the-Hills founded?

1921

Howey-in-the-Hills dates its founding to 1921 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 338 in 19302020 census: 1,643105 years

How historic is Howey-in-the-Hills?

C

More historic than 32% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1916.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Howey-in-the-Hills’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Howey-in-the-Hills is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Howey-in-the-Hills’ overall grade.
Founding era1921, from Wikipedia: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19404.1% of homes (±2.2) · typical FL town 0.6% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register1 listing, 5 historic buildings, 23.2 per 10,000 residents · typical FL town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 32%
NewerOlder

Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Howey-in-the-Hills’ 23.2 sits above most of its state (89% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1921.

Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Howey-in-the-Hills’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Howey-in-the-Hills are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1930 and 1950, then grew 8-fold.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Howey-in-the-Hills’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Howey-in-the-Hills’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Howey-in-the-Hills, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,80019401960198020002020338 in 1930Low: 188

Lost a third of its people between 1930 and 1950, then grew 8-fold.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Howey-in-the-Hills’ Wikipedia page.

The story

How Howey-in-the-Hills came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Howey-in-the-Hills.

Read it all →

Howey-in-the-Hills was founded by William John Howey, a citrus grower and real-estate developer who began to plat his land near Lake Harris for housing development in 1921. On May 8, 1925, it was officially incorporated as the Town of Howey, and served as its first mayor. In 1927, the name of the municipality was officially changed to the Town of Howey-in-the-Hills, to reflect the location of the town in an area of rolling hills, which he nicknamed "The Florida Alps".

The first citrus juice factory in Florida was built in Howey-in-the-Hills by William John Howey in 1921.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Howey-in-the-Hills, 1916 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1916Post officeThe Howey post office opens
  3. 1921
    FoundingHowey-in-the-Hills is established
  4. 1928Post officeThe Howey post office closes
  5. 1928Post officeThe Howey In The Hills post office opens
  6. 1969On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 21st century
  8. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 1,643
By decade

Howey-in-the-Hills, decade by decade

Today7 recent
NB FL 19; Sgt 1st Class Michael C Aten Mem Hwy2026NB FL 19; Sgt 1st Class Michael C Aten Mem HwyNB FL 19 Howey-in-the-Hills; Tavares 7, Eustis 102026NB FL 19 Howey-in-the-Hills; Tavares 7, Eustis 10E End Lake CR 48 @ FL 19;2026E End Lake CR 48 @ FL 19;Mission Inn Waterfall2014Mission Inn WaterfallPlaza de la Fontana, Mission Inn Resort & Club2013Plaza de la Fontana, Mission Inn Resort & ClubEl Campeon Golf Course, Mission Inn Resort & Club2013El Campeon Golf Course, Mission Inn Resort & ClubFLMap-doton-Howey-in-the-Hills2004FLMap-doton-Howey-in-the-Hills
On the map

Howey-in-the-Hills on the map, 1969 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Howey-in-the-Hills. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Howey-in-the-Hills on the 1969 USGS mapHowey-in-the-Hills on the 1979 USGS map1969Howey In The Hills sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Howey-in-the-Hills.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Howey-in-the-Hills

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
Howey House
Howey House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Mediterranean Revival1
Howey HouseMediterranean Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Howey-in-the-Hills

Nobody well known was born in Howey-in-the-Hills itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jeff DempsAmerican football player and sprinter · b. 1990
Peter HootenAmerican actor and producer · b. 1950
Solomon JonesAmerican basketball player · b. 1984
Elizabeth CookAmerican singer · b. 1972
Keon EllisAmerican basketball player · b. 2000
J
Jonathan LucroyBaseball player from the United States · b. 1986
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Howey, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Howey
1916–1928
Howey In The Hills
1928–today
19101970today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Howie In The Hills
Gone or out of use
Howey Landing Stripairport
1cemetery inside Howey-in-the-Hills
Taylor Memorial

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

YalahaIts storyC−

Questions about Howey-in-the-Hills’ history

What year was Howey-in-the-Hills founded?

In 1921, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Howey-in-the-Hills’ post office opened in 1916, and the census of 1930 counted 338 people here.

How does Howey-in-the-Hills rank for history?

Howey-in-the-Hills is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Howey-in-the-Hills?

One place: the Howey House (listed 1983).

How old are the homes in Howey-in-the-Hills?

4% of Howey-in-the-Hills’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1990.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (7), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.