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Of course. Fish Hawk is one of the most significant and successful examples of 21st-century master-planned community development in Florida. I see Fish Hawk as the gold standard for the modern, resort-style, family-focused lifestyle that has come to define the new wave of suburban growth in the Tampa Bay area.

Zip Codes: 33547

Latitude, Longitude: 27.8506° N, 82.2109° W

The Birth of a “New Hometown” 🏡

The story of Fish Hawk is quite recent, beginning in the mid-1990s when developer Newland Communities acquired a massive tract of former pasture and phosphate mining land in rural southeastern Hillsborough County. Their vision was not just to build another subdivision, but to create a complete, self-contained “new hometown” from the ground up, based on the principles of new urbanism.

The name Fish Hawk was chosen for its authentic connection to the local environment. It’s named after FishHawk Creek, a significant natural waterway that meanders through the property. The creek itself is named for its most famous resident, the osprey, a majestic bird of prey commonly known as a “fish hawk.” By adopting this name, the developers immediately branded the community with an image of nature and environmental stewardship.

A core part of the development plan was a commitment to conservation, with over a thousand acres of the land set aside as preserved wetlands and wildlife corridors. This, combined with a design that emphasized walkable neighborhoods, a central town square, and a vast network of trails, was meant to create the feel of an idyllic small town blended with the amenities of a five-star resort.

A Resort-Style Community 🌳

Today, Fish Hawk is a sprawling, affluent, and highly desirable unincorporated community. Its identity is almost entirely defined by its A-rated schools and its unparalleled amenities. For residents, life revolves around the community’s various clubhouses, resort-style pools, fitness centers, and miles of paved trails. It has fostered a distinct, almost bubble-like culture, where families can enjoy a huge range of recreational activities without ever leaving the neighborhood.

The social heart of the community is Park Square, a charming, walkable town center with restaurants, shops, and a central park that hosts concerts, farmers markets, and community events. Like most of the large suburbs in the region, Fish Hawk is an unincorporated Census-Designated Place (CDP), governed by Hillsborough County. However, a powerful network of homeowners’ associations maintains the community’s incredibly high standards and manages its extensive private amenities.

Fish Hawk by the Numbers 📊

The demographic data for Fish Hawk clearly reflects its status as a premier, family-oriented, and affluent community.

• Official Designation: Census-Designated Place (CDP)
• County: Hillsborough
• Established: Development began in 1996.
• Named For: FishHawk Creek, which is named for the osprey (a “fish hawk”).
• Population: Approximately 25,000 residents.
• Area: About 16 square miles.
• Median Age: Roughly 39 years old, a prime demographic for families with school-aged children.
• Racial & Ethnic Composition:
  • White (non-Hispanic): ~68%
  • Hispanic or Latino: ~13%
  • Asian: ~7%
  • Black or African American: ~6%
• Median Household Income: Approximately $135,000, making it one of the wealthiest communities in the Tampa Bay region.

Landmarks and Community Hubs 🍦

Life in Fish Hawk is centered around its unique, purpose-built amenities and top-tier schools.

• Park Square: The social and commercial heart of Fish Hawk. This beautifully designed town center features a variety of restaurants, cafes, and shops surrounding a central park with fountains, making it a natural gathering spot for residents.
• The FishHawk Aquatic Club: The signature amenity of the community, this facility features lagoon-style swimming pools, a water slide, and a competition pool, epitomizing the resort-style lifestyle that draws families to the area.
• Newsome High School: One of the top-rated public high schools in Florida, the presence of Newsome (and the other A-rated schools that feed into it) is arguably the single biggest driver of the community’s growth and high property values.
• FishHawk Sports Complex: A massive, 140-acre county park located within the community that is a hub for youth sports. With dozens of fields for baseball, softball, soccer, and football, it underscores the community’s family-first, active lifestyle.
• CDB’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant: A beloved local institution in neighboring Valrico that has been a family-night tradition for the entire region for over 40 years. It represents the kind of authentic, long-standing local business that Fish Hawk families embrace for a taste of home outside the master-planned community.