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Durant is an unincorporated community in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The community is located on County Road 676, 6.4 miles east-southeast of Brandon. Durant has a post office with ZIP code 33530, which opened on August 27, 1902. Durant is home to Durant High School.

Elevation: 43′

Of course. Durant is one of those quintessential “Old Florida” communities that serves as a vital touchstone to Hillsborough County’s agricultural roots. I see Durant as a quiet but crucial piece of the county’s identity—a small, rural crossroads that has managed to hold onto its farming heritage while the world around it has rapidly changed.

Zip Codes: 33530

Latitude, Longitude: 27.9074°N, 82.1792°W

A Railroad Switch and a Strawberry Patch 🍓

To understand Durant, you have to understand the railroad. Like many of the small towns in eastern Hillsborough, its existence is owed to the steel tracks laid in the late 19th century. The community emerged as a settlement and a key loading stop on the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad (later the Seaboard Air Line). Its first post office was established in 1893.

The community was named for J. J. Durant, a prominent local landowner and farmer who became its first postmaster. This was a common practice in rural Florida, where a town’s identity was often directly tied to its founding families.

From its inception, Durant’s economy was singular: agriculture. It is located squarely within the famed “Winter Strawberry Capital of the World” region. For over a century, Durant was a place of strawberry fields, packing houses, and the small general stores and services that supported the generations of farmers and agricultural workers who lived there. It was, and in many ways still is, a community whose calendar is dictated by the planting and harvesting seasons.

A Quiet Place in a Fast-Paced County 🚜

What’s remarkable about Durant today is how much of its rural character it has retained. It is crucial to note that Durant is not an incorporated city or even a Census-Designated Place (CDP). It is a recognized but unincorporated community, a small dot on the map between the suburban sprawl of Valrico and the agricultural city of Plant City.¹

The “center” of Durant is little more than a crossroads at Durant Road and County Line Road, anchored by its post office and a few local businesses. The surrounding landscape is a patchwork of vast strawberry fields, nurseries, cattle pastures, and homes on large lots. Unlike its neighbors, which have seen explosive subdivision growth, Durant’s location slightly removed from the main interstate corridors has insulated it, allowing it to remain a quiet place where farming is still the dominant way of life.

Durant by the Numbers 📊

Because Durant is not an officially designated census area, there are no precise demographic statistics for the community itself. However, as an expert on the region, I can describe its character.

• Official Designation: Unincorporated Community
• County: Hillsborough
• Established: Post office established in 1893.
• Named For: Its first postmaster, J. J. Durant.
• Population: The immediate community is very small, likely numbering in the hundreds to perhaps a thousand residents. However, the high school and post office serve a much larger surrounding rural population.
• Demographic Character: The community is composed of multi-generational farming families and a significant agricultural workforce, which includes a large and vibrant Hispanic community that is essential to the area’s economy.

Landmarks of a Farming Community 👩‍🌾

The most important places in and around Durant are deeply tied to its identity as a rural, agricultural, and family-oriented community.

• Durant High School: The largest and most significant modern institution bearing the Durant name. Opened in 1995, this large high school is a major point of pride and a central hub for families from Durant, Valrico, Lithia, and Plant City.
• Henry G. “Doc” KNOTTS Post Office: The local post office is the civic heart of a small community like Durant. In 2008, it was officially named in honor of “Doc” Knotts, a beloved local postmaster who served for 37 years, a testament to the town’s tight-knit character.
• Spivey Farms: A perfect representative of Durant’s agricultural backbone. The Spivey family has been farming in the area for generations, and their farm market is a popular local spot for fresh strawberries and produce.
• Turkey Creek Stables: Reflecting the area’s equestrian lifestyle, this large facility offers boarding, training, and riding lessons, showcasing the rural character of the region beyond just strawberries.
• Alafia River State Park: Just a few miles south of Durant, this is the primary recreational destination for local residents. Its unique, hilly terrain (from its past life as a phosphate mine) makes it one of the top destinations for mountain biking in the entire state.