Zephyrhills is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was counted at 17,194 in the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. Zephyrhills is also known as the headquarters of the Zephyrhills bottled water company and is a member of Tree City USA. History Zephyrhills began as the town of Abbott on April 18, 1888, and consisted of 280.74 acres. A voting district was established in 1893 followed by a post office in 1896. In 1909, Captain Howard B. Jeffries, a Civil War Union veteran from Pennsylvania, purchased 35,000 acres and created the Zephyrhills Colony Company with a plan to create a community for Civil War veterans. In 1910 the town voted to change its name to Zephyrhills; it was incorporated in 1914. In 1941, one resident reported that Zephyrhills had a sundown town policy forbidding African Americans from living within the city limits. The city created a historic district in 1999; in 2001 the Zephyrhills Historic District was nominated for and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A Founders Day celebration is held annually in March. Geography Zephyrhills is known for its rolling topography, hence the name. Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and warm, generally dry winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Zephyrhills has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Demographics As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,194 people, 7,178 households, and 4,174 families residing in the city. Of the total population, 4.4% were under 5 years old, 18.1% were under 18 years old, and 35.7% were 65 years and over. 54.9% of the population were female. There were 1,548 veterans living in the city and 8.0% were foreign born persons. 89.8% of households had a computer and 81.6% of households had a broadband internet subscription. 18.1% of the population under the age of 65 lived with a disability and 20.1% of that same population did not have health insurance. The median household income was $36,799 and the per capita income was $21,848. 17.8% of the population lived below the poverty threshold. Arts and culture The Zephyrhills Public Library was founded in 1912. According to the city's website, "The Library provides open and equal access to the resources and services of the library. The Library seeks to encourage reading and the use of