Straddling the Pasco-Hillsborough county line, Odessa is a rapidly growing
unincorporated community with borders that are difficult to define. Long known
for its rolling pastureland, lakes, and equestrian lifestyle, Odessa uniquely
balances a relaxed, semi-rural character with the modern conveniences of
suburban Tampa Bay.
The area was first settled in the mid-19th century by the Mobley family, who ran
a timber and cattle plantation. In the 1880s, Russian immigrant and railroad
developer Peter Demens brought the Orange Belt Railway through the area. He
named the settlement "Odessa" after the Ukrainian port city on the Black Sea. He
was same developer who founded and named nearby St. Petersburg, Florida - after
his hometown in Russia.
The core area of Odessa
from years past, located near the intersection of S.R. 54 and Gunn Highway,
was home to multiple sawmills - the Mueller & Lutz Saw Mill, the Dowling Lumber
Mill, the Gulf Pine Sawmill, and the Lyon Pine Saw Mill. For decades, Odessa
operated primarily as an industrial and agricultural hub driven by the sawmills,
turpentine production, cattle, and citrus groves. In the mid 1920s, two of
the mills burnt down. And with the supply of timber dwindling, and a downturn in
the economy, the workers moved on to other locations leaving the original
settlers. By the 1930s, the once booming population had dwindled to about 300
people.
In recent years, the region has seen significant residential expansion, due in
part to its proximity to the Tampa Bay job market. Master-planned
developments—such as Starkey Ranch and Bexley—have introduced miles of paved
trail systems, community parks, resort-style pools, and modern town centers
without entirely sacrificing the open-space feel that attracts residents in the
first place. The Odessa Community Park on Chesapeake Drvie - owned and
maintained by Pasco County - continues to act as a gathering place and community
center..
Activities & Facilities
Restaurant
Playground
Picnic shelter
Dogs allowed
Short hiking trails
Paved bike trails
Fishing