Located midway along the west coast of Florida, Hillsborough County encompasses 1,072 square miles, 24 of which are made up of inland waterways. The unincorporated area encompasses 931 square miles, or more than 86 percent of the total county area. Incorporated cities are Temple Terrace, Plant City, and Tampa which is the largest city and serves as the county seat.

Hillsborough County, which takes its name from the British Colonial Secretary of 1772, was first mapped and explored by the Spanish in the early 16th century. Between 1559 and 1819, the area now called Florida was under the rule of four nations: Spain, France, Great Britain and, finally, the United States. The United States purchased Florida from Spain in 1821 for $5 million.

In 1845, Florida was granted statehood. And, on Jan. 25, 1834, the U.S. Legislative Council for the Territory of Florida approved an act organizing Hillsborough as Florida's 19th county. At that time, Hillsborough County was a sprawling area that included what is now Pinellas, Polk, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties, most of Glades and a third of Lee counties. Despite its size, Hillsborough's population then only numbered 836, not counting soldiers or Native Americans.