Dade City, Florida, the seat of Pasco County, is about 39 miles north of Tampa. It has a population of 7,232 (2018) people.

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Dade City was named after Major Francis L. Dade, 4th Infantry of the United States Army during the Second Seminole War.

Major Dade was killed in a battle with Seminole Indians that came to be known as the "Dade Massacre".  He is buried at the Saint Augustine National Cemetery in Saint Augustine, Florida in St. John's County.

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Dade City was originally established on December 23, 1836 as "Fort Dade", a year after the "Dade Massacre" and the death of Major Dade. 

The community of Dade City was incorporated into Pasco County in 1889.

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The Pasco County Courthouse was built in 1909 and has been restored a couple of times. The building is on The National Register of Historic Places.

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In 1944 Dade City was the home of a prisoner of war (POW) camp, constructed by the US Military, that housed over 200 German prisoners of war.  The camp was just one branch (No. 7) of the 22 prisoner of war camps that were in Florida at the time. 

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For most of Dade City's past, citrus and cattle played major roles. At one time the Pasco Packaging Plant just north of downtown was the largest citrus processing plant in the world.

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For much more-in depth history of Dade City and Pasco County, visit Fivay.org

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