Lutz (IPA: /luts/) is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 17,081 at the 2000 census. Lutz was rated in the list of the 100 Best Places/Cities to live in 2004 by MSN.Geography

Lutz is located at 28°8′22″N, 82°27′43″W (28.139428, -82.462028)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 60.9 km² (23.5 mi²). 55.6 km² (21.5 mi²) of it is land and 5.3 km² (2.1 mi²) of it (8.75%) is water.

ZIP codes

Several ZIP Codes, which serve Lutz and the surrounding areas are 33548, 33549, 33558, and 33559.

History

Lutz began with the construction of a small train depot on the Tampa Northern Railroad which carried materials from Tampa to Brooksville. It was named "Lutz Station" by William Paul Lutz, an engineer on the Tampa Northern Railroad. The area surrounding the depot officially became known as Lutz when the U.S. Postal Service authorized a post office. The first post office was a 7 square foot building on a lot south of the depot. George Sibthorpe, the first postmaster of Lutz, moved the post office to his realty office. In 1914, the post office was again moved to inside the train depot. As people moved to the rural community from Tampa, the Lutz area continued to grow until it no longer depended on the "Lutz Junction", which was demolished in the late 1960s. In 2000, a replica of the depot was rebuilt in the approximate location, which is now at the intersection of Lutz-Lake Fern Rd. and US Highway 41. The post office's structure is still in the same place today, although it is now an art gallery. A public library is located behind the train depot replica. This area is known affectionately as "Beautiful Downtown Lutz".

Lutz was also used as a major filming location in the movie Edward Scissorhands. In the credits, the town is named in the "Thank you" section