The city was named after U.S. Army Major Francis L. Dade who was killed alongside most of the men he led from Fort Brooke (present-day Tampa) to Fort King (present-day Ocala) in the Dade Battle, which marked the beginning of the Second Seminole War.

The gently rolling hills of eastern Pasco County give way to this quintessential Southern small town that is known and beloved by many for its slow-paced, "Old Florida" ambience.

The railroad was constructed a few miles to the east of Fort Dade, so business owners chose to relocate in order to be nearer to it.

[8] Its artifacts and exhibits include a 1913 locomotive, a Methodist church, a house built before the American Civil War, an old school, and an old train depot from Trilby, Florida.

[9] The Hugh Embry Library, currently located on 4th Street in downtown Dade City, was opened in 1904 when its namesake, then 25 years old, was recovering from an illness.

Embry had a strong desire to read, but at that time there was no public library located in Dade City.

He solicited donations of books from local households, and developed a small library in the Embry home on Church Street (now the site of the U.S. Post Office).

Efforts of active community members and civic organizations such as the Dade City Woman's Club kept the library open.

Puckett describes Dade City before and after the Florida land boom as "a typical southern agriculture area, where the few well-to-do controlled the economy and the poor white folks and Negroes did the work for minimal pay.

Puckett described Dade City as it existed during the Florida boom, with its various shops, streets, and buildings.

The prisoners were German soldiers from Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps, who were captured in battles in North Africa in 1942-1943.

Dade City is popular with tourists for its antique stores, historic buildings, and various renowned events.

The festival celebrates the widely locally grown kumquat, a citrus fruit that is eaten whole and is similar in size to an olive.

The Dade City Cruise In car show is held every first Saturday from September to May around the historic courthouse square.

During the holiday season, the annual Dade City Christmas parade is held on the first Friday in December.

Standing front and center as the crown jewel of historic downtown Dade City is the stately Pasco County Courthouse.

Wells Fargo currently occupies the two-story brick building across from the courthouse on the northeast corner of Meridian Avenue and 7th Street.

Pasco County Public Transportation provides local bus service on routes 30 & 31 in Dade City.