It includes numerous parks and trails located along rivers, the Gulf of Mexico, lakes, and highway/railroad right-of-ways.

[4] West Pasco includes retirement areas, commercial fishing, and suburbs of Tampa.

The county was named after Samuel Pasco, who had just been elected to the United States Senate.

[5] Dade City was named the temporary county seat until a popular vote was held in 1889, at which time voters made Dade City the permanent county seat.

The issue was finally resolved in the late 1970s with the construction of identical government centers in both Dade City and New Port Richey.

[citation needed] During the Florida land boom of the 1920s, New Port Richey became the winter home of silent screen star Thomas Meighan and golfer Gene Sarazen; Meighan attempted to bring other Hollywood figures to the city.

The growth began along the Gulf coast but is now occurring most rapidly in areas north of Tampa.

[7] A portion of Eastern Pasco County contains rolling topography with elevations from 100 to 160 ft (30 to 49 m), along with San Antonio and St. Leo.

The county has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and average temperatures in Dade City range from 59.2 °F in January to 82.1 °F in July and August while in Port Richey they range from 59.0 °F in January to 82.2 °F in August.

Amtrak formerly provided passenger rail service to Dade City on that line, but the stop was terminated in late 2004.

Notable abandoned railroad lines include a former branch of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad northwest of Trilacoochee (formerly Owensboro Junction) that became part of the Withlacoochee State Trail, a segment of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad branch stretching from Zephyrhills to Trilacoochee, the former Tampa and Thonotosassa Railroad along the east side of US 301 that spanned from Sulphur Springs to Zephyrhills, part of the Orange Belt Railway which became the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad which ran from St. Petersburg and entered the county in what is today Trinity to Trilby (abandoned during the early to mid-1970s), and a branch of the Seaboard Air Line that ran through Holiday, Elfers and into New Port Richey.

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad until 1957 ran the Southland through Trilby and Tarpon Springs, en route to St. Petersburg.

[27] Prior to the 1967 merger for the SCL that service had been the western branch of the ACL's Champion from New York City.

[28] Until 1968 the SCL ran its Sunland from Washington, DC and Portsmouth, VA to Tampa.

[29] The SAL Tarpon Springs branch line from Tarpon Junction 14 miles west of Tampa to Elfers and thence to Newport Richey to New Port Richey was lost its passenger service and became listed as freight only between 1932 and 1938.

The tracks from Elfers and Chemical (an industrial area in the extreme southwest part of the county along the Anclote River west of Holiday) to Tarpon Springs were removed in the late 1980s, leaving the western half of the county without freight rail service.

Their headquarters, located in Land o' Lakes holds the administration, staff chief, public information, community risk reduction, and ambulance billing departments.

[33] Pasco County Fire Rescue also has a mobile integrated health program to help those after an overdose.

Cards are free for all Pasco County residents and for those who pay property taxes to the city of New Port Richey.

[61] Kayaking, canoeing, sailing, power boating, jet skiing, and fishing are popular along the coast, and large tracts are preserved from development.