Tarpon Springs, FL

Tarpon Springs is a Pinellas County city in the Tampa Bay area, set among bayous that feed into the Gulf of Mexico. It is best known for its Greek influence and sponge-diving heritage, which earned it the nickname Little Greece. Farmers and fishermen settled the area in the 1870s, and the city's waterfront identity remains central today. Tarpon Springs has a more distinctive cultural profile than many Florida coastal towns, with Greek food, churches, docks, and water all part of the local texture.