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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Rainforest East (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Rainforest East. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Rainforest East is located in Hillsborough County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Hillsborough County: Hardee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas & Polk.

Below are the counties that are near Rainforest East. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rainforest East:

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Rainforest East)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Lake Keen
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Keen
      • Lake Keen is located in Hillsborough County
    • Florida Townsend Colony
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florida Townsend Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florida Townsend Colony
      • Florida Townsend Colony is located in Hillsborough County
    • Lutz
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Brant Lake Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brant Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant Lake Village
      • Brant Lake Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Lake Brooker Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Brooker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Brooker Village
      • Lake Brooker Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Kambridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kambridge
      • Kambridge is located in Hillsborough County
    • Lake Sapphire Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Sapphire Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Sapphire Village
      • Lake Sapphire Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Yocam Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yocam Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yocam Village
      • Yocam Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Heritage Harbor Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heritage Harbor Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Harbor Village
      • Heritage Harbor Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Indian Mound Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Mound Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Northwood Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwood Village
      • Northwood Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Woodbriar Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodbriar Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbriar Village
      • Woodbriar Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Cheval Wimbledon Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cheval Wimbledon Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheval Wimbledon Village
      • Cheval Wimbledon Village is located in Hillsborough County
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Masaryktown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Spring Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Weeki Wachee Acres
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weeki Wachee Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeki Wachee Acres
      • Weeki Wachee Acres is located in Hernando County
    • Timber Pines
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timber Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Pines
      • Timber Pines is located in Hernando County
    • Spring Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
      • Spring Lake is located in Hernando County
    • South Brooksville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Brooksville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Brooksville
      • South Brooksville is located in Hernando County
    • Weeki Wachee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Hernando Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Brookridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookridge
      • Brookridge is located in Hernando County
    • High Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for High Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
      • High Point is located in Hernando County
    • Hill 'n Dale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill 'n Dale
      • Hill 'n Dale is located in Hernando County
    • Wiscon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiscon
      • Wiscon is located in Hernando County
    • Brooksville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Land O' Lakes
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Odessa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
    • Wesley Chapel
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fivay Junction ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fivay Junction. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay Junction
      • Fivay Junction is located in Pasco County
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fivay. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
    • Trinity
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Crystal Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
    • Saint Leo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • San Antonio
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio
      • San Antonio is located in Pasco County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,506 people
      • Former name for San Antonio:
      • Lake Jovita
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Antonio <2>
    • Zephyrhills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Elfers
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Holiday
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Oldsmar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • East Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
    • Safety Harbor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Cove Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Springs
      • Cove Springs is located in Pinellas County
    • Palm Harbor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Tarpon Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bayview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
    • Crystal Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Ozona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Dunedin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Feather Sound
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Gandy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gandy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
    • High Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for High Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Kathleen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Winston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
      • Winston is located in Polk County
    • Gibsonia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibsonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
    • Lakeland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Medulla
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medulla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
    • Nichols
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Willow Oak
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rainforest East, see our County-by-County Page for Rainforest East.

Cemeteries Near Rainforest East ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rainforest East.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rainforest East covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.

  • Gan Shalom Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lake Carroll Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Carroll Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake Carroll Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Robles Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Robles Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Robles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shady Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shady Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Carmel Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<5> to the south of Land O' Lakes.
    • The Mt. Carmel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Ehren African American Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2319666 <4>
  • Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • The Home Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Home Cemetery
    • The Home Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Oakland Cemetery
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Myrtle Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Myrtle Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72326 <4>
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (104 more) ...
    • Rose Hill Memorial Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Memorial Park
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rose Hill Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Rose Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Rose Hills Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72535 <4>
    • Orange Hill Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orange Hill Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Orange Hill Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72409 <4>
    • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centro Asturiano Memorial Park
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Asturiano Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Centro Asturiano Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Centro Asturiano Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71836 <4>

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

While we didn't find Rainforest East in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rainforest East.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.

  • Odessa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Ehren
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ehren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ehren
    • Ehren is located in Pasco County
  • Thonotosassa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Tampa
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tampa
    • Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 407,599 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tampa <2>
  • Ybor City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ybor City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
  • Keystone Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keystone Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone Park
    • Keystone Park is located in Hillsborough County
  • Mango
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Seffner
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Limona
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Limona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
  • Brandon
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Keene
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keene have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
    • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
  • Saint Leo
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • San Antonio
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio
      • San Antonio is located in Pasco County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,506 people
      • Former name for San Antonio:
      • Lake Jovita
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Antonio <2>
    • Valrico
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Sydney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rainforest East. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rainforest East.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Rainforest East:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rainforest East. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Hillsborough County: www.hillsboroughcounty.org/

The official website for State of Florida: https://www.myflorida.com/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rainforest East) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rainforest East. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.1356, Longitude: -82.4435       In this case, the coordinates for Rainforest East have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Rainforest East, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025