"Enhancing the Future While Embracing the Past" - Newberry, FL
N 29° 40.636 W 082° 36.433
17R E 344478 N 3284104
The Newberry, Florida, welcome sign doesn't have just one slogan on it; it has two! This welcome sign is located on the north end of town on U.S. Highway 27/41.
Waymark Code: WMBYV8
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2011
Views: 4
The City of Newberry has a population of about 5,000 people and is located west of Gainesville and the University of Florida. Its two slogans are "A Main Street Community" and "Enhancing the Future While Embracing the Past." The watermelons depicted on the welcome sign lay claim to the community's production of watermelons and its annual Watermelon Festival.
"Newberry developed as a mining town after phosphate was discovered in the western part of Alachua County in 1889; and, the town was located along the route of the Savannah, Florida, and Western Railway, that in 1893 was extended southward from High Springs. A post office established in March 1894 was named Newton, but changed to Newberry in August of that year. In 1896 there were fourteen mines operating nearby; with hotels, boarding houses and saloons to accommodate the town's transient and sometimes unruly population. The demand for phosphate ended abruptly in 1914 when war was declared against Germany, the principal customer for Newberry's phosphate. The community turned to agriculture and was particularly successful at producing watermelons. The Watermelon Festival, first held in 1946, continues to be an annual event. In 1987 Newberry's Historic District was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places."
-- Source