The current State Road 579 is a 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) stretch of Fletcher Avenue between Florida Avenue and Nebraska Avenue in Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

. Similar to SR 678

State Road 678 (Florida)

State Road 678 is a 0.5-mile stretch of Bearss Avenue between Florida Avenue and Nebraska Avenue in Tampa, Florida. Similar to SR 579 to the south, it connects those two north–south roads with Interstate 275 , halfway between them. SR 678 is signed east–west.-References:*...

 to the north, it exists to connect US 41 (SR 45

State Road 45 (Florida)

A major north–south highway extending almost the entire length of the Florida peninsula, State Road 45 is the unsigned Florida Department of Transportation designation of most of the current U.S. Route 41 in Florida. The southern terminus of SR 45 is an intersection with SR 951 just east of...

), Interstate 275

Interstate 275 (Florida)

Interstate 275 in Florida serves the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, measuring 60.696 miles in length. The southern terminus is I-75 near Palmetto, just five miles east of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a toll bridge crossing Tampa Bay. The highway passes through St...

 (SR 93

State Road 93 (Florida)

State Road 93 is the hidden Florida Department of Transportation designator for the following routes:*Interstate 75 from the Georgia state line to the interchange with the Palmetto Expressway and the Gratigny Parkway in Miami Lakes....

), and Business US 41 (SR 685

State Road 685 (Florida)

State Road 685 is mainly a north–south highway in Tampa, Florida, running from Lutz to South Tampa. It begins in northern Hillsborough County as a secret designation of U.S. Route 41 Business. It then continues southward until it reaches Kennedy Blvd/State Road 60...

). Despite its odd-numbered Florida Department of Transportation

Florida Department of Transportation

The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...

 designation, SR 579 is signed east–west.

The current SR 579 is a remnant of a much longer one, extending from the current western terminus to an intersection with SR 54

State Road 54 (Florida)

State Road 54 is located in the Tampa Bay Area, north of Tampa itself, and runs from US 19 in Holiday in the west to US 301 in Zephyrhills, in the east...

 near Zephyrhills

Zephyrhills, Florida

Zephyrhills is a city in Pasco County, Florida. The population was 10,833 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 11,854. It is a suburb of the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, following Fletcher Avenue to an interchange with Interstate 75 (SR 93A), then turning northeastward and following Morris Bridge Road through Branchton and toward SR 54. Fletcher Road between Nebraska Avenue and I-75 was later redesignated State Road 582A (and a spur, 50th Street between Fletcher Road and Fowler Road

State Road 582 (Florida)

State Road 582 is an east–west highway in Hillsborough County, Florida, USA. The current alignment of SR 582 is Fowler Avenue just south of the northern city limit of Tampa and Temple Terrace from Florida Avenue to US 301...

 adjacent to University of South Florida

University of South Florida

The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...

, became State Road 582B) while Morris Bridge Road was transitioned to Hillsborough County

Hillsborough County, Florida

As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...

 Road 579 and Pasco County

Pasco County, Florida

Pasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 344,765. The July 1, 2007 census estimate according to the U.S. Census Bureau for the county is 462,715. Its county seat is Dade City, Florida which is in the northeast part of the county - somewhat...

 Road 579. Eventually SR 582A and SR 582B were transferred to county control.

Other segments

There are two other segments in Hillsborough County that carry the County Road 579 designation - one stretch from US 301

U.S. Route 301 in Florida

U.S. Route 301 in Florida runs from the Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area northeast to the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The road is a spur of U.S...

 in Thonotosassa

Thonotosassa, Florida

Thonotosassa is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,091 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 to SR 574

Florida State Road 574

State Road 574 is an east–west state highway in Central Hillsborough County, Florida. It runs from Central Tampa, Florida to Plant City, Florida, and is not to be confused with Hillsborough County Road 574.-Route description:...

 in Mango

Mango, Florida

Mango is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,842 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mango is located at ....

; and another from SR 674

Florida State Road 674

State Road 674 begins in Ruskin, Hillsborough County, Florida. The road runs east/west and is also known as College Avenue and Sun City Center Boulevard.-Major intersections:-References:*...

 in Wimauma

Wimauma, Florida

Wimauma is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,246 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 to SR 62

Florida State Road 62

State Road 62 extends through unincorporated Manatee and Hardee counties, and passes through Florida scrubland, from Parrish to near Bowling Green. The paved road is only two lanes wide over its entire route. It also cuts through the Manatee River basin. The road crosses Horse Creek and the North...

 east of Parrish

Parrish, Florida

Parrish is an unincorporated community in Manatee County, Florida, United States. It is located near the intersection of US 301 and State Road 62...

 in Manatee County

Manatee County, Florida

Manatee County is a county in the state of Florida. According to the 2010 census by the U.S. Census Bureau there are 322,833 people living in Manatee Country.Manatee County is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area...

.

Historic State Road 579

In the 1950s and 1960s a different SR 579 was in existence, not in Hillsborough County

Hillsborough County, Florida

As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...

 but Dade (now Miami-Dade) County. Locally known as Biscayne Drive and Southwest 288th Street, the historic State Road 579 was a 3.2 miles (5.1 km) east–west street connecting South Dixie Highway

Dixie Highway

The Dixie Highway was a United States automobile highway, first planned in 1914 to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. It was part of the National Auto Trail system, and grew out of an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final result is better understood as a small network of...

 (U.S. Route 1/SR 5

State Road 5 (Florida)

State Road 5 is a mostly-unsigned state highway in the state of Florida. It is mainly signed as U.S. Route 1 from its south end in Key West, Florida to Jacksonville, Florida, and U.S. Route 17 from Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the Saint Marys River. U.S...

) in Homestead

Homestead, Florida

Homestead is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States nestled between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area....

 to the west (primary) gate of Homestead Air Force Base.

While Homestead AFB was downgraded to a smaller Homestead Air Reserve Base

Homestead Air Reserve Base

Homestead Air Reserve Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east-northeast of Homestead, Florida.The host unit at Homestead is the 482d Fighter Wing assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command Tenth Air Force...

 after its destruction by hurricane Andrew

Hurricane Andrew

Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...

 in 1993, Coral Castle

Coral Castle

Coral Castle is a stone structure created by the Latvian American eccentric Edward Leedskalnin north of the city of Homestead, Florida in Miami-Dade County at the intersection of South Dixie Highway and West 157th Avenue. The structure comprises numerous megalithic stones , each weighing several...

, a tourist attraction

Tourist attraction

A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....

 at the western end of historic SR 579, has remained essentially unchanged since the FDOT signs were removed from Biscayne Drive in the late 1960s. The predominantly rural nature of the area on both sides of the street in the 1950s and 1960s has been gradually giving way to urbanization

Urbanization

Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....

 since the 1980s and the trend appears to be accelerating throughout the former Homestead AFB property and further south in Miami-Dade County, particularly along the nearby Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike

Florida's Turnpike

Florida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway is a north–south toll road that runs through 11 counties in the Florida peninsula, from U.S...

.