Tarpon Springs Elects First Greek Born Mayor— from Kalymnos (and 10 Interesting Facts about Tarpon Springs)
Written by
Gregory Pappas
Share
Copy link
Less than a minute.
Tarpon Springs Elects First Greek Born Mayor— from Kalymnos (and 10 Interesting Facts about Tarpon Springs)
Chrysostomos “Chris” Alahouzos won a resounding victory in the race to become the new mayor of Tarpon Springs, Florida on March 15, 2016, with almost 58% of the vote.
Alahouzos emigrated to the United States from the Greek island, with his family, when he was 14 years old. His father was sponge diver— the profession that brought thousands to the idyllic Florida town over the past century from Greece’s Dodecanese islands— particularly Kalymnos.
He was a technology expert for Verizon and spent decades in public service, including years of cultural volunteer work connecting Tarpon Springs with Kalymnos, and other Greek islands through a sister-city program. He also served as President of the city’s Kalymnian Society and numerous other educational and cultural endeavors.
“My proudest accomplishment to date was my involvement in establishing the Plato Academy,” a highly-regarded charter school in Pinellas County, FL, with campuses in Tarpon Springs as well as Clearwater, Largo, Palm Harbor, Seminole, and St. Petersburg. “We plan to expand to other areas of Florida, too,” he told New York’s National Herald in an August 2014 interview.
Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the United States, according to statistics from the United States Census Bureau.
More than 10% of the city’s residents claimed Greek ancestry, with cultural and religious life centered around the historic Cathedral of St. Nicholas, named after the patron saint of mariners.
Greek immigrants built Tarpon Springs’ signature sponge industry, turning a remote village into what was called “the sponge capital of the world.” For a time sponges, retrieved from Gulf of Mexico depths by intrepid divers in full suits, outstripped citrus products as Florida’s main export.
Greek influence remains strong today. More than seven percent report that they speak Greek in their homes. The high school sports teams are nicknamed “Spongers.”
And the mascot of the team– yes, a sponger.
The 1880s saw the first Greek immigrants arrive, and in 1905, John Cocoris introduced diving techniques. He recruited spongers from Greece’s Dodecanese Islands, whose name resonates today: Dodecanese Boulevard in the heart of the sponge district.
In 2014 MTV filmed a largely unpopular reality show, chronicling the day to day lives of young people in Tarpon Springs. The show, “Growing Up Greek,” was cancelled amid a huge popular national outcry and protests.
Tarpon Springs is home to the nation’s largest Epiphany celebration every January when tens of thousands of people visit the town for the cross diving celebration in the bayou. The entire weekend boasts dozens of cultural events, dance and cultural celebrations and visits by national civic and government leaders.
In 2006, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians, presided over the city’s 100th Epiphany celebrations.
Greek music, food and dancing take over the city’s famed sponge docks during summer months when the city celebrates regular “Nights in the Islands” and tourists and residents alike transform their town’s harbor front into a traditional Greek village festival.
While most of the town’s Greek residents claim ancestry from Kalymnos, others are from Halki, Nisyros and other Dodecanese islands, also known for their own sponge industries.
You can unsubscribe at any time. For more details, review our Privacy Policy.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
