Port Richey is a small incorporated city in western Pasco County, Florida, hugging the banks of the Pithlachascotee River — known locally as the Cotee River — where it meets the tidal bayous of the Gulf Coast. The city sits immediately west of the larger New Port Richey and about 30 miles north of Tampa, giving it a quiet, water-oriented identity within the broader Tampa Bay region. Port Richey traces its roots to the early twentieth century, when the McLoughlin family helped plat the community as a riverfront settlement, and the city was incorporated in 1925. Today it remains one of the county's smaller cities, with roughly 3,700 residents and a residential character built around canals, bayous, and riverfront parcels. Much of the housing is single-family, and the streetscape reflects a laid-back, Old Florida feel rather than dense suburban development. The city's defining feature is its access to the water. The Cotee River runs through the heart of Port Richey and feeds a network of canals that reach many homes, making boating and fishing part of daily life. Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park, a protected landscape of salt marshes, mangrove swamps, and springs, lies within the city and offers paddling and wildlife viewing. Port Richey's economy is small and locally oriented, with retail and services concentrated along the US 19 corridor and a growing cluster of restaurants and bars in the Waterfront District. Many residents commute to employment centers in New Port Richey, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Tampa, which are reachable by highway within about an hour. Port Richey suits residents who want a slower, coastal pace with direct water access, while still being within commuting distance of Tampa Bay's larger job market. The city's waterfront district has grown around riverfront dining and public parks, and the surrounding Pasco County coast — often marketed as Florida's "Sports Coast" — adds beaches, trails, and preserves a short drive away.