At a glance
| Typical home value | $687,200 (−0.1% in a year, Zillow, Aug 2026) |
|---|---|
| Status | Unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough and Pasco counties |
| Population | 8,080 in the Odessa CDP (2020 census) |
| Zillow typical home value (Aug 2026) | $687,195, down 0.1% over the year |
| Main road | State Road 54 runs through the area |
| Neighbor | Keystone, Hillsborough County, lies to the south |
| Named | In the 1880s by Peter Demens, who also named St. Petersburg |
What Odessa is
Odessa is a census-designated place spanning Pasco and Hillsborough counties, northwest of Tampa. The CDP itself is small, at 5.70 square miles and 8,080 residents in 2020, but homes across a wider area use an Odessa mailing address. State Road 54 runs through it.
The W.M. Mobley family settled the area in the mid-1800s. Peter Demens, the railroad developer who also named St. Petersburg, named Odessa in the 1880s. A local sawmill operated until it burned in 1922.
Just south, in Hillsborough County, Keystone is described as a former citrus and farming area that became a rural retreat of lake homes and ranches.
Odessa home prices
Zillow's typical home value for Odessa was $687,195 in August 2026, down 0.1% over the year. That is about 1.8 times Tampa's typical value of $377,566 and higher than nearby Lutz at $488,064. A typical value mixes very different property types, so a subdivision home and a lakefront or acreage property can sit far apart.
Compare sales by property type: lakefront, acreage, and homes in newer subdivisions trade in different ranges. The Tampa housing market page covers the regional trend.
Hillsborough or Pasco: why it matters
Because Odessa straddles the county line, two homes a mile apart can have different:
- Property tax rates: Hillsborough and Pasco set their own millage. See Hillsborough County property tax for the Hillsborough side.
- School districts: Hillsborough County Public Schools or Pasco County Schools, depending on the address.
- Permitting and zoning: rules for pools, docks, outbuildings and land use differ by county.
- Evacuation and flood tools: each county runs its own lookup.
Getting to Tampa
Odessa is northwest of Tampa, and State Road 54 is the main east-west road through the area. Nearby Keystone is about 22 miles northwest of downtown Tampa. Drive times vary a lot with the route and time of day, so test your own commute at rush hour before you commit.
What to check before buying in Odessa
- County and jurisdiction: confirm on the property appraiser record whether the home is in Hillsborough or Pasco County. The county sets zoning, permits, school assignment and the tax rate.
- Well and septic: for rural or lakefront property, ask whether the home uses a private well and septic system, and get inspection and pumping records.
- Lakes: ask about lake levels, shoreline permits and any lake association rules.
- HOA and CDD: newer subdivisions often have an HOA, a community development district or both. CDD charges appear on the property tax bill as non-ad valorem assessments, so look up the parcel on the county tax collector site, and ask the seller for HOA dues, budget and rules.
- Flood zone: look up the address with Hillsborough County's Find My FEMA Flood Zone tool or the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, and ask for an elevation certificate if the seller has one. The county's Floodplain Viewer also shows county-developed floodplain maps. The Tampa flood zone guide explains the maps.
- Evacuation zone: Hillsborough County revised its evacuation zones for 2026, expanding Zone A farther inland along the coast and Alafia River. Check the current zone for the address.
- Property tax: the assessed value resets after a sale, so estimate taxes from your purchase price rather than the seller's bill. See Hillsborough County property tax.
For nearby suburbs, compare Westchase and Citrus Park.
Common questions
What county is Odessa, FL in?+
Both. Odessa is an unincorporated census-designated place that spans Hillsborough County and Pasco County, northwest of Tampa. The county a home sits in determines its property tax rate, school district, zoning and permitting, so confirm it on the property appraiser record for the specific address.
How much are homes in Odessa, FL?+
Zillow's typical home value for Odessa was $687,195 in August 2026, down 0.1% over the year, compared with $377,566 for Tampa. The area includes lakefront homes, acreage and newer subdivisions, which trade in very different ranges, so compare recent sales of the same type of property.
Is Odessa, FL a city?+
No. Odessa is unincorporated, so there is no city government. Hillsborough County or Pasco County provides zoning, permitting and most services depending on the address. The Odessa census-designated place had 8,080 residents in 2020, though a wider area uses the Odessa mailing name.
How did Odessa, FL get its name?+
Odessa was named in the 1880s by Peter Demens, a Russian-born railroad developer who also named St. Petersburg. The area had been settled in the mid-1800s by the W.M. Mobley family from Savannah, Georgia, and a sawmill operated locally until it burned down in 1922.