City of Tampa
Flag
Nickname(s): "Cigar City", "The Big Guava"
Location in Hillsborough County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°56′50″N 82°27′31″W / 27.94722, -82.45861
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Hillsborough
Government
- Mayor	Pam Iorio (D)
Area
- City	170.6 sq mi (441.9 km²)
- Land	112.1 sq mi (290.3 km²)
- Water	58.5 sq mi (151.6 km²)
Elevation	48 ft (14.6 m)
Population (2007)
- City	382,060
- Density	2,969.6/sq mi (1,146.7/km²)
- Urban	2.8 million
- Metro	4 million
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP Codes	33601-33626, 33629-33631, 33633-33637, 33646-33647, 33650-33651, 33655, 33660-33664, 33672-33675, 33677, 33679-33682, 33684-33690, 33694
Area code(s)	813
FIPS code	12-71000[1]
GNIS feature ID	0292005[2]
Website: City of Tampa official website

Tampa (pronounced /ˈtæm.pə/) is a United States city in Hillsborough County, on the west coast of the state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County.^[3] The population of Tampa in 2000 was 303,447. According to the 2007 estimates, the city has a population of 382,060.^[4]

Tampa is a part of the metropolitan area most commonly referred to as the "Tampa Bay Area". For U.S. Census purposes, Tampa is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida MSA. The four-county area is composed of roughly 3 million residents, making it the second largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the state, and the third largest in the Southeastern United States, behind Miami and Atlanta. The "Greater Tampa Bay" area has just over 4 million residents and generally includes the Tampa and Sarasota metro areas. The Tampa Bay Partnership and U.S. Census data showed an average annual growth of 2.47 percent, or a gain of approximately 97,000 residents per year. Between 2000 and 2006, the Greater Tampa Bay Market has experienced a combined growth rate of 14.8 percent, growing from 3.4 million to 3.9 million and hitting the 4 million people mark on April 1, 2007.^[5] The Tampa Bay Designated Market Area(DMA) is the largest media market in the state of Florida and the thirteenth largest DMA Market in the United States.^[6]

In 2008, Tampa was ranked as the 8th cleanest city in America by Yahoo! Real Estate^[7] and 5th best outdoor city by Forbes.^[8] A 2004 survey by the NYU newspaper ranked Tampa as a top city for 20-somethings.^[9]

History

Main article: History of Tampa, Florida

The word "Tampa" is believed to mean "sticks of fire" in the language of the Calusa, a Native American tribe that once lived south of today’s Tampa Bay. This might be a reference to the many lightning strikes that the area receives during the summer months. Other historians claim the name means "the place to gather sticks".^[10]

Toponymist George R. Stewart writes that the name was the result of a miscommunication between the Spanish and the Indians, the Indian word being "itimpi", meaning simply "near it".^[11] Whatever its origins, the name first appears in the "Memoir" of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda (1575), who had spent 17 years as a Calusa captive. He calls it "Tanpa" and describes it as an important Calusa town. While "Tanpa" is the apparent basis for the modern name "Tampa", archaeologist Jerald Milanich places the Calusa village of Tanpa at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor, the original "Bay of Tanpa". A later Spanish expedition failed to notice Charlotte Harbor while sailing north along the west coast of Florida and assumed that today's Tampa Bay was the bay that they had sought. Thus, the name was accidentally transferred north.^[12]

Early explorations

Because they did not leave written records, not much is known about the cultures who called the Tampa Bay area home before European contact. When the first Spanish explorers arrived in the 1520s, they found a ring of Tocobaga villages around the northern half of Tampa Bay from modern-day Pinellas County to Tampa and Calusa villages along the southern portion of the bay in modern-day Manatee County.^[13]

Expeditions led by Pánfilo de Narváez and Hernando de Soto landed near Tampa to look for gold and possibly start a colony. But neither conquistador stayed in the region for long once it became clear that the only riches to be found in the area were the abundant fish and shellfish in the waters of the bay. The native inhabitants, who derived most of their resources from the sea, were not interested in sharing and repulsed any Spanish attempt to establish a permanent settlement or convert them to Catholicism.

However, the newcomers brought a weapon against which the natives had no defense: infectious disease. Archeological evidence reveals a total collapse of the native cultures of Florida in the years after European contact. Its native villages abandoned and disregarded by its colonial owners, the Tampa area would be depopulated and ignored for more than 200 years.^[14]

Seasonal residents and U.S control

In the mid-1700s, events in England’s American colonies drove the Seminole Indians into the wilds of north Florida. During this period, the Tampa area began receiving (seasonal) residents: Cuban fishermen. These visitors stayed in temporary settlements on the shore of Tampa Bay along a small freshwater stream near today’s Hyde Park neighborhood. They would spend several weeks catching a large haul of fish from the teeming waters of the bay, then take them back to sell in Spanish Cuba.^[15]

In 1821, the United States purchased Florida from Spain (see Adams-Onís Treaty), mainly to end frontier Indians raids and to stem the tide of escaped slaves fleeing into Florida from neighboring states. In fact, one of the first U.S. actions in its new territory was a raid which destroyed Angola, a village built by escaped slaves on the eastern shore of Tampa Bay. ^{[16] [17]}

Frontier days

Tampa Convention Center, built at the site of Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River (on the far left)

The Treaty of Moultrie Creek (1823) created a large Indian reservation in the interior of the peninsula of Florida. As part of efforts to establish control over the vast swampy wilderness, the U.S. government built a series of forts and trading posts throughout the new territory. "Cantonment Brooke" was established in 1823 by Colonels George Mercer Brooke and James Gadsden at the mouth of the Hillsborough River on Tampa Bay, at what is now the site of the Tampa Convention Center in Downtown Tampa. In 1824, the post was officially christened Fort Brooke.

Tampa, as the tiny village of settlers near the fort was dubbed, was very much an isolated frontier outpost during its first decades of existence. The sparse civilian population practically abandoned the area when the Second Seminole War flared up in late 1835. After almost seven years of vicious fighting, the Seminoles were forced away from the Tampa region and many settlers returned.^[18]

The Territory of Florida had grown enough by 1845 to become the 27th state.

Four years after statehood, on January 18, 1849, Tampa had also grown enough to officially incorporate as the "Village of Tampa". Tampa was home to 185 inhabitants, a number which excluded military personnel stationed at Fort Brooke. The city's first census count in 1850, however, listed Tampa-Fort Brooke as having 974 residents, inclusive of the military personnel.^[19]

Tampa was reincorporated as a town on December 15, 1855 and Judge Joseph B. Lancaster became the first Mayor in 1856.^[20][21]

Tampa during the Civil War

Barracks and tents at Fort Brooke in Tampa Bay

During the American Civil War, Florida seceded along with the rest of the South to form the Confederate States of America. Fort Brooke was manned by Confederate troops, and martial law was declared in Tampa in January 1862. Tampa's city government ceased to operate for the duration of the war.^[22]

In late 1861, the Union Navy set up a blockade around many southern ports to cut off the Confederacy from outside help, and several ships were stationed near the mouth of Tampa Bay. However, blockade runners based in Tampa were able to repeatedly slip through the blockade to trade cattle and citrus for needed supplies, mainly with Spanish Cuba.^[23]

Trying to put a stop to this, Union gunboats sailed up Tampa Bay to bombard Fort Brooke and the surrounding city of Tampa. The Battle of Tampa on June 30 to July 1, 1862 was inconclusive, as the shells fell ineffectually, and there were no casualties on either side.^[24][25]

Much more damaging to the Confederate cause was the Battle of Fort Brooke on October 17 to October 18, 1863. Two Union gunboats shelled the fort and surrounding town and landed troops, who found blockade runners hidden up the Hillsborough River, and destroyed them.^[26]

The local militia mustered to intercept the Union troops, but they were able to return to their ships after a short skirmish and headed back out to sea.

The war ended in Confederate defeat in April 1865. In May 1865, federal troops arrived in Tampa to occupy the fort and the town as part of Reconstruction. They would remain until August 1869.^[26]

The Lean Years

The years after the Civil War were difficult ones in Tampa. With little industry, and land transportation links limited to bumpy wagon roads from the east coast of Florida, Tampa was a small sleepy fishing village with very few people, and poor prospects for development. Then came yellow fever. Borne by mosquitos from the surrounding swampland, Tampa had been by yellow fever epidemics throughout its history, but the sickness was particularly widespread during the late 1860s and 1870s. The disease was little understood at the time, and many residents simply packed up and left rather than face the mysterious and deadly peril. ^[27]

A telling moment occurred in 1869, when residents voted to abolish the City of Tampa government.^[28] The population of "Tampa Town" was below 800 in the official 1870 census count and had fallen further by 1880 (see demographics, below). The little village was dying.

Another blow was to come. Fort Brooke, the seed from which Tampa had germinated, had served its purpose and was decommissioned in 1883. Except for two cannons displayed on the nearby University of Tampa campus, all traces of the fort are gone. In an odd nod to history, a large downtown parking garage near the old fort site is called the Fort Brooke Parking Garage.^[29]

Phosphate, Railroads, and Cigars: Tampa Finally Prospers

Then, out of the blue, Tampa's fortunes took several sudden turns for the better. First, phosphate was discovered in the Bone Valley region southeast of Tampa in 1883. The mineral, which is vital for the production of fertilizers and other products, was soon being shipped out from the Port of Tampa in ever increasing volume. Tampa is still one of the world's leading phosphate exporters.

A plaque dedicated to the founding of the cigar industry in Tampa

Henry B. Plant's railroad line reached Tampa and its port shortly thereafter, connecting the small town to the country's railroad system. Tampa finally had the overland transportation link that had been so sorely lacking. The railroad enabled phosphate and commercial fishing exports to go north,^[30] brought many new products into the Tampa market, and started the first real tourist industry.

The new railroad link enabled another important industry to come to Tampa. In 1885, the Tampa Board of Trade helped broker a land deal with Vicente Martinez Ybor to move his cigar manufacturing operations to Tampa from Key West. Close proximity to Cuba made imports of tobacco easy by sea, and Plant's railroad made shipment of finished cigars to the rest of the US market easy by land.^[31]

Since Tampa was still a small town at the time (population less than 5000), Ybor built hundreds of small houses around his factory to accommodate the immediate influx of mainly Cuban and Spanish cigar workers. Other cigar factories soon moved in, and Ybor City (as the approximately 40 acres (16 ha) settlement was dubbed) quickly made Tampa a major cigar production center. To round out the town's population, many Italian and a few eastern European Jewish immigrants also arrived starting in the late 1880s, mainly operating businesses and shops that catered to the cigar workers. The majority of Italian immigrants came from Alessandria Della Rocca and Santo Stefano Quisquina, two small Sicilian towns with which Tampa still maintains strong ties.^[32]

Franklin Street, looking North, Tampa c. 1910s-1920s

The Moorish Revival Tampa Bay Hotel

In 1891, Henry B. Plant built a lavish 500+ room, quarter-mile (400 meter) long, Moorish Revival style luxury resort hotel called the Tampa Bay Hotel among 150 acres (0.61 km²) of manicured gardens along the banks Hillsborough River. The eclectic structure cost US$2.5 million to build, a huge sum in those days. Plant filled his expensive playground with exotic art collectibles from around the world and installed electric lights and the first elevator in town. ^[33]

The resort did great business for a few years, especially during the Spanish-American War (see below). But with Plant's death in 1899, the hotel's fortunes began to fade. It closed in 1930. In 1933, however, the stately building reopened as the University of Tampa.^[34]

Mainly because of Henry Plant's connections in the War Department, Tampa was chosen as an embarkation center for American troops in the Spanish-American War. Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders were among the 30,000 troops who waited in Tampa for the order to ship out to Cuba during the summer of 1898, filling the town to bursting.^[35]

The founding of Ybor City, the building of Plant's railroad and hotels, and the discovery of phosphate - all within a dozen years in the late 1800s - were crucial to Tampa's development. The town suddenly expanded from sleepy backwater village to bustling town to small city. Except for temporary bumps along the way, this growth has continued unabated.^[36]

The 20th century

During the first few decades of the 20th century, the cigar making industry continued to be the backbone of Tampa's economy. The factories in Ybor City and West Tampa made an enormous number of cigars -- in the peak year of 1929, over 500,000,000 cigars were hand rolled in the city.^[37]

In 1904, a local civic association of local businessmen dubbed themselves Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla (named after local mythical pirate Jose Gaspar), and staged an "invasion" of the city followed by a parade. With a few exceptions, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival has been held every year since.^[38]

Bolita & the Mob

Beginning in the late 1800s, illegal bolita lotteries were very popular among the Tampa working classes, especially in Ybor City. In the early 1920s, this small-time operation was taken over by Charlie Wall, the rebellious son of a prominent Tampa family, and went big-time. Bolita was able to openly thrive only because of kick-backs and bribes to key local politicians and law enforcement officials, and many were on the take.^[39]

Profits from the bolita lotteries and Prohibition-era bootlegging led to the development of several organized crime factions in the city. Charlie Wall was the first major boss, but various power struggles culminated in consolidation of control by Sicilian mafioso Santo Trafficante, Sr. and his faction in the 1950s. After his death in 1954 from cancer, control passed to his son Santo Trafficante, Jr., who established alliances with families in New York and extended his power throughout Florida and into Batista-era Cuba.^[40][41]

The era of rampant and open corruption ended in the 1950s, when the Senator Kefauver's traveling organized crime hearings came to town and were followed by the sensational misconduct trials of several local officials. Although many of the worst offenders in government and the mob were not charged, the trials helped to end the sense of lawlessness which had prevailed in Tampa for decades.^[42]

Mid to Late 20th century

Tampa grew considerably as a result of World War II. Prior to the United States' involvement in the conflict, construction began on MacDill Field, the predecessor of present day MacDill Air Force Base. MacDill Field served as a main base for Army Air Corps-cum-Army Air Force operations, with multiple auxiliary airfields around the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties. At the end of the war, MacDill remained as an active military installation while the auxiliary fields reverted to civilian control. Two of these auxiliary fields would later become the present day Tampa International Airport and St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.

Four attempts have been made to consolidate Tampa with Hillsborough County (1967, 1970, 1971, and 1972), all of which failed at the ballot box; the greatest loss was also the most recent attempt in 1972, with the final tally being 33,160 (31%) in favor and 73,568 (69%) against the proposed charter, an electoral margin of more than 2 to 1 against.^[43]

The biggest recent growth in the city was the development of New Tampa, which started in 1988 when the city annexed a mostly rural area of 24 square miles (62 km²) between I-275 and I-75.

East Tampa, which has historically been a mostly black community, was the scene of riots in 1967 and again in 1989, mainly due to problems between residents and the Tampa police.

The 21st century

On January 5, 2002, just four months after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 15-year-old amateur pilot Charles Bishop stole a Cessna plane and flew into the Bank of America Tower in Downtown Tampa. Bishop died, but there were no other injuries (because the crash occurred on a Saturday, when few people were in the building). A suicide note found in the wreckage expressed support for Osama bin Laden. Bishop had been taking a prescription medicine for acne called Accutane that could have resulted in the side effect of depression or severe psychosis. His family later filed a lawsuit against Hoffman-La Roche, the company that made Accutane, for US$70 million, despite the fact that an autopsy found no traces of the drug in the teenager's system. The suit was dropped on June 26, 2007 by Bishop's mother, who stated she was physically and emotionally unable to continue the action.^{citation needed} (See also 2002 Tampa plane crash.)

Geography

Tampa is located on the West coast of Florida at 27°58′15″N, 82°27′53″W (27.970898, -82.464640).^[44]

Tampa Bay Landsat image.

Topography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 170.6 square miles (441.9 km²), of which 112.1 square miles (290.3 km²) is land and 58.5 square miles (151.6 km²) (34.31%) is water. The highest point in the city is only at 48 feet (15 m). Tampa is bordered by two bodies of water, Old Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bay, both of which flow to form Tampa Bay, which in turn flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The Hillsborough River flows out into Hillsborough Bay, passing directly in front of Downtown Tampa and supplying Tampa with its main source of fresh water. Palm River is a smaller river flowing from just east of the city into McKay Bay^[45].

Climate

Tampa has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa), with hot summer days and a threat of a light winter freeze only November 15th through March 5th, and then not every year. Highs usually range between 65 and 95°F (18 and 35 °C) year round. Surprisingly to some, Tampa's official recorded high has never hit 100°F (38°C) - the all-time record high temperature is 99°F (37°C), recorded on June 5, 1985.^[46]

In the winter, the low rarely drops below freezing (32°F , 0°C, 273 K), an occurrence which happens, on average, once every other year. Since the Tampa area is home to a diverse range of freeze-sensitive agriculture and aquaculture, major freezes, although very infrequent, are a major concern. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Tampa was 18°F (-7.8°C) on December 13, 1962.^[47]

Tampa is listed as USDA zone 10 which is about the northern limit of where coconut palms and royal palms can be grown. Since there has not been a major freeze for nearly a decade and a half, more and more cold-sensitive palms are being planted.

The 1977 snowfall

In the Great Blizzard of 1899, Tampa experienced its one and only known blizzard, with "bay effect" snow coming off of Tampa Bay.^[48][49]

The last measurable snow in Tampa fell on January 19, 1977. The accumulation amounted to all of 0.2 inches (0.5 cm), but the city, unprepared for and unaccustomed to wintry weather, came to a virtual standstill for a day.^[50]

Temperatures are hot from around mid-May through mid-October, which coincides approximately with the rainy season. Summer days usually have highs in the low 90s °F (around 33 °C) with high humidity. The summer nighttime temperature usually drops into the mid 70s °F (around 23 °C).^[51]

The Tampa Bay area is recognized as the "Lightning Capital of North America". Every year, Florida averages 10 deaths and 30 injuries from lightning strikes, with several of these usually occurring in or around Tampa.^[52] With each thunderstorm capable of unleashing thousands of individual bolts, weather safety experts recommend staying inside until the weather clears.^[53]

Because of these regular summer storms, Tampa has a pronounced wet season, averaging 20.6 inches (524 mm) between July and September, but only 6.2 inches (157 mm) between November and January. Thunderstorms in the summer months tend to move from southeast to northwest in response to the complex interactions of the East and West Coast seabreezes. Storms in the winter months tend to move from some direction of west in response to fronts moving through Florida. The wettest month is August, which averages 7.6 inches (193 mm). (August and especially September rain totals are augmented by tropical systems, which easily can dump many inches (50 to 100 mm) of rain in one day.) November is Tampa's driest month, averaging only 1.6 inches (41 mm). During the winter, most of the area's precipitation is delivered by the occasional cold front. Yearly precipitation averages 44.8 inches (1137 mm).^[54]

Surrounding municipalities

Cityscape

Panorama of downtown Tampa skyline.

See also: Cityscape of Tampa and List of tallest buildings in Tampa

Architecture

Sulphur Springs Water Tower

Tampa is the site of several skyscrapers. Overall, there are 18 completed buildings that rise over 250 feet (76 m) in height. The city also has 69 high-rises,^[55] more than any other city in Florida after Miami. The tallest building in the city is 100 North Tampa, formerly the AmSouth Building, which rises 42 floors and 579 feet (176 m) in Downtown Tampa.^[56] The structure was completed in 1992, and is the tallest building in Florida outside of Miami and Jacksonville.^[56] Downtown Tampa has a number of high-rises, including the SunTrust Building, Sykes Building, SkyPoint Condominium, Towers of Channelside, and the Bank of America Building.

Tampa also has significant landmarks. The Sulphur Springs Water Tower, a landmark in Sulphur Springs section of the city, dates back to the late 1920s. This era also saw the construction of Bayshore Boulevard, which parallels Hillsborough Bay from Downtown Tampa to areas in South Tampa. The road has a 6-mile (9.7 km) continuous sidewalk on the eastern end, the longest in the world.^[57][58] Babe Zaharias Golf Course in the Forest Hills area of Tampa has been designated a Historical Landmark by the National Register of Historic Places. It was bought in 1949 by the famous 'Babe', who had a residence nearby, and closed upon her death. In 1974, the City of Tampa opened the golf course to the public ^[59]

Bayshore Blvd.

The Story of Tampa, a public painting by Lynn Ash, is a 4 ft x 8 ft (48 in x 96 in, 122 cm x 244 cm) oil on masonite mural that weaves together many of the notable aspects of Tampa's unique character and identity. It was commissioned in 2003 by the City of Tampa's Public Art Program and can be found in the lobby of the Tampa Municipal Office Building.^[60] Park Tower (originally the First Financial Bank of Florida), the first substantial skyscraper in Downtown Tampa. Completed in 1973, it was the tallest skyscraper in Tampa until the completion of One Tampa City Center in 1981.^[61]

The Florida Aquarium in Channelside

One obvious feature of the skyline is the Rivergate building, a cylindrical building across from the University of Tampa. The building is affectionately known as the "Beer Can building" and was featured in the movie "The Punisher".

Future landmarks may include The Tampa Riverwalk, a proposed continuous pedestrian walkway along the eastern end of the Hillsborough River. The sidewalk will extend from the Channelside district to Tampa Heights.^[62] The schedule time for completion is around 2010.^[63].

In 2008, Tampa mayor Pam Iorio made the redevelopment of Tampa's downtown a priority, especially bringing in residents to the decidedly non-residential area.^[64] Several residential and mixed-development high-rises were in various stages of planning or construction, and a few had already opened. Another of Mayor Iorio's initiatives was the Tampa Riverwalk, a plan which intended to make better use of the land along the Hillsborough River in downtown where Tampa began. Several museums were part of the plan, including new homes for the Tampa Bay History Center, the Tampa Children's Museum, and the Tampa Museum of Art.^[65]

Neighborhoods

Main article: Neighborhoods in Tampa, Florida

The city is divided into many neighborhoods, many of which were towns and unincorporated communities that were annexed by the growing city. Generally, the city is divided into the following areas: Downtown Tampa, New Tampa, West Tampa, East Tampa, North Tampa, and South Tampa.

Some well-known communities of Tampa include Ybor City, Forest Hills, Sulphur Springs^[66], Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights, Beach Park, Palma Ceia, Hyde Park, Tampa Palms, College Hill and non-residential areas of Gary, and the Westshore Business District.

Culture and contemporary life

Current popular nightlife districts include Channelside, Ybor City, SoHo, International Plaza and Bay Street, and Seminole Hard Rock. Downtown Tampa also contains some nightlife, and there are more clubs/bars to be found in other areas of the city. According to Maxim, Tampa is ranked 6th in the entire nation for its party scene. ^[67]

Tourism

Busch Gardens Africa

The city of Tampa operates over 165 parks and beaches covering 2,286 acres (925 ha) within city limits; 42 more in surrounding suburbs, covering 70,000 acres (28,000 ha), are maintained by Hillsborough County. These areas include the Hillsborough River State Park, just northeast of the city. Tampa is also home to a number of attractions and theme parks, including Busch Gardens Africa, Adventure Island, Lowry Park Zoo,Florida Aquarium, and M.O.S.I.

Downtown during Gasparilla

The partially restored Centro Espanol building on Howard Ave., West Tampa.

Perhaps the most well known and celebrated event is the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, usually referred to simply as Gasparilla. It has been held yearly since 1904. Gasparilla, often referred to as the Mardi Gras of Tampa, is usually held on the last Saturday of January. The invasion-themed event has an attendance of over 400,000 people and impacts over 23 million dollars to the city of Tampa. The Sant'Yago Knight Parade, or Gasparilla Night Parade is usually held one week to a few weeks after. It is considered more adult-oriented. Other notable events include the Outback Bowl, which is held New Year's Day at Raymond James Stadium. The Florida State Fair in mid-February, also brings in an attendance of around 400,000, and Guavaween, an open street Halloween celebration with Latin flavor taking place in Ybor City.

Several large scale malls call Tampa and its surrounding areas home. Well known shopping areas include International Plaza and Bay Street, WestShore Plaza, University Mall, Westfield Brandon, and Westfield Citrus Park. Well known Hyde Park Village is an upscale open-air shopping center residing in the neighborhood of Hyde Park. Previously, Tampa had also been home to the Floriland Mall (now an office park), Tampa Bay Center (demolished and replaced with the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers training facility, known as "One Buc Place"), and East Lake Square Mall (now an office park).

Media

Main article: Media in Tampa Bay

See also: List of films set in Tampa

The Tampa Tribune

Major daily newspapers serving the city are The Tampa Tribune and The St. Petersburg Times. La Gaceta is the nation's only trilingual newspaper, written in English, Spanish and Italian. There is also a wide variety of smaller regional newspapers, alternative weeklies and magazines, including the Florida Sentinel Bulletin^[68] (which focuses coverage on the African American community in Tampa), Creative Loafing, Reax Music Magazine, Tampa Bay Times, The Oracle, Tampa Bay Business Journal, and MacDill Thunderbolt^[69]. Centro Mi Diario is a free Spanish-language newspaper published by The Tampa Tribune.^[70] SyFy Portal, SyUniverse Group Inc., parent corporation, is based in Tampa as is its owner. Major television affiliates include WFTS 28 (ABC), WTSP 10 (CBS), WFLA 8 (NBC), WTVT 13 (FOX), WTOG 44 (The CW), and WTTA 38 (My Network TV).

Churches

Tampa's first church was the First Methodist Church, founded in a cabin by circuit rider J.C. Lay in 1846. The most famous church, however, is the Sacred Heart Catholic Church which was officially opened in 1905. The city also contains the St. Paul A.M.E. Church which was founded by Reverend Thomas W. Long in 1870 and is Tampa's oldest African-American congregation , and First Presbyterian Church, which is housed in a Spanish mission style building from 1930. There are also many other churches such as St. Patrick Catholic Church, St. Andrews Episcopal Church, St. John's Episcopal Church, and Christ the King Catholic Church.

Sports

Tampa is represented by teams in four major professional sports leagues: the NFL, the NHL, Major League Baseball, and the Arena Football League. Three of the teams play in Tampa proper, while the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball play across the bay in St. Petersburg. All of the teams are considered to represent the entire Tampa Bay metropolitan area.

Buccaneer game action at Raymond James Stadium

Major Pro Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the area's first major sports franchise in 1976, and brought the area its first major sports championship at the end of the 2002 season, winning Super Bowl XXXVII against the Oakland Raiders.

The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning was established in 1992, and currently play their games in the St. Pete Times Forum, located in the Channelside district of downtown Tampa. The team won their first Stanley Cup championship in Tampa in game 7 against the Calgary Flames at the end of the 2003-2004 NHL season.

There was some cross-bay competition for a Major League Baseball franchise throughout the 1980s and '90s until the Tampa Bay Rays (originally "Devil Rays") began play in nearby St. Petersburg in 1998. The Rays struggled through their first 10 years of existence (finishing last in the American League's East Division in nine of those ten seasons) but claimed their division title in 2008.

The Tampa Bay Storm play in the Arena Football League. Originally playing in Pittsburgh, the team moved to Tampa in 1991. The Storm won their first Arena Bowl championship in 1991, and have won four subsequent championships in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 2003, winning more than any other AFL team. Since 1997, the team has played its home games in the St. Pete Times Forum.

The United Soccer Leagues First Division formally announced an expansion franchise, called the Tampa Bay Rowdies, that will play at a new soccer-specific stadium in the Tampa area for the 2009 season. Tampa had been without a professional soccer club since the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer ceased operations in 2001.

Tampa placed a bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics but the USOC chose New York to represent America. But ultimately London was chosen to host the games.

College sports

The University of South Florida started its football program in 1998. After competing their first four years as a Division I-AA (now Division I FCS) independent, the Bulls moved to Division I-A, now Division I FBS, in 2001 but remained independent. They joined Conference USA in 2003 until becoming a member of the Big East in 2005. Under Jim Leavitt, the only head coach in the program's history, the Bulls have become a major college program. The 2007 season was the most successful so far, as the team reached as high as 2nd in the BCS rankings and received much community support.

The University of Tampa Spartans, located in downtown Tampa, are the oldest active sports organization in the city, having begun play in 1933. UT competes at the NCAA Division II level in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC). UT is among the top schools in the SSC in both championships and student-athletes named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Spartan teams have won NCAA-II titles in men's soccer (1981, 1994 and 2001), women's soccer (2007), baseball (1992, 1993, 1998, 2006 and 2007), golf (1987 and 1988), and volleyball (2006). With their win in 2007 the UT baseball team became the first team in Div. II baseball to win consecutive titles since UT won in 1992 and 1993.[1] The University of Tampa fielded a highly successful men's football team from 1933 to 1974 winning against then rivals University of Florida and other major college teams, and was the first sports team to call Tampa Stadium home.

Inside the St. Pete Times Forum

Other Sports & Events

Other sports teams include:

• The Bay Area Pelicans Rugby Football Club
• The Bay Area Krewe rugby union team, who play at Skyview Park
• The Tampa Bay Terminators, a women's professional football franchise

Tampa has hosted several franchises of other professional leagues over the years. The first of these was the Tampa Bay Rowdies, started in 1975 as an expansion franchise of the defunct North American Soccer League (NASL). They played their games at Tampa Stadium. The Rowdies won the inaugural Soccer Bowl in 1975, bringing Tampa Bay its first professional sports championship. The NASL folded in 1984, while the Rowdies continued play in other indoor soccer leagues before folding in 1993. The Tampa Bay Bandits of the defunct United States Football League (USFL) began play in 1985, and played three seasons in Tampa Stadium before the league and the team folded. Coached by Steve Spurrier, their crowd-pleasing style of play was known as "Banditball". The Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer began play at Tampa Stadium in 1996, and continued through 2001 before folding.

Tampa has hosted three Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVIII (1984), Super Bowl XXV (1991), and Super Bowl XXXV, which was played in the newly built Raymond James Stadium in 2001. Tampa is slated to host Super Bowl XLIII in February 2009.

The Tampa Bay Area also hosts a number of Major League Baseball teams for spring training, as well as several minor league baseball teams. Playing in the spring training Florida Grapefruit League are:

• The Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball play spring training games at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg
• The New York Yankees of Major League Baseball play spring training games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa
• The Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball play spring training games at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater
• The Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball play spring training games at Knology Park in Dunedin

Minor League Baseball Florida State League (Single-A baseball) teams comprise:

• The Tampa Yankees: George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa
• The Clearwater Threshers: Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater
• The Dunedin Blue Jays: Knology Park in Dunedin

Other notable sporting events:

• The NCAA football Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium is held in Tampa each January.
• The USHRA holds an event every January at Raymond James Stadium.

Current sporting venues in Tampa, Florida

The USF Sun Dome

Raymond James Stadium

St. Pete Times Forum

Economy

Service, retail, finance, insurance, and real estate play a vital role in the area's economy.^[71] Hillsborough County alone has an estimated 740,000 employees, a figure which is projected to increase to 922,000 by 2015.^[71] Many corporations, such as large banks and telecommunications companies, maintain regional offices in Tampa. Several Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in the metropolitan area, based on 2007 rankings:^[72]

• OSI Restaurant Partners (the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, and Bonefish Grill) (Fortune 535)
• WellCare Health Plans, Inc. which provides national Medicare and Medicaid health plans (Fortune 551)
• TECO which provides energy for the surrounding area (Fortune 582)
• Walter Industries, a conglomorate with home building, financing, industrial products, coal and natural gas interests (fortune 634)
• Raymond James Financial, the namesake of Buccaneers home field Raymond James Stadium (Fortune 769)

City Hall in Downtown

Downtown Tampa is undergoing significant development and redevelopment in line with a general national trend toward urban residential development. The Tampa Downtown Partnership notes development proceeding on 20 residential, hotel, and mixed-use projects as of April 2007.^[73] Many of the new downtown developments are nearing completion in the midst of a housing market slump, which has caused numerous projects to be delayed or revamped,^[74] and some of the 20 projects TDP lists have not broken ground and are being refinanced. Nonetheless several developments are nearing completion, which city leaders hope will make downtown into a 24-hour neighborhood instead of 9 to 5 business district.^[75]

A cruise terminal in Channel District

Tampa's port is now the seventh largest in the nation and Florida’s largest tonnage port, handling nearly half of all seaborne commerce that passes through the state. Tampa currently ranks second in the state behind Miami in terms of cruise ship travel. Besides smaller regional cruise ships such as Yacht Starship and SunCruz Casino, Tampa also serves as a port of call for three cruise lines: Holland America's MS Veendam, Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas, and Carnival's Legend and Inspiration.^[76]

The main server farm for Wikipedia and other Wikimedia Foundation projects is located in Tampa, with additional servers in Amsterdam and Seoul.^[77]

Government

Tampa is governed under the strong mayor form of government. The Mayor of Tampa is the chief executive officer of city government. The City Council is a legislative body served by seven members, in which four are elected from specific areas of town and the other three are At-Large (serving citywide).^[78] Pam Iorio is the mayor of Tampa as of 2008.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 303,447 people, 124,758 households, and 71,236 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,707.8 people per square mile (1,045.4/km²). There were 135,776 housing units at an average density of 1,211.6/sq mi (467.8/km²).

The racial makeup of the city was 46.22% White (51.0% White Non-Hispanic), 26.07% Black or African American, 0.38% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.15% Asian, 0.09% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islande