Tampa (pop. 384,959) is a major United States seaport and an important commercial and industrial center of Florida. Tampa, one of the largest cities in Florida, lies on the northeast shore of Tampa Bay. St. Petersburg, Tampa’s “twin city,” lies about 15 miles (25 kilometers) southwest across the bay from Tampa. The metropolitan area of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater has a population of 3,175,275. The area has grown rapidly since the 1970’s.
In 1823, Robert J. Hackley, a pioneer from New York City, became the first United States citizen to settle in the area that is now Tampa. The U.S. Army built Fort Brooke there the next year. European settlers soon established a village near the fort. They named the village Tampa for the bay. The bay was named for a Native American village that once stood in the area.
Description.
Tampa, the county seat of Hillsborough County, covers 114 square miles (295 square kilometers) of land. Part of the city lies on islands and peninsulas. Tampa’s downtown area lies at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, near the point where the river empties into Hillsborough Bay. Hillsborough Bay is the northeast arm of Tampa Bay.
Hispanic Americans make up about 25 percent of Tampa’s population. Most of the city’s Hispanics live in a neighborhood known as Ybor City that is just northeast of downtown. African Americans also make up about 25 percent of Tampa’s population. Most African Americans live in neighborhoods west and north of Ybor City.
Tampa is the home of the University of Tampa. The University of South Florida is just north of the city. The city’s public schools form part of the Hillsborough County school system. The Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System operates branch libraries throughout the area.
Cultural attractions in Tampa include the Tampa Museum of Art, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Henry B. Plant Museum on the campus of the University of Tampa. The Florida Orchestra performs at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, a famous theme park and zoo, attracts millions of visitors annually. Every winter, the Gasparilla Festival is held in Tampa. The festival features a “pirate attack” on the city. The Florida State Fair is also held in Tampa every February. Three professional sports teams play in the Tampa area: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, the Tampa Bay Rays of baseball’s American League, and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League.
Economy
of Tampa is based mainly on service industries. The most important service industries include banking, wholesale trade, and tourism. The tourist-related activities include the operation of hotels, motels, car rental agencies, and cruise ship lines. Data processing and health care are also important service industries in Tampa. Food processing is the city’s most important manufacturing activity. Tampa’s leading food products include fish and soft drinks.
The Port of Tampa handles more cargo than any other Florida port. The port’s exports include phosphate ore from nearby mines. Fishing fleets based in Tampa catch large amounts of shrimp and other seafood. Nearby MacDill Air Force Base employs many residents of the Tampa area. Major airlines use Tampa International Airport.
Government.
Tampa has a mayor-council form of government. The voters elect the mayor and the seven council members, all to four-year terms.
History.
Calusa and Timucuan people lived near what is now Tampa Bay when European people first arrived. Several groups of Spanish explorers visited the area during the 1500’s. One of these expeditions, led by Hernando de Soto , landed near the bay in 1539.
Robert J. Hackley, a pioneer from New York City, came to the area in 1823 and built a plantation. In 1824, the United States government moved many of the indigenous (native) Seminole to a reservation near Tampa Bay. The Seminole had fought to keep their hunting grounds in northern Florida but had been defeated by the Army. The Army built Fort Brooke on Tampa Bay to supervise the Seminole. Tampa grew up around the fort. The city was incorporated in 1855 and had a population of 885 in 1860. Union troops occupied Tampa during the American Civil War (1861-1865).
Henry B. Plant, an industrialist from Atlanta, Georgia, spent millions of dollars in the late 1800’s to develop Tampa. Plant built a railroad that connected Tampa with the North and established the city’s tourist industry. In 1886, a Florida tobacco processor named Vicente Martinez Ybor founded a cigar industry in what is now Ybor City. Phosphate mining began near Tampa in 1888. The city served as a military base during the Spanish-American War (1898) and as a shipbuilding center during World War I (1914-1918). By 1920, 51,608 people lived in Tampa.
Real estate speculation in Florida attracted thousands of people to Tampa during the 1920’s. The city had 101,161 people by 1930. For an account of the real estate boom, see Florida (History [The early 1900’s]) . Shipbuilding thrived in Tampa in the first half of the 1940’s, during World War II, and the Army Air Forces operated three bases nearby. The 1950’s brought industrial growth to the city. By 1960, Tampa had 274,970 people.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, Tampa undertook several urban renewal projects. One project eliminated some slums near the Hillsborough River. New construction on the site included apartment buildings, a convention hall, a new city library, and office towers.
The city of Tampa and its suburbs have grown at a rapid rate since the 1970’s. The growth included a boom in the construction of new buildings. Over a dozen new office towers were constructed downtown in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. A major new office complex named Westshore was completed near Tampa International Airport in the mid-1980’s. The airport itself was expanded in the late 1980’s to accommodate more passengers and freight. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center (now the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts) opened in 1987.
Tampa’s rapid growth has caused problems. Some public services and facilities have been unable to keep pace with the growth. For example, roads and highways have become overcrowded.
