Tampa, Florida


Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida and is the third largest city in the U.S. State of Florida. Tampa is a part of the metropolitan area most commonly referred to as the Tampa Bay Area. Tampa's economy is founded on a diverse base that includes tourism, agriculture, construction, finance, health care, government, technology, and the port of Tampa.



To See And To Do In Tampa


  • Ybor City State Museum
  • Tampa Museum of Art
  • Florida Aquarium
  • Busch Gardens
  • Museum of Science and Industry
  • Walking tour of Ybor City
  • International Plaza Mall
  • Channelside


History Of Tampa - Timeline


In 1513, the first Europeans came to the Tampa area but they decided to move to eastern Florida and left the western areas alone. In 1528, a Spanish expedition had the intention of starting a colony in the Tampa area but was told by the natives to move north for better areas. In 1539, the Spanish searched for gold in the area.

First, in 1824, Tampa became settled where today's Tampa Convention Center sits in Downtown Tampa. In 1845, The Tampa Bay region became part of the United States. In 1846, the first church was established. In 1849, Tampa was incorporate as the "Village of Tampa" and had at the time 185 inhabitants. In 1853, Tampa was incorporate as a town and in 1855 as a city. In 1881, the Tampa Bay Hotel was built. In 1882, the Hillsborough High School was established.

In 1883, phosphate, a mineral used to make fertilizers and other products was discovered and the mining and shipping of phosphate became important.

In 1884, the Tampa Bay Times was published and the railroad reached Tampa. The railroad enabled phosphate and commercial fishing exports to go north. The railroad also brought many new products into the Tampa market. In 1891, the Henry B. Plant Museum building was complete. In 1895, the daily newspaper, The Tampa Tribune, was founded.

In 1886 Vicente Martinez Ybor established a cigar factory in Tampa. The railroad made shipment of finished cigars to the rest of the US market easy. Ybor built hundreds of small houses around his factory for his workers. Other cigar manufacturers soon moved to Tampa and the city became a major cigar production center. The city now grows fast.

In 1900, nearly 16,000 people lived in the city. In 1912, the Union Station opened. In 1915, the Tampa City Hall was built. In 1925, the Tampa Theatre and Office Building was built. In 1927, the Sulphur Springs Water Tower was completed.

In 1954, the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened. In 1956, the University of South Florida was established. In 1980, a merchant ship was involved in a fatal collision with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The bridge collapsed and a Greyhound bus, and six other vehicles fell 165 feet into the bay. A total of 35 people died.