The region includes, but is not limited to, Tampa, St. Tampa is a city, Tampa Bay is not a city, but a region. Tampa is part of Tampa-St. The Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, Florida, is a four-county area comprised of approximately 3.1 million inhabitants, making it the second largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the state and the sixth largest in the southeastern United States, behind Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Washington, D.C.
The Tampa Bay metropolitan area has more than 4 million residents and generally includes the Tampa and Sarasota metropolitan areas. The first example of the name Tampa, in the Tanpa form, appears in the memoirs of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, who spent 17 years captive by the Calusa and traveled through much of peninsular Florida. He described Tanpa as an important Calusa city north of the Calusa domain, possibly under the command of another chief. Archaeologist Jerald Milanich places the city of Tanpa at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor.
The entrances to Tampa Bay and the Port of Charlotte are hidden by barrier islands, and their location and the names applied to them were a source of confusion for explorers, surveyors and cartographers from the 16th to the 18th century. Tampa Bay and Holy Spirit Bay were used, at one time or another, for modern Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. In the mid-1880s, Tampa's fortunes took several sudden turns for the better. In 1883, phosphate was discovered in the Bone Valley region, to the southeast from Tampa.
The mineral, vital for the production of fertilizers and other products, was soon shipped from the port of Tampa in large volume. Tampa remains a major exporter of phosphates. Tampa grew considerably as a result of World War II. Before the participation of the United States in the conflict, construction began on MacDill Field, which served as the main base for operations of the Army Air Corps and later the Army Air Forces just before and during World War II, with several auxiliary airfields around the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties.
At the end of the war, MacDill remained an active military installation, while the auxiliary camps returned to civilian control. Two of these auxiliary fields were later converted to the current Tampa International Airport and St. With the establishment of an independent United States Air Force in 1947, MacDill Field became MacDill Air Base. Tampa showcases a wide variety of architectural designs and styles.
Most of Tampa's skyscrapers show post-modern architecture. The design of the renovated Tampa Art Museum shows post-modern architecture, while the Tampa City Hall and Theater belong to Art Deco architecture. Spanning the southern part of Tampa Bay, is the enormous Sunshine Skyway bridge, with a large steel wingspan. Average temperatures fall gradually starting in September, and the average amount of daily rainfall decreases as fall progresses.
November is usually the driest month in Tampa. However, the total amount of fall rain may increase as it passes through tropical systems, which can shed several centimeters of rain. Winter in the area is generally dry and cool. Average high temperatures range from 21 to 23 °C (70 °F) during the day and 11 to 13 °C (50 °F) at night.
Occasional cold fronts cross the area during the season and usually cause a brief period of rain followed by maximum daytime temperatures of 10 to 13 °C (50 °F) and nighttime lows close to 4 °C (40 °F) for one or two days. Tampa experiences occasional frost, with an average annual minimum temperature of 32.8° F (0.4° C) Tampa has a slow rise in average temperatures starting in mid-February, and spring brings mostly warm and sunny weather to the area. Although temperatures at the end of spring are close to summer values, the rainy season does not usually begin until June, leading to the threat of forest fires starting around the end of March until May. Occasionally, a cold front at the end of the season crosses the area, which can cause a brief series of severe weather conditions followed by a few days of unusually cold temperatures.
In 2000, 24.6% of Tampa's population was under 18, 10.0% were between 18 and 24 years old, 32.3% were between 25 and 44 years old, 20.5% were between 45 and 64, and 12.5% were 65 years old or older. The average age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 men. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.
Several large corporations, such as banks and telecommunications companies, maintain regional offices in Tampa. The largest credit union in Florida, Suncoast Credit Union, is headquartered in Tampa. MacDill Air Force Base remains one of the main employers, as it is the base where more than 15,000 active uniformed military personnel, civilian Department of Defense (DoD) officers and Department of Defense (DoD) contractors work in the Tampa Bay area. A large majority of public administration personnel and contractors are, in fact, retired career military personnel.
In addition to the 6th Air Mobility Wing, which is the base's host wing, MacDill also houses the Headquarters of the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), the Headquarters of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), the 927th Air Refueling Wing, the Headquarters of the United States Marine Forces Central Command (USMARCENT), the Headquarters, the Headquarters of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCIENT) and many other active military and reserve activities components of the armed forces. Tampa is home to a variety of performing and performing arts venues and theaters, including the David A. Center for the Performing Arts, the Tampa Theater, the Gorilla Theater, and the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater, next to the Florida State Fairgrounds. The rock band Underoath is based in Tampa. Tampa has a diverse culinary scene, from small cafes and bakeries to bistros and farm-to-table restaurants.
Tampa food has a history of Cuban, Spanish, Caribbean and Italian cuisine. There are also many Colombian, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese and barbecue restaurants. Seafood is very popular in Tampa, and Greek cuisine is prominent in the area, including around Tarpon Springs. Food trucks are very popular and the area holds the record for the highest concentration of food trucks in the world.
In addition to Ybor, the Seminole Heights and South Tampa areas are known for their restaurants. Several Tampa-based restaurant chains were founded, such as Outback Steakhouse, The Melting Pot, Front Burner Brands, Carrabba's, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Bonefish Grill, Columbia Restaurant, Checkers and Rally's, Taco Bus and PDQ. ZooTampa at Lowry Park features more than 2000 animals, interactive exhibits, attractions, educational shows and more. The zoo serves as an economic, cultural, environmental and educational foothold in Tampa.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 335 acre (1.36 km) African-themed amusement park near the University of South Florida. It has many exciting roller coasters, for which it is known, such as Sheikra, Montu, Cheetah Hunt and Kumba. Visitors can also see and interact with several African wild animals. Adventure Island is a 12-acre (30-acre) water park adjacent to Busch Gardens.
The Florida Aquarium is a 23,000 m (250,000 square foot) aquarium in the English Channel District. It is home to more than 20,000 species of aquatic plants and animals. It is known for its unique glass architecture. Next to the aquarium is the SS American Victory, a victorious ship from World War II that is preserved as a museum ship.
The Tampa Bay area has long been home to major league spring training facilities and minor league baseball teams. The New York Yankees hold spring training in Tampa, and the Tampa Tarpons, their Low-A subsidiary, play there during the summer. The Tampa Bay Vipers play in the second edition of the XFL. Its maiden season was interrupted after five weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, and now they are Las Vegas Vipers. Across the bay, in Pinellas County, Clearwater Threshers, a subsidiary of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Dunedin Blue Jays, of the Toronto Blue Jays, also play in the Low-A Southeast. Other nearby Low-A Southeast teams include Bradenton Marauders, affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Lakeland Flying Tigers, affiliated with the Detroit Tigers. The Phillies, Blue Jays, Pirates and Tigers play their preseason games in the stadiums of their minor league teams.
The Tarpons have won five league titles, the Flying Tigers have won four, the Threshers have won two, and the Blue Jays and Marauders have won one each. Formerly, the area was home to many former Florida State League teams that no longer exist, including the Tampa Smokers, St. Petersburg Saints and the original Tampa Tarpons. The Tampa Bay area doesn't have a professional basketball team.
The Orlando Magic are the closest NBA team to the area, 85 miles to the east. The Tampa Police Department has more than 1,000 sworn officers and many civil service support personnel under the direction of a police chief elected by the mayor and approved by the city council. There are several higher education institutions in Tampa. Major television stations include WEDU and WEDQ 3 (PBS), WFLA-TV 8 (NBC), WTSP 10 (CBS), WTVT 13 (Fox), WCLF 22 (CTN), WFTS 28 (ABC), WMOR-TV 32 (standalone), WTTA 38 (The CW), WSNN-LD 39 (MyNetworkTV), WTOG 44 (standalone), WVEA 50 (Univision), WFTT 62 (UniMás) and WXPX 66 (ION).
Tampa has several highways that serve the city. There are two toll highways that allow traffic to enter and exit from Tampa. The Lee Roy Selmon Highway (SR 61) runs from the suburbs of Brandon at its eastern terminus, through downtown Tampa, to the neighborhoods of southern Tampa (near MacDill Air Force Base) at its western terminus. Meanwhile, the Veterans Expressway (SR 58) connects Tampa International Airport and the Bay Bridges to the northwestern suburbs of Carrollwood, Northdale, Westchase, Citrus Park, Cheval and Lutz, before continuing north on the Suncoast Parkway to Pasco and Hernando counties.
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) develops bus, light rail and other transportation options for all seven counties in the Tampa Bay area. The term Tampa Bay is often used as an abbreviation to refer to all or part of the Tampa Bay area, comprising many surrounding towns and cities in several counties the great body of water. Local marketing and branding efforts (including several professional sports teams, tourist offices, and chambers of commerce) often use the nickname Tampa Bay, encouraging the misconception that it's the name of a particular municipality when this isn't the case. Are you thinking about moving to Tampa, Florida? Tampa is located on Tampa Bay, on the west coast of Florida, near the Gulf of Mexico.
The city is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the southeastern United States and is home to the largest and most important port in Florida. The Tampa Bay Area includes Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and the four surrounding counties. Tampa Bay has a long and colorful history (miss Florida anyway), and much of it is waiting for you to discover it.
Here are some things you probably never knew about Cigar City. As Spain began to lose its strength as a world power, it was the British who began to gain a foothold in the Tampa Bay Area. The Tampa Bay Times regularly receives angry and mocking emails, calls, and social media messages for using the term Tampa Bay. Previously, Tampa's ground transportation links consisted of sandy highways that stretched across the Florida countryside.
During the run-up to the war, Roosevelt and the rest of the military leaders established their headquarters in the elaborate, Moorish-style Tampa Bay Hotel, whose silver minarets remain an iconic feature of the Tampa Bay skyline. An interesting side effect of the identity of this area is that a lot of people from outside the region think that the Tampa Bay Rays play in Tampa. Tampa is home to a number of attractions and theme parks, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Adventure Island, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, and the Florida Aquarium. In the late 1880s, phosphate was also discovered in Central Florida and Tampa's first cigar factories opened, and Tampa quickly became the main shipping point for these and other commodities.
Originally the Pittsburgh Gladiators and a founding member of the Arena Football League (AFL), the Tampa Bay Storm moved from Pittsburgh in 1991 and won ArenaBowl V that year. Another detail of the story is that the name given to the bay by the first European explorers and cartographers was not Tampa Bay, but Holy Spirit Bay. The history of Port Tampa Bay truly underscores the importance of working together to achieve benefits for all. Petersburg, but each one is called Tampa Bay in a marketing effort to invoke fanaticism on both sides of the bridge. But you can still stroll around the spacious terrace and explore the museum dedicated to Henry Plant, the Gilded Age railroad magnate who helped put Tampa Bay on the map.
Thanks to easy access to Cuban tobacco and a booming port, Ybor City and West Tampa became important cigar manufacturing centers and made Tampa the manufacturing capital of the world of cigarettes.
