There is no city called Tampa Bay; “Tampa Bay” in the names of sports franchises such as the Rays, Buccaneers (soccer) and Lightning (hockey) mean that they represent the geographical area and municipalities surrounding the bay. The two largest cities are Tampa, at the northeast end of the bay, and St. The name Tampa Bay first appeared on maps to describe the body of water in the 1760s, when England bought Florida from Spain and began to “Anglicize Florida,” Kite-Powell said. Then, when Fort Brooke was erected in the 1820s in the current Water Street neighborhood, the military called the Tampa Bay land area.
Tampa is part of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, Florida, which is a four-county area comprised of approximately 3.1 million residents, 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 instance 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 Port of Charlotte. In the mid-1880s, Tampa's fortunes took several sudden turns for the better.
In 1883, phosphate was discovered in the Bone Valley region, southeast of Tampa. The mineral, vital for the production of fertilizers and other products, was soon shipped in large quantities from the port of Tampa. 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 Force 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, there 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 tends to be the driest month in Tampa. However, the total amount of rain in autumn can be increased by passing 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 between 10 and 13 °C (50 °F) and nighttime lows close to 4 °C (40 °F) during 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 approach summer values, the rainy season does not usually begin until June, leading to the threat of forest fires from around the end of March to May.
Occasionally, a cold front at the end of the season spreads across the area, which can cause a brief wave of inclement weather followed by a few days of unusually cold temperatures. In 2000, 24.6% of the population of Tampa 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 years old, and 12.5% were 65 years or more. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males.
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 a major employer, serving as the home base for more than 15,000 active uniformed military personnel, Department of Defense (DoD) civilian officers, and Department of Defense (DoD) contractors in the Tampa Bay area.
In fact, a large majority of public administration personnel and contractors are, in turn, 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 restaurants from farm to the table. 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 stands out 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 has more than 2000 animals, interactive exhibits, attractions, educational shows and much more.
The zoo serves as an economic, cultural, environmental and educational support point 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 a site for spring training facilities for Major League Baseball and minor league baseball teams. The New York Yankees hold spring training in Tampa, and the Tampa Tarpons, their Low-A affiliate, 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 are now 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 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, most notably the Tampa Smokers, the 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 1000 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 roads that allow traffic to enter and leave 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 the seven-county Tampa Bay area. The bottom of Tampa Bay is silty and sandy, with an average water depth of only about 12 feet (3.7 m).
McKay is often credited with being the person who actually made Tampa a port, first with a sailboat that sailed between Tampa and Mobile and New Orleans and then with two steamboats that transported cattle to Cuba. Congress allocates funds for the United States Army Corps of Engineers to begin the first major dredging operation in the Tampa Bay. After decades of trying to attract an existing Major League Baseball franchise, the Tampa Bay area finally won a team in 1998, when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays expansion began playing at Tropicana Field in St. Even though “Tampa” became the official name of the city (and later the city), the area kept the name Tampa Bay.
Fort Brooke spawned Tampa on the northeast coast, Fort Harrison (a minor military post on the west coast of Florida) spawned Clearwater, the trading post of Braden's Town became Bradenton in the south, and St. Since the 1970s, Tampa Bay has been the national, primary, and global descriptor of the group of cities surrounding the body of water. The Tampa Bay Times regularly receives angry and mocking emails, calls, and social media messages for using the term Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay Mutiny was the first winner of the Supporters' Shield in the MLS and has been very successful since 1996. Even then, Tampa's first major tourist destination was named the Tampa Bay Hotel when it opened in 1891. The Tampa Bay area has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), although due to its location on the Florida Peninsula, in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it shows some characteristics of a tropical climate. More bridges crossed Tampa Bay over the following decades, making travel between surrounding communities much faster and promoting the economic development of the Tampa Bay area.
Currently, the area is home to about 4 million inhabitants, making Tampa Bay a widely used commercial and recreational waterway and exposing it to increasing amounts of pollutants from industry, agriculture, wastewater and surface runoff. The Tampa Bay Rowdies of the original North American Soccer League were the first major sports franchise in the area, which began playing in 1975 at Tampa Stadium.
