Ponce De Leon first found Tampa Bay in 1513 but began settling on the other coast of Florida ⁴. In 1824, four companies of the US Army settled and established Fort Brooke. From a military base, it developed into a proper city and was later recognized as an official part of the U.S. in 1845. The railroad extension that was built in 1884 provided access to even more areas. Hotels were built to attract visitors and tourists. In the late 1800’s, phosphates were discovered in the area which prompted a boom in the mining industry. Tampa was the primary port for soldiers during the Spanish-American War, and to this day, the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Forces Command reside at MacDill Air Force Base. Since then, Tampa has evolved spectacularly and become very diversified.
Today, Tampa is Florida's third largest city and is ranked as the third most desirable city to move to in the United States ¹. It has the "fourth-highest employment growth of any U.S. county" ² resulting in more and more people moving to the city. Tampa has a huge tourism and hospitality industry greatly enabled by Tampa's International Airport which brings over 20 million passengers to the city for business or vacation every year ⁵.
It's also home to the Tampa Bay Lighting and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It has two theme parks, Busch Gardens and Sea World. Its close proximity to Disney World and Universal Studios, also makes it a great place to stay outside the hustle and bustle of Orlando. There are 14 colleges and universities in Tampa, the two most notable being the University of Tampa and the University of Southern Florida.
FUN FACT
"Jose Marti Park officially belongs to Cuba, it was given as a gift in 1956 to the island nation. Located in Ybor City, it is only .14 acres in size." ³
Berdychowski, B. (2022, March 24). Tampa is no. 3 on list of U.S. cities where people want to move. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2022/03/24/tampa-is-no-3-on-list-of-us-cities-where-people-want-to-move/
Ganz, P. (2022, May 22). The thriving job market in Tampa Bay. Homes for Sale in Florida. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.makefloridayourhome.com/blog/the-thriving-job-market-in-tampa-bay
Johnson, D. (2018, April 23). 15 things you didn't know about Tampa, FL. Culture Trip. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/florida/articles/15-things-you-didnt-know-about-tampa-fl/
Tampa history. City of Tampa. (2022, May 24). Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.tampa.gov/info/tampa-history
Tampa International Airport. (n.d.). TPA: We're the total package. TPA: We're the total package | Tampa International Airport. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.tampaairport.com/PaxSeeking
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