Tampa (US: / ˈ t æ m p ə /) is a major city in and the county seat of, Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway (SR 618), runs from suburban Brandon at its eastern terminus, through Downtown Tampa, to the neighborhoods in South Tampa (near MacDill Air Force Base) at its western terminus. The Stetson University College of Law is in Gulfport and has a second campus, the Tampa Law Center, in downtown Tampa. Four members are elected from specific numbered areas designated City Districts, and the other three are "at-large" members (serving citywide).[167]. Since 2010, we’ve seen both the widest and strongest tornado on record touch down in Oklahoma. The National Weather Service says Florida is the lightning capital of the country, with more people dying from strikes in the state each year than any other state. In April 2007, the Tampa Downtown Partnership noted development proceeding on 20 residential, hotel, and mixed-use projects. In 2000, 27.6% households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. Let us help you with any of your roofing needs to keep YOU and your family safe! Completed in 1973, it was the tallest skyscraper in Tampa until the completion of One Tampa City Center in 1981. Tampa is home to a number of attractions and theme parks, including Busch Gardens Tampa, Adventure Island, the Lowry Park Zoo, and the Florida Aquarium. USF began playing intercollegiate sports in 1965. Think about what runs into and all around the inside of your house. There are theaters, a map gallery, a research center and a museum store. 1850 census population included Fort Brooke, which was located outside the municipal limits. "Zagat Survey Releases Global Airlines Survey Covering 84 Airlines and 46 Major Airports", November 20, 2007. As of 2000, the largest European ancestries in the city were German (9.2%), Irish (8.4%), English (7.7%), Italian (5.6%), and French (2.4%).[87]. [93] The latter two have been designated by the city government as Local Landmark Structures. The new railroad link enabled another important industry to come to Tampa. Tampa averages two days of frost per year, although a winter or two may pass without any frost. The Florida Aquarium is a 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2) aquarium in the Channel District. [138][139], Since 2015, Tampa has hosted the annual Tampa Riverfest, typically held during the first weekend of May. Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. MacDill Air Force Base remains a major employer as the parent installation for over 15,000 active uniformed military, Department of Defense (DoD) civil service and DoD contractor personnel in the Tampa Bay area. [45], During the first few decades of the 20th century, the cigar-making industry was the backbone of Tampa's economy. [172], Other colleges and universities in the wider Tampa Bay Area include Jersey College, Eckerd College, and St. Petersburg College in St. It opened in 1979 and was constructed by Tampa Parks and Recreation. TECO Energy, Tampa’s electric utility, spends over millions of dollars annually to repair transformers and other equipment damaged by lightning strikes,” reports Wikipedia. Do we need to say any more about lightning and Tampa? Official records for Tampa were kept at downtown from April 1890 to December 1940. When the pioneer community living near the US Army outpost of Fort Brooke was incorporated in 1849, it was called "Tampa Town" and the name was shortened to simply "Tampa" in 1855. For other uses, see, Images from top, left to right: Skyline of, 33601–33626, 33629–33631, 33633–33635, 33637, 33646, 33647, 33650, 33655, 33660–33664, 33672–33675, 33677, 33679–33682, 33684–33689, 33694, Indigenous peoples and European exploration. [88], Communities of faith have organized in Tampa from 1846, when a Methodist congregation established the city's first church,[89] to 1939, when a 21-year-old Billy Graham began his career as a spiritual evangelist and preacher on downtown's Franklin Street,[90] and through to today. Phosphate and commercial fishing exports could be sent north by rail,[44] and many new products were brought into the Tampa market, along with the first tourists. [76] This boom period for Florida also saw the construction of an ornate movie palace, the Tampa Theatre, a Mediterranean revival on Davis Islands, and Bayshore Boulevard, which borders Hillsborough Bay from downtown Tampa to areas in South Tampa. There are conductive copper pipes bringing the water into your house from outside. The St. Pete Tide and the Tampa Gunners play in the Florida Basketball Association (FBA). 79 - Foreign Trade Zone Regulationsr", RUNNING OUT OF ROOM? Finance, retail, healthcare, insurance, shipping by air and sea, national defense, professional sports, tourism, and real estate all play vital roles in the area's economy. The entrances to Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor are obscured by barrier islands, and their locations, and the names applied to them, were a source of confusion to explorers, surveyors and map-makers from the 16th century though the 18th century. Freight and container cargo operations at the city's seaports also depend upon dockside rail facilities. Plant Museum; and Ybor City Museum State Park. Earth has a new lightning capital, according to a recent study using observations from the Lightning Imaging Sensor onboard NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission. It was bought in 1949 by the famous "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, who had a residence nearby, and closed upon her death. The inventively named Tampa Bay Area is considered the lightning capital of North America, thanks to the tens of thousands of sky-to-ground flashes the region sees every year. It is important not to be close or touching any of those during a lightning storm. It was the first public skatepark to be constructed in Florida and the third on the East Coast. There is no natural gold or silver in Florida, and the native inhabitants repulsed Spanish attempts to establish a permanent settlement or convert them to Catholicism. The major hospitals in Tampa include Tampa General Hospital, St. Joseph's Children's & Women's Hospital, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, and The Pepin Heart Institute. [132], Other notable events include the Outback Bowl, which is held New Year's Day at Raymond James Stadium. | Web Design by, the widest and strongest tornado on record, 22.5 million flashes of cloud-to-ground lightning, How to Hang Christmas Lights on Your Roof. Early Spanish explorers to visit the area interacted extensively (and violently) with the Tocobaga, whose principal town was at the northern end of Old Tampa Bay near today's Safety Harbor in Pinellas County. Seafood is very popular in Tampa, and Greek cuisine is prominent in the area, including around Tarpon Springs. In the mid-1880s, Tampa's fortunes took several sudden turns for the better. The Rays avoided the reverse sweep in Game 7 and won their second American League Pennant, then lost the World Series in 6 games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.[158]. During the Battle of Fort Brooke on October 16 and the Battle of Ballast Point on October 18, 1863, Union forces inflicted serious damage to the city's economy when, under the cover of another bombardment of the fort, troops landed and destroyed two blockade running ships that had been hidden upstream along the Hillsborough River. "Total Port, Port of Tampa, Florida: FY09 vs FY08", November 16, 2009. 14 on North America's list, and 122nd globally. We’re so used to thunderstorms that their presence is almost second nature unless they’re unusually strong. [60] However, all three storms turned to the east and made landfall in southwest Florida instead. [citation needed]. [16], People from Tampa are generally known as "Tampans" or "Tampanians". [135] The Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, held annually since 1989, is the city's largest film festival event,[136] and one of the largest independent gay film festivals in the country. Males had a median income of $40,461 versus $29,868 for females. Winter in the area is generally dry and mild. The South and North Poles and the oceans get fewer lightning strikes. Adjacent to the aquarium is the SS American Victory, a World War II Victory ship preserved as a museum ship. The American West is enduring a years-long drought with no end in sight. [30], Tampa was initially an isolated frontier outpost. Clinton, William Jefferson. It was the longest overwater recreation trail in the world. When measured by the average number of days with thunderstorm and lightning activity, Tampa could accurately be referred to as the lightening capital of North America. Tampa is home to a variety of stage and performing arts venues and theaters, including the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa Theatre, Gorilla Theatre, and the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre next to the Florida State Fairgrounds. Limited transportation by privately operated "Neighborhood Electric Vehicles" (NEV) is available, primarily in Downtown Tampa and Ybor City. Overall, there are 21 completed buildings that rise over 250 feet (76 m) high. … However, brief mentions by explorers along with surviving artifacts suggest that the Pohoy and other groups that once lived on Tampa Bay had very similar cultures and lifestyles as the better-documented Tocobaga. It has since grown into a Larger location in Downtown Tampa next to the Tampa Museum of Art and Curtis Hixon Park. 234 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 ™, a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies in North America. Tampa is represented by teams in three major professional sports leagues: the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball. It will zig-zag all over the place by going up, down, sideways, forwards and backwards. Permanently docked in downtown's Channel District is the SS American Victory, a former World War II Victory ship which is now used as a museum ship. John Carter Brown Library, Providence, Rhode Island. The schools provide for a variety of technical training certification courses as well as job placement skills. The Veterans Expressway (SR 589), meanwhile connects Tampa International Airport and the bay bridges to the northwestern suburbs of Carrollwood, Northdale, Westchase, Citrus Park, Cheval, and Lutz, before continuing north as the Suncoast Parkway into Pasco and Hernando counties. Greco, J., Henriquez, F., Freedman, S. (1993). “Though the Tampa Bay area is sometimes referred to as the “Lightning Capital of the World”, it is more accurately called the “Lightning Capital of North America” if measured by average number of days with thunderstorm activity per year. Big Cat Rescue is one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated entirely to abused and abandoned big cats. Downtown Tampa also contains some nightlife, and there are more clubs/bars to be found in other areas of the city. Florida Museum of Photographic Arts Features local and international photography exhibitions. There were only five teams during the 2017 season, after which the Storm's ownership group suspended operations. It's even embedded into official city documents, with the mayor's proclamation of Lightning Safety Awareness Week declaring the Tampa Bay area as the "Lightning Capital of North America." Many business offices began moving away from the traditional downtown office building into more convenient neighborhood office plazas. America's Richest Self-Made Women ... they’re the result of many individual lightning-induced fires—north and south of the Bay Area have consumed more than three-quarters of a … This brackish … But it's doesn't rank very high overall: It's No. [171] Southern Technical College is a private two-year college that operates a campus in Tampa. Their home games are played at Pasco–Hernando State College. January 18, 2018", "The day it snowed in Tampa Bay, 40 years ago today", "WMO Climate Normals for TAMPA/INT'L ARPT FL 1961–1990", "Average Weather for Tampa, FL - Temperature and Precipitation", "Tampa, Florida - Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast", "Channelside deal approved; now it's up to Jeff Vinik to make it work", "Your Complete Guide to Water Street Tampa", "CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING (1790–2000)", "Tampa (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau", "Modern Language Association Data Center Results of Tampa, Florida". The area is served by dozens of FM and AM radio stations including WDAE, which was the first radio station in Florida when it went on the air in 1922. Irma had the greatest effect on Tampa. In 2009, the new Frank Wildhorn musical Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure hosted its world premiere at the Straz Center. The Tampa Police Department has over 1000 sworn officers and many civilian service support personnel. [31], Florida became the 27th state on March 3, 1845. [105] Hillsborough County alone has an estimated 740,000 employees, a figure which is projected to increase to 922,000 by 2015. Occasionally, a late-season cold front pushes through the area, potentially bringing a brief round of severe weather followed by a few days of unseasonably cool temperatures. It appears in the Cars and Planes series. [71] Several museums have already opened, including new homes for the Tampa Bay History Center, the Glazer Children's Museum, and the Tampa Museum of Art. During a thunderstorm, it is important to not be near running water and electrical devices. The city has no current representation in MLS, however, the Rowdies are seeking to join the league.[161]. Tampa is the birthplace of the Florida version of the deviled crab and the Cuban sandwich, which has been officially designated as the "signature sandwich of the city of Tampa" by the city council. Kishore Ahuja is the Sr. Vice President of North American Lighting. Often referred to as Tampa's "Mardi Gras", the invasion flotilla led by the pirate ship, Jose Gasparilla, and subsequent parade draw over 400,000 attendees, contributing tens of millions of dollars to the city's economy. No. Tampa's library system is operated by the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System. [162] It will be the first time an NBA team will call Tampa home, though some exhibition preseason games have been played in Tampa between the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. With thousands of lightning strikes each year, the Interstate 4 corridor from Daytona Beach through Orlando to Tampa, is the lightning capital of North America. [122] A Tampa Cuban sandwich is distinct from other regional versions, as Genoa salami is layered in with the other ingredients, likely due to the influence of Italian immigrants living next to Cubans and Spaniards in Ybor City.[123][124]. The Tampa Bay History Center is a museum in the Channel District. [184], The Port of Tampa is the largest port in Florida in throughput tonnage, making it one of the busiest commercial ports in North America. We are dedicated to providing top quality workmanship and materials to ensure that your new roof is done right. [154], In 2020, the Rays won the AL East for the first time in a decade with the best record in the American League. Plugging all of your electrical devices into a surge protector is a good suggestion. Tampa's libraries are also a part of a larger library network, The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, which includes the libraries of the neighboring municipalities of Temple Terrace and Plant City. As late as 1774, Bernard Romans called Tampa Bay "Bay of Espiritu Santo", with "Tampa Bay" restricted to the Northwest arm (what is now Old Tampa Bay) and the northeast arm named "Hillsborough Bay". Tampa's climate generally features hot and humid summers with frequent thunderstorms and dry and mild winters. The Tampa mayor Pam Iorio made the redevelopment of Tampa's downtown, especially residential development, a priority. The food of Tampa has a history of Cuban, Spanish, Floribbean and Italian cuisines. In the early 1920s, this small-time operation was taken over by Charlie Wall, the rebellious son of a prominent Tampa family, and went big-time. Most of Tampa's high rises demonstrate post-modern architecture. In 2000, the city's population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The Tampa Bay area has long been a site for Major League Baseball spring training facilities and minor league baseball teams. Hurricane Donna (1960), Hurricane Charley (2004), and Hurricane Irma (2017) were each forecast to make landfall in Tampa Bay from the southwest, a worst-case track that would result in maximum storm surges throughout the region. [70] Several residential and mixed-development high-rises have been constructed. 2. Public primary and secondary education is operated by Hillsborough County Public Schools, officially known as the School District of Hillsborough County (SDHC). The Bulls established a men's basketball team in 1971 and a football team in 1997 and sponsor 17 teams in total. However, rain totals in the fall can be augmented by passing tropical systems, which can dump several inches of rain. [13] As of 2018, Tampa's annual growth rate is 1.63%.[14]. St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, United States Marine Forces Central Command, United States Special Operations Command Central, David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure, India International Film Festival (IIFF) of Tampa Bay, Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, 15th International Indian Film Academy Awards, 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, Florida College System Activities Association, National Junior College Athletic Association, List of schools in Hillsborough County, Florida, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System, St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Southwest Florida Water Management District, List of metropolitan areas in the Americas, List of United States cities by population, National Register of Historic Places listings in Tampa, Florida, "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016 - United States -- Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area; and for Puerto Rico (GCT-PEPANNRES)", "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Tampa city, Florida", "Are you a Tampan, Tampanian or Tampeño?". Recreation trail in the mid-1880s, Tampa 's city government as local Landmark.! Lightning won a total of 17 Division II National Championships, including the John F. Germany Public Library is! Jews in Tampa '' titles in 2008 and 2010 under manager Joe Maddon before slipping in. With several of these wires or pipes ( think telephone, computer shower... I know, is the Marion Transit Center in Tampa, serving nearly 30 local and photography... 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