About Tampa FL
Tampa is a key city in the state of Florida, which currently serves as the county seat of the Hillsborough County. It is situated on the western coastlands of the state. There is archaeological evidence that the site of the future city was home to the indigenous Amerindians tribes for millennia on end. When Spanish explorers visited this region in the 1500s, they found a flourishing population of the descendants of the Tocobago and Pohoy tribes. The interaction between these natives and the Spanish were markedly brief, and sometimes, even brutal. Still, the newcomers stayed long enough to spread Europeans diseases that went decimated the locals.
The US Army put in place a frontier outpost, which was christened Fort Brooke close to the mouth of the Hillsborough River in the early part of 19th century. The first residents here were pioneer ranchers together with farmers. These people lived close to the fort out of fear of the fierce Seminole Amerindian tribe, which were close by.
In the latter part of the 19th century the region witnessed a surge of development. This is attributable to a number of factors including the construction of railroad, the discovery of phosphate and the emergence of the cigar industry. All these issues enabled Tampa to grow from a plain village to a bustling city at the turn of the century. A 2004 survey conducted by the New York University ranked this Florida city as the #1 city for twenty somethings. In 2008, Forbes.com rated Tampa as the # 5 best outdoor city. In 2015, the Loughborough University ranked it as one of the Gamma world city. Lastly, in 2016 Money Magazine rated it as the best city to live in, in the southeastern region of the US.
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Economy
The cornerstones of the economy of this Florida city are the financial services, retail trade, tourism, healthcare, professional sports and real estate industries. The Hillsborough County accounts for 740,000 local workers. While a number of established business corporations have regional offices in Tampa. This includes big names from banking services, telecoms sectors. It is also noteworthy to state that there are some Fortune 1000 firms, which have established their headquarters in this city. Some of the most prominent of which are OSI Restaurant Partners, TECO Energy and Raymond James Financial.
The top 6 employers in Tampa include BayCare Health System, Pubix Supermarket, HCA West Florida. Frontier Communications, Tampa General Hospital and Walmart. On the other hand, the port of Tampa is currently the 7th biggest in the country and Florida’s biggest in the context of tonnage shipped. The city is currently the state’s 2nd largest cruise ship travel city, second only to Miami. The MacDill Air Force Base is a key employer in the city as well, and accounts for 15,000 workers including uniformed soldiers, department of defense civilian workers and contractors. This base is home to the 6th Air Mobility Wing, US Central Command, US Special Operations Command. The 927TH Air Refueling Wing, the Marines Forces Central Command headquarters to name just a few.
Attractions
Tampa is a major tourist destination in the state of Florida, and boasts of a wide variety of attractions which draw large number of visitors each and every year. The city is a key cultural hub of Florida too and comes with numerous performing arts venues and theaters along with a number of world class museums.
Busch Gardens
This is one of the top attractions in Tampa, and is essentially an African themed family adventure park. It comes complete with fascinating thrill rides, live music performances and craft performances. Best of all, the Busch Gardens is home to a horde of exotic wildlife, which live in natural habitats prepared for them. One of the top highlights of paying a visit here is safari adventure that visitors view the animals on the plains. These plains feature replicated African villages and camps as well. Another highlight is obtaining close up encounters with some of the wildlife that call the Busch Gardens their home.
Big Cat Rescue
The Big Cat Rescue is a wildlife sanctuary that specifically caters for abused or abandoned big cat species. It is home to numerous big cats such as tigers, Geoffroy cats, jungle cats, clouded leopards, servals, caracals, snow leopards, bobcats, lynx to mention but a few.
Ybor City
Without question, this is the soul of Tampa’s latino population, and is a national historic landmark. It is named in honor of Vincente Ybor who was its founder and a notable cigar magnate. Visitors get to explore a variety of shops, stores, galleries and eateries at the leisure. The 7th Avenue where Ybor City is located is home to a good number of historic buildings, many of which are on the national register historic places list.
Tampa Theater
Built in the early parts of the 20th century, the Tampa Theater is a trendy film palace that is noted for its blend of architectural design. Some of the most prominent include Italian renaissance, Byzantine and even Greek Revival. It showcases movies from abroad together with classic ones. The Tampa Theater hosts specialty concerts and other shows on a frequent basis.
Sunshine Skyway
The Sunshine Skyway is a very conspicuous Tampa Bay landmark and is a multi-lane toll bridge that stretches 12 miles long, and takes an elegant curve across the mouth of the bay. Its key feature is the 4.25 mile long high level bridge whose middle is magnificently suspended from 2 huge pylons. This part of the Sunshine Skyway has been specifically designed to give passage to large seafaring ships underneath the bridge.
Lowry Park Zoo
This is yet another of Tampa’s wildlife attractions, and is home to over 2,000 animals. Some of the most popular exhibits showcased here are the ‘Asian Gardens,’ the ‘Primate World,’ the ‘Free-Flight Aviaries,’ the ‘Florida Wildlife Center’ and the Safari Africa.’ One of the best highlights of visiting the Lowry Park Zoo is the golden opportunity to feed some of the wildlife here like giraffe. Moreover, this park comes with a range of rides for children of all ages.
Tampa Bay History Center
The Tampa Bay History Center is a world class museum, which makes it a point to showcase the rich and eventful history of the whole Tampa Bay region. This goes back to 12 millennia down memory lane, and features the history of the area’s earliest inhabitants like the Seminole Amerindian tribe. The museum also has exhibits that showcase the impressive multi-cultural influence on the Tampa Bay region for the past 5 centuries. Not to mention showcasing the regional geography of the state of Florida. Besides a permanent collection of artifacts, the Tampa Bay History Center also displays temporary exhibits, which are rotated every now and then.
Henry B Plant Museum
This Tampa forms part of the defunct Tampa Bay Hotel, and was converted into a museum in the early part of the 20th century. Generally speaking, the building is an opulent Victorian palace, which is characterized by distinctive Moorish architectural design. The Henry B Plant Museum showcases the history the hotel itself, and Plant’s contributions to the eventual development of the city and the state. The rooms on show feature period furnishings, and renowned the lifestyle of Plant in its best footing. This includes the ‘Grand Hall,’ the ‘Reading & Writing’ and ‘Garden Room.’ Henry Plant was a gardening enthusiast and enlisted the services of a notable landscaper to design the ground of the property. The rest of the building is now used by the University of Tampa.