Tampa, Florida is one of the most intriguing cities for a holiday and you can find out just how interesting it is right here. Read on to know some of the most interesting facts which make this city as unique as it is.
DID YOU KNOW That…
Historical Fast Facts about Tampa
- Tampa began its existence as a Indian fishing village in the 1520s; it was called Tanpa which means sticks of fire
- Early explorers made an error and the name was spelt as Tampa on the maps; Hernando de Soto, a famous explorer came to this area in 1530s in search of gold
- It was the year 1772 when Dutch cartographer Bernard Romans named the county and upper arm of Tampa as Hillsborough, in honor of Lord Hillsborough, secretary of state for colonies
- In the early 1830s, Hillsborough was organized as the 19th county of Florida
- Vincente Martinez Ybor opened his cigar factory east of Tampa during the 1880s
- Soon, the entire industry shifted base to Tampa making Ybor City the centre of cigars in the world
- Some of the most historic attractions to preserve history include the historic Tampa theatre, The Floridian Palace Hotel and the Henry B. Plant Museum
Geographic and Demographic Fast Facts about Tampa
- Tampa is located midway down the west coast of Florida, around 25 miles to the east of Gulf of Mexico
- It is bordered towards the south and the west by Hillsborough and Old Tampa Bays
- The city’s annual semi-tropical climate is free from extremes though it does experience thunderstorms
- Tampa occupies an area of 112.1 square miles and elevation from sea level to about 48 feet above sea level with average annual precipitation of 44.8 inches
- The city occupies a total of 112.1 square miles of land and 58.5 square miles of water. Tampa is bordered by two waterbodies namely Old Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bay which flow into the Gulf of Mexico as the historic Tampa Bay
- Tampa has an interlay peninsula which divides Hillsborough Bay from Old Tampa Bay.
- Tampa is home to people of varying ethnicity from whites to African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians and Latin Americans
Economy and Governance Fast Facts about Tampa
- Around 40% of all US exports to Latin and South America traverse Florida and it has a tourism of 87.3 million visitors in 2011
- It is the top travel destination in the world and has impacted the USD 67 billion Florida economy
- Space industry represents USD 4.1 billion of the economy of the state and Florida ranks 4th among the states in overall aerospace employment
- Florida produces 67% of US oranges and accounts for as much as 40% of the world’s orange juice supply
- Other industries which flourish in Tampa include construction, services and software as well as health technology
- Tampa is governed by a mayoral form of governance and the Mayor of Tampa is the CEO of the city government and is elected in 4 year terms with limit of 2 consecutive terms
- Current Mayor is Bob Buckhorn; he took oath in 2011 while the City Council comprises 7 members of which 4 are selected from numbered districts and three are at large serving members
Fun and Interesting Fast Facts about Tampa
- Tampa is a name that is believed to have come from the Calusa phrase for sticks if fire and because Tampa sees lightning each summer, that could be how the local hockey team here was named
- Babe Ruth hit his longest home run at an exhibition game in this city whereby the ball sailed 587 feet
- Salvador Dali Museum is known for its unique and strong building structure with one of the world’s finest freestanding staircases
- Tampa was one of the top sellers of illegal liquor in the country at the time of prohibition and it is also considered the rock metal capital of the world
- Tampa is also home to the Cigar City/Ybor City in 1929 opened by Vincent Martinez Ybor
- Tampa Bay is a popular birding site and Tampa itself is known as the Big Guava because of the massive tropical fruit trees found in this forest.