69-618: Harbour Island is an island neighborhood within the city limits of Tampa, Florida and the sub-district within Downtown Tampa . The ZIP Code serving the area is 33602. Harbour Island is situated adjacent to Downtown across the Garrison Channel . Other nearby areas include Davis Islands and Channelside . The Tampa Convention Center is located directly across the Harbour Island Bridge and Channelside
138-478: A few Eastern European Jewish immigrants arrived starting in the late 1880s, opening businesses and shops that catered to cigar workers. By 1900, over 10,000 immigrants had moved to the neighborhood. Several thousand more Cuban immigrants built West Tampa , another cigar-centric suburb founded a few years later by Hugh MacFarlane. Between them, two "Latin" communities combined to exponentially expand Tampa's population, economic base, and tax revenues, as Tampa became
207-464: A few deaths, but the many more deaths were caused by infectious diseases brought from Europe, which devastated the population of Native Americans across Florida and the entire Western Hemisphere. The indigenous cultures of the Tampa Bay area collapsed by around 1600, leaving the west coast of Spanish Florida largely depopulated and ignored for more than 200 years. In the mid-18th century, events in
276-633: A new factory in Key West and resumed manufacturing his Principe de Gales brand, employing many Cubans who had also left their homeland due to the war. Ybor was one of the first manufacturers to create and market a "Havana clear" or "Cuban clear" cigar - a product made with Cuban tobacco by (mostly) Cuban workers in the United States, thus avoiding the high tariff on the importation of finished cigars from Cuba. While his business prospered, conflict between Spanish and Cuban workers, labor unrest, and
345-599: A period of steady growth that would continue for decades. Martinez Ybor sought to avoid the constant labor unrest he had struggled with in Key West by providing what he considered good wages and living conditions. His company built "casitas", small houses that his workers could purchase at cost, hoping that home ownership would keep his employees from migrating back and forth from Cuba as was common practice among cigar workers in those days. Martinez Ybor encouraged other cigar manufacturers to open factories in Tampa to further increase
414-541: A priority. Several residential and mixed-development high-rises have been constructed. Another of Mayor Iorio's initiatives was the Tampa Riverwalk , a mixed-use path along the Hillsborough River in downtown. Channelside was approved to undergo major renovations by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik along with Bill Gates and other investors. Several museums have opened, including new homes for
483-605: A social hall and theater for Tampa's first mutual aid society, El Centro Español de Tampa . His business interests were integral to the rapid expansion of the Port of Tampa and Tampa's overall economy. When Martinez Ybor died in 1896, much of Tampa closed down to attend his funeral. He has been honored with a statue in Ybor City and a bust on the Tampa Riverwalk . Martinez Ybor was born in Valencia, Spain in 1818. In 1832, at
552-458: A whole flourished, with the area's cigar factories hand-rolling and shipping tens of millions of cigars annually by the late 1880s, the number increasing into the hundreds of millions by the turn of the 20th century. Ybor City was annexed by the city of Tampa in 1887 and helped the once small and struggling town grow into an important manufacturing and shipping center by the early 1900s. The role of Martinez Ybor in helping to build industry in Tampa
621-557: A yacht club. The island has a Westin hotel, Jackson's Bistro Bar & Sushi restaurant spanning 20,000 square feet boasting special event space, Sunday Brunch, waterfront dining, and a Friday and Saturday nightclub; as well as a Pizza and Sushi Shop that delivers. Located in the center of the island there are small shops; a Coffee Shop that specializes in fresh ingredients for breakfast & lunch, and local hotspot Cafe Dufrain focusing on seasonal cuisine & seafood with waterfront dining. The TECO Line Streetcar "in-town" trolley connects
690-511: Is a four-county area composed of roughly 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. , Atlanta , and Miami . The Greater Tampa Bay area has over 4 million residents, and generally includes the Tampa and Sarasota metro areas. The earliest instance of
759-611: Is covered in displays at the Ybor City Museum State Park . Martinez Ybor married Palmia Learas while living in Cuba in 1848, and they had four children before her death. He married Mercedes de las Revillas in 1862, and they had eight children together. Martinez Ybor also moved his family to Tampa upon establishing Ybor City, and several of his descendants still live in the area. Martinez Ybor's role in initiating Tampa's phenomenal growth in population and wealth in
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#1732791722736828-520: Is just across Beneficial Drive, both walking distance. Harbour Island was originally known as Seddon Island, which was named after W. L. Seddon, chief engineer for the Seaboard Air Line Railway . In 1906, a public hearing was held to plan a new port for the city. Seddon's plans were adopted and soon his company dredged a channel and established a port facility on what was then called Grassy Island. The Seaboard Coast Line later sold
897-518: Is named. Tampa was reincorporated as a city in 1887 following the Civil War . Tampa's economy is driven by tourism, health care, finance, insurance, technology, construction, and the maritime industry. The bay's port is the largest in the state, responsible for over $ 15 billion in economic impact. Tampa is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area , which
966-475: Is only 48 ft (15 m) above sea level. Tampa is bordered by two bodies of water, Old Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bay , which flow together to form Tampa Bay , which flows into the Gulf of Mexico . The Hillsborough River flows into Hillsborough Bay, passing directly in front of Downtown Tampa and supplying Tampa's main source of fresh water. The Palm River is a smaller river, flowing from just east of
1035-483: The Battle of Fort Brooke on October 16 and the Battle of Ballast Point on October 18, 1863, Union forces inflicted serious damage to Tampa'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. In May 1864, Union troops landed again and took Fort Brooke largely unopposed. They destroyed much of
1104-683: The Civil War , Florida seceded along with most of the southern states to form the Confederate States of America , and Fort Brooke was defended by Confederate troops. Martial law was declared in Tampa in January 1862, and Tampa's city government ceased to operate for the duration of the war. In 1861, the Union Navy set up a blockade around many southern ports to cut off the Confederacy. Several US Navy ships were stationed near
1173-777: The Tampa Bay History Center , the Glazer Children's Museum , and the Tampa Museum of Art . The breakdown of development for the rest of the plan is as follows: 39% residential units, 29% office space, 15% hotels, 8% retail, 7% other, and 2% cultural uses. Mayor Bob Buckhorn continued these developments, which are bearing fruit during the term of Mayor Jane Castor . Tampa is the site of several skyscrapers . Overall, there are 30 completed buildings that rise over 250 ft (76 m) high. Tampa also has 147 high-rises, second only to Miami in
1242-557: The Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough County . With an estimated population of 403,364 in 2023, Tampa is the 49th-most populous city in the country and the third-most populous city in Florida after Jacksonville and Miami . Tampa was founded as a military center in the 19th century, with the establishment of Fort Brooke . The cigar industry was brought to Tampa by Vincente Martinez Ybor , after whom Ybor City
1311-530: The Weeden Island culture developed in the area by about 2,000 years ago. Archeological evidence suggests that these residents relied on the sea for most of their resources, as a vast majority of inhabited sites have been found on or near the shoreline, with little evidence of farming. At the time of European contact in the early 16th century, several chiefdoms of the Safety Harbor culture dominated
1380-589: The Westshore Business District . Tampa displays a wide variety of architectural designs and styles. Most of Tampa's high rises demonstrate post-modern architecture . The design for the renovated Tampa Museum of Art displays post-modern architecture, while the city hall and the Tampa Theatre belong to Art Deco architecture. The Tampa mayor Pam Iorio made the redevelopment of Tampa's downtown , especially residential development,
1449-533: The "Cigar Capital of the World". During the first few decades of the 20th century, the cigar-making industry was the backbone of Tampa's economy. The factories in Ybor City and West Tampa made an enormous number of cigars—in the peak year of 1929, over 500 million cigars were hand rolled in Tampa. In 1904, a civic association of local businessmen dubbed themselves Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla , named after local mythical pirate José Gaspar, and staged an "invasion" of
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#17327917227361518-616: The 177 acres (72 ha) island to the Beneficial Land Corporation in 1979 for residential , office and retail development purposes. The first phase of development did not begin until 1985. Up to that point, the island still housed a phosphate terminal and had freight rail access. Beneficial's chief executive, Finn M. W. Caspersen (1941-2009) envisioned transforming the island into a bustling waterfront with offices, shops and restaurants, much like Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Between 1985 and January 1999, Harbour Island
1587-400: The 1950s and 1960s, Tampa had record-setting population growth that has not been seen since. This growth spurred expansion of Tampa's highways and bridges, bringing thousands into the city and creating opportunities for Tampa business owners, who welcomed the influx of tourists and new residents. It was during this time period in Tampa's history that two of the most popular tourist attractions in
1656-529: The 1950s. After his death in 1954 from cancer, control passed to his son, Santo Trafficante Jr. , who established alliances with families in New York City and extended his power throughout Florida and into Batista -era Cuba . The era of rampant and open corruption ended in the 1950s, when Estes Kefauver 's traveling organized crime hearings came to town and were followed by the sensational misconduct trials of several local officials. Although many of
1725-526: The American colonies and the early United States drove the Seminole people into northern Florida. They did not move into central Florida until after the United States gained control of Florida in 1821. Before the American period, the Tampa Bay area had a handful of residents: Cuban and Native American fishermen who established small seasonal camps called "ranchos" on the shores of Tampa Bay. The largest
1794-623: The Northwest arm, what is now Old Tampa Bay, and the northeast arm named "Hillsborough Bay". The name may have come from the Calusa language or possibly, the Timucua language . Some scholars have compared "Tampa" to "itimpi", which means "close to" or "nearby" in the Creek language , but its meaning is not known. In 1849, when the pioneer community living near the U.S. Army outpost of Fort Brooke
1863-440: The Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties. At the end of the war, MacDill remained as an active military installation, while the auxiliary fields reverted to civilian control. Two of these auxiliary fields later became the present-day Tampa International Airport and St. Petersburg–Clearwater International Airport . With the establishment of an independent U.S. Air Force in 1947, MacDill Field became MacDill Air Force Base . In
1932-588: The Tampa Bay area. Phosphate and commercial fishing exports could be sent north by rail, and many new products were brought into the Tampa market, along with the first tourists. The new railroad link enabled another important industry to come to Tampa. In 1885, the Tampa Board of Trade enticed Vicente Martinez Ybor to move his cigar manufacturing operations to Tampa from Key West . Proximity to Cuba made importation of "clear Havana tobacco" easy by sea, and Plant's railroad made shipment of finished cigars to
2001-462: The age of fourteen, he moved to Cuba to avoid the military service then mandatory for all male Spaniards, and took a job as a grocery clerk before learning the cigar business. In 1856, Martinez Ybor founded his own small cigar manufacturing company in Havana, Cuba and began selling his El Principe de Gales ("Prince of Wales") brand. The brand quickly became popular, and Martinez Ybor's factory
2070-553: The area during the Second Seminole War from 1835 to 1842, after which the Seminoles were forced out and many settlers returned. Florida became the 27th state on March 3, 1845. On January 18, 1849, Tampa was officially incorporated as the "Village of Tampa." It was home to 185 civilians, or 974 total residents including military personnel, in 1850. Tampa was reincorporated as a town on December 15, 1855. During
2139-534: The area were developed – Busch Gardens and Lowry Park . Many of the well-known institutions that play an important role in the economic development of Tampa were established during this time period. The University of South Florida was established in North Tampa in 1956 and opened for students in September 1960. The school spurred the construction of several residential and commercial developments in
Harbour Island (Tampa) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2208-747: The area. Early Spanish explorers interacted most extensively with the Tocobaga , whose principal town was at the northern end of Old Tampa Bay near today's Safety Harbor in Pinellas County . While there is a substantial historical record of the Tocobaga, and the Calusa , who lived to the south, there is less surviving documentation describing the Pohoy , who lived near the mouth of the Hillsborough River near today's downtown Tampa. Evidence suggests that
2277-753: The city annexed a mostly rural area of 24 sq mi (62 km ) between I-275 and I-75 . East Tampa , historically a mostly black community, was the scene of several race riots during and for some time after the period of racial segregation, mainly due to problems between residents and the Tampa Police Department . According to the United States Census Bureau , Tampa has a total area of 175.3 sq mi (453.9 km ), including 113.4 sq mi (293.7 km ) of land and 61.8 sq mi (160.1 km ) (35.3%) of water. The highest point in Tampa
2346-493: The city followed by a parade. With a few exceptions, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival has been held every year since. Beginning in the late 19th century, illegal bolita lotteries were very popular among the Tampa working classes, especially in Ybor City. 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. Bolita
2415-875: The city into McKay Bay , which is a smaller inlet, sited at the northeast end of Hillsborough Bay. Tampa's geography is marked by the Interbay Peninsula, which divides Hillsborough Bay in the east, from Old Tampa Bay in the west. Tampa is divided into many neighborhoods, many of which were towns and unincorporated communities annexed by the growing city. Generally, Tampa is divided into the following areas: Downtown Tampa , New Tampa , West Tampa , East Tampa , North Tampa , and South Tampa . Well-known neighborhoods include Ybor City , Forest Hills , Ballast Point , Sulphur Springs , Seminole Heights , Tampa Heights , Palma Ceia , Hyde Park , Davis Islands , Harbour Island , Tampa Palms , College Hill , Water Street , Channelside and non-residential areas of Gary and
2484-591: The city of Tampa opened the golf course to the public. The Story of Tampa , a public painting by Lynn Ash, is a 4 ft × 8 ft (1.2 m × 2.4 m) oil on masonite mural that weaves together many of the notable aspects of Tampa's unique character and identity. It was commissioned in 2003 by the city's Public Art Program and is in the lobby of the Tampa Municipal Office Building. Vicente Martinez Ybor Vicente Martinez Ybor (7 September 1818 – 14 December 1896)
2553-543: The city quickly became their preferred choice due to the low price of land, hot and humid weather needed to keep cut tobacco workable, and convenient transportation links provided by Henry Plant's just-completed railroad and steamship lines. Difficult negotiations over a particular parcel of land almost scuttled the move, but a $ 5000 subsidy from Tampa's Board of Trade enticed Martinez Ybor to purchase 40 acres (16 ha) of scrubland northeast of Tampa in October 1885. By
2622-638: The culture, traditions and heritage of the Italian Community and to maintain the historical facility as a functioning memorial to the working class immigrants." Babe Zaharias Golf Course in the Forest Hills area of Tampa has been designated a Historical Landmark by the National Register of Historic Places. It was bought in 1949 by the famous "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias , who had a residence nearby, and closed upon her death. In 1974,
2691-481: The difficulty of transportation to and from the island city eventually led Martinez Ybor to decide that he should again relocate his business. Beginning in the early 1880s, Martinez Ybor explored several possible relocation sites for his cigar business. Galveston, Texas was the leading candidate until his friend and city engineer Gavino Gutierrez recommended the small town of Tampa, Florida . Martinez Ybor and his business partners visited Tampa in September 1885, and
2760-658: The first time on a printed map in Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas's Description del Destricto del Audiencia de la Espanola, from his book Descripcion de las Indias Ocidentales, printed in Madrid. A 1705 British map also shows B. Tampa, with "Carlos Bay" for Charlotte Harbor to the south. A 1748 British map had "B. del Spirito Santo" for Tampa Bay and "Carlos Bay" to the south. A Spanish map of 1757 renamed Tampa Bay as "San Fernando". As late as 1774, Bernard Romans called Tampa Bay "Bay of Espiritu Santo", with "Tampa Bay" restricted to
2829-460: The following spring, Martinez Ybor, along with business partner Eduardo Manrara and friendly rival cigar manufacturer Ignacio Haya, had bought several adjoining parcels, and Gavino Gutierrez was hired to plan and lay out a company town that was dubbed Ybor City . Martinez Ybor's cigar operations were based in a wooden factory until late 1886, when his permanent factory opened. The factory is an imposing brick complex that fills an entire city block and
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2898-453: The fort's facilities and confiscated the remaining military supplies other than the cannons, which they tossed into the Hillsborough River, then left the "desolate" town after two days. The Civil War ended in April 1865 with a Confederate defeat. In May 1865, federal troops arrived in Tampa to occupy the fort and the town as part of Reconstruction . They remained until August 1869. During
2967-433: The immediate post-war period, Tampa was a poor, isolated fishing village with about 1,000 residents and little industry. Yellow fever , borne by mosquitoes from nearby swamps, broke out several times during the 1860s and 1870s, causing more residents to leave. In 1869, residents voted to abolish the city of Tampa government. In 1870, the population of "Tampa Town" was about 800, and dropped to about 700 by 1880. Fort Brooke
3036-460: The island to downtown and Channelside. NEVs also connect the island to other core neighborhoods such as Hyde Park . Tampa, Florida Tampa ( US : / ˈ t æ m p ə / TAM -pə ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida . Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in
3105-498: The language and culture of the Pohoy and other lesser-known groups around the bay were very similar to that of the Tocobaga. Expeditions led by Pánfilo de Narváez and Hernando de Soto landed near Tampa, but neither conquistador stayed long. 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 fighting resulted in
3174-442: The largest cities in Florida and, for a time, the world's leader in cigar manufacturing. In addition to his Principe de Gales line of Cuban cigars , he founded many other businesses in Tampa including an insurance company, street paving, gas stations, a streetcar line, and Tampa's first brewery . For his workers, he built and sold hundreds of affordable homes, brought doctors to the area, and converted his original cigar factory into
3243-425: The largest cities in Florida by 1900. In late 1883, Henry B. Plant 's narrow-gauge South Florida Railroad reached Tampa and its port, connecting the small town to the nation's railroad system after years of efforts by local leaders. Previously, Tampa's overland transportation links had consisted of sandy roads stretching across the Florida countryside. Plant's railroad made it much easier to get goods in and out of
3312-435: The late 1800s to found and work in the new communities of Ybor City and West Tampa . By about 1900, these newcomers came to be known as "Tampeños", or "Tampeñas" for females, a term that is still sometimes used to refer to their descendants living in the area, and potentially, to all residents of Tampa regardless of their ethnic background. The shores of Tampa Bay have been inhabited for thousands of years. A variant of
3381-592: The late 1890s was widely acknowledged and appreciated during his lifetime. After his death in Tampa on 14 December 1896, the headline of the Tampa Tribune read "Great Benefactor Gone" and many of the businesses in town closed in his honor for his funeral. He owned so many business ventures and real estate in the area that his partners concluded that there was not enough available capital in Tampa to turn his assets into money. His family eventually did sell off his holdings, but it took almost 10 years. Martinez Ybor
3450-460: The mouth of Tampa Bay , but small blockade running ships were often able to slip by the blockade to deliver cattle to Spanish Cuba, earning gold for the Confederate cause. On June 30, 1862, the gunboat USS Sagamore sailed into Tampa Bay and opened fire on Fort Brooke, which returned fire. The Sagamore withdrew after a few hours, and the Battle of Tampa caused little damage. During
3519-418: The municipal government of the city of Tampa with the county government of Hillsborough County, in 1967, 1970, 1971, and 1972, all of which failed at the ballot box. The greatest loss was the most recent attempt in 1972, with the final tally being 33,160 (31%) in favor and 73,568 (69%) against the proposed charter. The biggest recent growth of Tampa was the development of New Tampa , which started in 1988 when
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#17327917227363588-509: The name "Tampa", in the form "Tanpa", appears in the memoirs of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda , who spent 17 years as a captive of the Calusa and traveled through much of peninsular Florida. He described Tanpa as an important Calusa town to the north of the Calusa domain, possibly under another chief. Archaeologist Jerald Milanich places the town of Tanpa at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor . The entrances to Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor are obscured by barrier islands , and their locations, and
3657-583: The names applied to them, were a source of confusion to explorers, surveyors and map-makers from the 16th century to the 18th century. Bahía Tampa and Bahía de Espíritu Santo were each used, at one time or another, for the modern Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Tampa Bay was labeled Bahía de Espíritu Santo (Bay of the Holy Spirit) in the earliest Spanish maps of Florida. It became known as B. Tampa ( Bahía Tampa or Tampa Bay) as early as 1576. In 1601, "B. Tampa", corresponding to Tampa Bay, appeared for
3726-420: The pool of workers, and welcomed entrepreneurs who founded businesses in the area. He himself established a variety of other businesses catering to the growing community, including a brewery , a hotel, an ice factory, a gas company, a brick factory, an insurance company, and Tampa's first streetcar line, among other ventures. Martinez Ybor's plan worked. After a slow start, both his businesses and Ybor City as
3795-526: The previously agriculture-dominated area around the new campus. Overall, Tampa continued to expand away from the city center during the 1960s as new hospitals, schools, churches and subdivisions all began appearing to accommodate the growth. Many business offices began moving away from the traditional downtown office building into more convenient neighborhood office plazas. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tampa's population as being 80.0% white and 19.7% black. Four attempts have been made to consolidate
3864-483: The production of fertilizers and other products, was soon being shipped from the Port of Tampa in great volume. Tampa is still a major phosphate exporter. The discovery of phosphate, the arrival of Plant's railroad, and the founding of Ybor City and West Tampa—all in the mid-1880s—were crucial to Tampa's development. The once-struggling village of Tampa became a bustling boomtown almost overnight and had grown into one of
3933-473: The rest of the US market easy by land. Since Tampa was still a small town at the time, with a population less than 5,000, Ybor built hundreds of small houses around his factory to accommodate the immediate influx of mainly Cuban and Spanish cigar workers. Ybor City 's factories rolled their first cigars in 1886, and many different cigar manufacturers moved their operations to town in ensuing years. Many Italian and
4002-610: The state of Florida. The tallest building in the city is 100 North Tampa , formerly the AmSouth Building, which rises 42 floors and 579 ft (176 m) in Downtown Tampa. The structure was completed in 1992, and is the tallest building in Florida outside of Miami and Jacksonville . The Sulphur Springs Water Tower , a landmark in the Sulphur Springs section of the city, stands 214 feet tall and
4071-570: The world. The Ybor City District is home to several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and has been declared a National Historic Landmark . Notable structures include El Centro Español de Tampa , Centro Asturiano de Tampa and other social clubs built in the early 1900s . Including L'Unione Italiana or the Italian Club, at 1731 East 7th Avenue in Ybor City. The Italian Club mission "is to preserve and honor
4140-475: The worst offenders in government and the mob were not charged, the trials helped to end the sense of lawlessness which had prevailed in Tampa for decades. Tampa grew considerably as a result of World War II . Prior to the United States' involvement in the conflict, construction began on MacDill Field , which served as a main base for Army Air Corps and later Army Air Forces operations just before and during World War II, with multiple auxiliary airfields around
4209-466: Was a Spanish entrepreneur who first became a noted industrialist and cigar manufacturer in Cuba , then Key West , and finally Tampa, Florida . Martinez Ybor is best known for his founding the immigrant-populated cigar manufacturing town of Ybor City just outside Tampa, Florida in 1885. It was annexed by Tampa in 1887 and was a major factor in the community's rapid development from a small town into one of
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#17327917227364278-463: Was able to openly thrive only because of kick-backs and bribes to key local politicians and law enforcement officials, and many were on the take. Profits from the bolita lotteries and Prohibition -era bootlegging led to the development of several organized crime factions in Tampa. Charlie Wall was the first major boss, but various power struggles culminated in consolidation of control by Sicilian mafioso Santo Trafficante Sr. and his faction in
4347-450: Was at the mouth of Spanishtown Creek in today's Hyde Park neighborhood along Bayshore Boulevard . After purchasing Florida from Spain in 1821, the United States built forts and trading posts in the new territory. Fort Brooke was established in January 1824 at the mouth of the Hillsborough River on Tampa Bay, in Downtown Tampa . Tampa was initially an isolated frontier outpost. The sparse civilian population practically abandoned
4416-459: Was built by Grover Poole in the late 1920s. This 1920s 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. The road has a 6 mi (10 km) continuous sidewalk on the eastern end, the longest in
4485-537: Was decommissioned in 1883, further impacting the local economy in the short run, but opening up the waterfront for development. Except for two cannons displayed on the University of Tampa campus, all traces of the fort are gone. 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
4554-538: Was incorporated, it was called "Tampa Town". In 1855, the name was shortened to simply "Tampa". People from Tampa are generally known as "Tampans", "Tampanians", or "Tampeños". In 2014, local authorities consulted by Michael Kruse of the Tampa Bay Times suggest that "Tampan" was historically more common, while "Tampanian" became popular when the former term came to be seen as a potential insult. A mix of Cuban, Italian, and Spanish immigrants began arriving in
4623-744: Was linked to Downtown Tampa by the Harbour Island People Mover , an automated rubber tired tram manufactured by Otis Transportation Systems that ran on an elevated concrete guideway connecting the Knights Point shopping center on Harbour Island, to the Ft Brooke Parking Garage half of a mile to the north, adjacent to the downtown core on the mainland. Today, the island consists of mostly private residential areas, including high-rise condos, apartments, row houses, single-family homes and large houses, as well as
4692-556: Was soon producing 20,000 cigars a day. In 1868, the Ten Years' War broke out as Cubans fought to win independence from Spanish colonial rule. Martinez Ybor sympathized with the Cuban cause and was (correctly) accused by Spanish authorities of quietly providing funds and assistance to Cuban rebels. In 1869, he received word that he faced imminent arrest, so he and his family hurriedly fled to Key West, Florida . Martinez Ybor soon opened
4761-427: Was the largest cigar manufacturing facility in the world at the time of its opening. Ybor's original wooden building was donated to the community and became the first home of El Centro Español de Tampa , an important social club and mutual aid society . In mid-1886, a large fire in Key West destroyed much of the town and brought hundreds of Cuban and Spanish cigar workers to Tampa seeking employment. This influx began
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