Tampa Bay Floridas Sun Coast City

Tampas History

There is some dispute as to the origin and meaning of the name "Tampa". It is believed to mean "sticks of fire" in the language of the Calisa, a Native American tribe that once lived in the area. Other historians claim the name refers to "the place to gather sticks". "Sticks of fire" may also relate to the high concentration of lightning strikes that Tampa Bay receives every year during the hot and wet summer months. Whatever the meaning, Tampa bay has become one of the most prosperous communities in all of Florida.

In 1898, The American Army was highly involved in the Spanish-American War. Led by Teddy Roosevelt, what was know as "The Rough Riders" passed through Tampa on their way to invade Cuba.

Hillsborough County started to grow, rapidly in population and industry. Foreigners and tourists started to visit the county on a regular basis. The counties's resources, primarily made up of cigars, cattle, citrus, and phosphate fertilizer started being widely distributed.

When the "Roaring "20's" came along, Tampa became a boom town and ended up crashing, like the rest of Florida. Davis Island, in Tampa, still shows signs of that period. Tampa had a very stable economy during that period and were better able to handle the crash. Tampa achieved a rapid recovery.

Tampa, is the only major Florida city that is not dependent upon tourism. Therefore in the recent economic crisis, Tampa was able to recover quickly and is still the largest city in Tampa Bay.

Today, Tampa is the third largest city in Florida. The Tampa Port is the nation's seventh largest port. Tampa International Airport is known as the world's friendliest airport. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is the largest theater complex south the Mason Dixon line and Tampa Convention Center is one of the largest convention centers in the Southeastern United States.