| TAMPA, FLORIDA |
TAMPA, the business hub of the west coast, has been one of the major beneficiaries of
the flood of people and money into Florida – and boasts an impressive cultural diet
envied by many larger rivals. A small, stimulating city with an infectious, upbeat mood,
it's well worth a stop: in addition to its fine museums and Busch Gardens, one of the
most popular theme parks in the state, it boasts in Ybor City the West Coast's hippest
and most culturally eclectic quarter.
the flood of people and money into Florida – and boasts an impressive cultural diet
envied by many larger rivals. A small, stimulating city with an infectious, upbeat mood,
it's well worth a stop: in addition to its fine museums and Busch Gardens, one of the
most popular theme parks in the state, it boasts in Ybor City the West Coast's hippest
and most culturally eclectic quarter.
Tampa began as a small settlement beside a US Army base built to keep an eye on
the Seminoles in the 1820s. In the 1880s the railroad arrived, and the Hillsborough
River on which the city stands was dredged to allow seagoing vessels to dock. Tampa
became a booming port, simultaneously acquiring a major tobacco industry as
thousands of Cubans moved north from Key West to the new cigar factories of
neighboring Ybor City.
The Depression ended the economic surge, but the port remained one of the busiest
in the country and tempered Tampa's postwar decline. While the social problems that
blight any decent-sized US city are evident, little seems to stand in the way of Tampa's
continued emergence as a forward-thinking and financially secure community.
the Seminoles in the 1820s. In the 1880s the railroad arrived, and the Hillsborough
River on which the city stands was dredged to allow seagoing vessels to dock. Tampa
became a booming port, simultaneously acquiring a major tobacco industry as
thousands of Cubans moved north from Key West to the new cigar factories of
neighboring Ybor City.
The Depression ended the economic surge, but the port remained one of the busiest
in the country and tempered Tampa's postwar decline. While the social problems that
blight any decent-sized US city are evident, little seems to stand in the way of Tampa's
continued emergence as a forward-thinking and financially secure community.
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |