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Renting an Apartment in Tampa
What You Should Know
Tampa is a United States city in Hillsborough County, on the west coast of
Florida. It serves as the county seat of Hillsborough County.GR6. The population
within the city limits in 2005, according to the Census was 326,519 and over one
million in its metro area; it is the third-largest city in Florida, behind
Jacksonville and Miami.
Tampa is a part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area, most
commonly referred to as the "Tampa Bay area". The four-county area is composed
of roughly 2.7 million residents, making it the second largest metropolitan
statistical area (MSA) in the state behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm
Beach, the third largest in the Southeastern United States, and the twelfth
largest DMA Market in the United States.
The word "Tampa" is a Native American word used to refer to the area when the
first European explorers arrived in Florida. Its meaning, if any, has been lost
to the ages, though it is sometimes claimed to mean "sticks of fire" in the
language of the Calusa, a Native American tribe. 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. Toponymist George R. Stewart writes that
the name was the result of a miscommunication between the Spanish and the
Indians, the Indian word being "itimpi", meaning simply "near it".
The name first appears in the "Memoir" of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda
(1575), the author of which had spent 17 years as a Calusa captive. He calls it
"Tanpa" and describes it as an important Calusa town. While "Tanpa" is the
apparent basis for the modern name "Tampa", archaeologist Jerald Milanich places
the Calusa village of Tanpa at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor, the original "Bay
of Tanpa". Later Spanish explorers, having failed to locate Charlotte Harbor,
assumed that the large bay they did find was the Bay of Tanpa, and the name
stuck with the current Tampa Bay.
Fog can also be an occasional problem in the winter and spring. Temperatures are
hot from May through October, which coincides with the rainy season. These
summer days have highs around 90 F (32 C) and high humidity. The summer
nighttime temperature drops to only around 75 F (23 C). Other times of the
year, the temperatures are moderate and sunshine is abundant.
Thunderstorms are a major concern on summer afternoons. High winds, small hail,
and torrential rain often accompany these common afternoon thunderstorms which
can be severe. Tornadoes are not unheard of. These storms often move out over
the Gulf of Mexico at night, where they are easily seen from land as spectacular
light shows. Tampa has a pronounced wet season, averaging 20.6 inches (524 mm)
between July and September, but only 6.2 inches (157 mm) between November and
January. The wettest month is August, which averages 7.6 inches (193 mm);
November is the driest month, averaging only 1.6 inches (41 mm). Yearly
precipitation averages 44.8 inches (1137 mm).
Another major concern for Tampa is the Atlantic hurricane season which runs from
June 1st to November 30th and peaks in September. Tampa feels the effects of
tropical systems, on average, every two to three years, but the city has not had
a direct hit by a hurricane since the 1930s. If a category four or five hit the
area, Tampa would see a storm surge of 25-30 ft. This surge, coupled with the
fact that most of the downtown area is within five feet of sea level, means that
Tampa would see greater destruction than Hurricane Katrina, the worst disaster
in American history. Tampa also is popularly known as the
"Lightning Capital of the United States", (Rwanda maintains the World title) due
in part to the frequent, dangerous and (on rare occasions) deadly lightning
strikes.
The city of Tampa is proposing building a more recognizable landmark in the
downtown area - and one idea that has been proposed is a Space Needle building
similar to that of Seattle's. Another plan calls for four large fabric "gates"
to be placed at four areas leading into the downtown area that would be
illuminated at night and would be recognizable to outside visitors welcoming
them into the downtown area. Also their is also the Trump Tower building in
planning. Also their is a chance for a minny wall street.
As of the census of 2000, there were 303,447 people, 124,758 households, and
71,236 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,045.4/km
(2,707.8/mi). There were 135,776 housing units at an average density of
467.8/km (1,211.6/mi). The racial makeup of the city was 64.22% White (51.0%
White Non-Hispanic), 26.07% Black or African American, 0.38% American Indian and
Alaska Native, 2.15% Asian, 0.09% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
4.17% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of
any race were 19.29% of the population, most of them Puerto Ricans. There are
significant populations of Cuban, Mexican, Peruvian, and Colombian descents
within the city limits as well.
There were 124,758 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of
18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a
female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 33.7%
of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone
who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the
average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 10.0%
from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there
were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,415, and the median income
for a family was $40,517. Males had a median income of $31,452 versus $26,133
for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,953. 18.1% of the
population and 14.0% of families were below the poverty line. 26.8% of those
under the age of 18 and 15.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty
level.
Like much of Florida, Tampa's economy is heavily based on services and tourism.
There is a huge net influx of cash into the area. Many wealthy people have
winter houses here, and the upscale Tampa Palms neighborhood is a desirable
destination for retired professional athletes. Many corporations, such as large
banks and telecommunications companies, maintain regional offices in Tampa.
The downtown area is also undergoing a large transformation to be mostly
completed in time for the hosting of the Super Bowl in 2009 with over 43 condo,
hotel, and mixed-use developments proposed/approved/under construction as of
October 2005. An earlier list by the city of Tampa includes large developments
that have been approved and/or are under construction. A large portion of these
projects have multiple towers to compensate for the high land values in Downtown
Tampa. The next tower currently under construction in the central business
district is the Trump Tower Tampa, the largest residential tower on the Gulf
Coast according to The Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Tampa's port is now the seventh largest in the nation and Florida’s largest
tonnage port, handling nearly half of all seaborne commerce that passes through
the state, which makes it a fairly large terrorist target. Here the cruise
industry thrives.
Fortune 500 company Publix, a supermarket chain, is headquartered in nearby
Lakeland, Florida.
Points of interest
* Florida Aquarium
* Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center at http://tbpac.org is the largest performing
arts complex in the Southeast, presenting high quality performing arts
programming from major Broadway tours to grand opera, dance, cabaret, comedy and
concerts to the region. TBPAC is also home to the Patel Conservatory, which
opened in 2004.
* Historic Hyde Park is a historical district in South Tampa with many fine
archetectual exampes.
* The Skatepark of Tampa is a world-famous skatepark, with many professional
skateboarders flocking to it in January for the Tampa Am, and in March, for the
Tampa Pro.
* Tampa Union Station is an historic train station between downtown and Ybor
City.
* Park Tower, once called the Lykes Building, was the tallest skyscraper in the
Tampa skyline when it was first built in 1973.
* Ybor City is a National Historic Landmark District near downtown. It is a
hotspot at night (especially on the weekends due to the many nightclubs, bars,
restaurants and other entertainment venues in the area). Ybor City and Tampa in
general were an integral part of the Florida death metal scene.
* West Tampa south of Raymond James Stadium, includes many Cuban and Spanish
businesses, along Columbus Drive. Columbus Drive is also known as Boliche
Boulevard after a famous Cuban dish. La Teresita, La Ideal, Lincoln Restaurant,
The Italian American Club, and the Letter Carriers Hall are some of the well
known local gathering places in Tampa. The "Brothers to the Rescue" Corner
monument is in West Tampa at Dale Mabry Highway and Columbus Drive.
* Channelside located next to the Garrison Channel, it contains many
arcades, shops, resturants and bars, and an Imax theatre
* Horse Racing at Tampa Bay Downs, near Oldsmar, first opened in 1926. The Tampa
Bay Downs live racing season is from December to May with simulcasting year
round. They also have a card room offering poker games.
* Greyhound Racing at Tampa Greyhound Track, in Tampa, first opened in 1933.
They have live racing from June to December, with simulcasts year round. They
also have a card room offering poker games.
* Florida Strawberry Festival
* Florida State Fair
* Busch Gardens
* Experimental Skeleton is an artist collective that programs Flight 19, A
gallery located in the Union Train Station located at 601 North Nebraska Ave.
* Tampa Theatre is a historic movie palace that shows a wide range of
independent, foreign and classic films in addition to an occasional live show.
It also is the home of several film festivals that occur throughout the year.
* Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) has an IMAX dome theater
* The Fun-Lan Drive-In is the only drive-in theater left in Tampa. Fun-Lan has
four screens each showing first-run movies. There is also a flea market in the
morning five days per week. (The Ruskin area just south of the city is home to
the Ruskin Drive-In, one of America's oldest.)
* International Plaza and Bay Street, located in the Westshore business
district, is home to many upscale stores: (with Nordstrom, Dillard's, Robb &
Stucky Interiors and Neiman Marcus as anchors) as well as the Renaissance Hotel,
which was recently built on the premises. International Plaza is located next to
Tampa International Airport.
* WestShore Plaza is an upper-middle class shopping center, one mile away from
International Plaza and Bay Street. On the middle class end, the mall is
anchored by Sears and JCPenney, and on the higher end, anchored by Macy's and
Saks Fifth Avenue.
* University Mall, in the northern part of the city near the University of South
Florida, with Sears, Macy's, Dillard's, Steve and Barry's University Sportswear,
and Burlington Coat Factory as anchors.
* Westfield Shoppingtown Brandon, A fairly large mall located in an eastern
suburb, Brandon, with Sears, Dillards, Macy's, and JCPenney as anchors.
* Westfield Shoppingtown Citrus Park, A mid-size mall located in the north
western part of the county in Citrus Park, located northwest of the city. Like
the other Westfield mall in the area, it is anchored by Sears, Dillard's, Macy's
and JCPenney.
* Old Hyde Park Village, a small collection of specialty boutiques anchored by
Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and Williams-Sonoma. It has a pleasant
park-like setting. Hyde Park is accessible by trolley from downtown, the Cruise
Port and Ybor City.