Tampa: February 2017

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Tourism and recreation

The city of Tampa operates over 165 parks and beaches covering 2,286 acres (9.25 km²) within city limits; 42 more in surrounding suburbs covering 70,000 acres (280 km²), are maintained by Hillsborough County. These areas include the Hillsborough River State Park, just northeast of the city. Tampa is also home to a number of attractions and theme parks, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Adventure Island, Lowry Park Zoo, and Florida Aquarium.
Lowry Park Zoo features over 2,000 animals, interactive exhibits, rides, educational shows and more. The zoo serves as an economic, cultural, environmental and educational anchor in Tampa.
Big Cat Rescue is one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated entirely to abused and abandoned big cats.^[121] It is home to about 80 lions, tigers, bobcats, cougars and other species, most of whom have been abandoned, abused, orphaned, saved from being turned into fur coats, or retired from performing acts.^[121] They have a variety of different tours available.^[122]
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 335-acre (1.36 km²) Africa-themed park located near the University of South Florida. It features many thrilling roller coasters, for which it is known, including Sheikra, Montu, Gwazi and Kumba. Visitors can also view and interact with a number of African wildlife. Adventure Island is a 30-acre (12 ha) water park adjacent to Busch Gardens.
The Florida Aquarium is a 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m²) aquarium located in the Channel District. It hosts over 20,000 species of aquatic plants and animals. It is known for its unique glass architecture. Adjacent to the Aquarium is the SS American Victory, a World War II Victory ship preserved as a museum ship.
The Tampa Bay History Center is a museum located in the Channel District. It boasts over 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m²) of exhibits through 12,000 years. Theaters, map gallery, research center and museum store.
Well-known shopping areas include International Plaza and Bay Street, WestShore Plaza, SoHo district, and Hyde Park Village.^[123] Palma Ceia is also home to a shopping district, called Palma Ceia Design District.^[124] Previously, Tampa had also been home to the Floriland Mall (now an office park), Tampa Bay Center (demolished and replaced with the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers training facility, known as "One Buc Place"), and East Lake Square Mall (now an office park).
The Tampa Port Authority currently operates three cruise ship terminals in Tampa's Channel District. The Port of Tampa is the year-round home port for Carnival Cruise Lines' MS Carnival Inspiration and MS Carnival Legend. In 2010 Tampa will also be a seasonal port for Holland America Line's MS Ryndam, as well as Royal Caribbean International's MS Grandeur of the Seas and MS Radiance of the Seas.^[125] A fourth company, Norwegian Cruise Line, has announced plans to sail out of Tampa for the first time. The 2,240 passenger MS Norwegian Star will be Tampa's largest cruise ship when it debuts a seasonal schedule in 2011. Cruise itineraries from Tampa include stops in the Eastern and Western Caribbean islands, Honduras, Belize, and Mexico.^[126]

Events

Gasparilla and pirate ship

Perhaps the most well known and anticipated events are those from Tampa's annual celebration of "Gasparilla", particularly the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, a mock pirate invasion held since 1904 in late January or early February. Often referred to as Tampa's "Mardi Gras", the invasion flotilla led by the pirate ship, Jose Gasparilla, and subsequent parade draw over 400,000 attendees, contributing tens of millions of dollars to the city's economy. Beyond the initial invasion, numerous Gasparilla festivities take place each year between January and March, including the Gasparilla Children's Parade, the more adult-oriented Sant'Yago Knight Parade, the Gasparilla Distance Classic, Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, and the Gasparilla International Film Festival, among other pirate themed events.^[127]
Other notable events include the Outback Bowl, which is held New Year's Day at Raymond James Stadium. Each February, The Florida State Fair brings crowds from across the state, while "Fiesta Day" celebrates Tampa's Cuban, Spanish, German, Italian, English, Irish, Jewish, and African-Cuban immigrant heritage. The India International Film Festival (IIFF) of Tampa Bay also takes place in February. In April the MacDill Air Fest entertains as one of the largest military air shows in the U.S. Guavaween, a nighttime street celebration infuses Halloween with the Latin flavor of Ybor City.^[128] Downtown Tampa hosts the largest anime convention in Florida, Metrocon, a three-day event held in either June or July at the Tampa Convention Center.^[129] Ybor also hosts "GaYbor Days", an annual street party in the GLBT-friendly GaYbor district.^[130] The Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, held annually since 1989, is the city's largest film festival event,^[131] and one of the largest independent gay film festivals in the country.^[132]
Tampa hosted the 2012 Republican National Convention and the 15th International Indian Film Academy Awards in April 2014.^[133]^[134]

A sign celebrating sports successes in Tampa.

Sports

Main article: Sports in the Tampa Bay Area

Team	League	Stadium	First season	Championships
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	NFL	Raymond James Stadium	1976	1 (XXXVII)^[135]
Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL	Amalie Arena	1992	1 (2004)^[136]
Tampa Bay Rays	MLB	Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg)	1998	0
Tampa Bay Rowdies	USL	Al Lang Stadium (St. Petersburg)	1975 (original club), 2010 (current club)	2* (1975; 2012)^[137]
Tampa Bay Storm	AFL	Amalie Arena	1987 (moved to Tampa in 1991)	5 (V; VII; IX; X; XVII)^[138]

Tampa is represented by teams in three major professional sports leagues: the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball. The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning call Tampa home, while the Tampa Bay Rays of the MLB play across the bay in St. Petersburg. As indicated by their names, these teams, plus several other sports teams, represent the entire Tampa metropolitan area.
The Tampa Bay area has long been a site for Major League Baseball spring training facilities and minor league baseball teams. The New York Yankees conduct spring training in Tampa, and the Tampa Yankees play there in the summer. On the collegiate level, the University of South Florida Bulls and the University of Tampa Spartans participate in many different sports.

Football

Inside Raymond James Stadium

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers began in 1976 as an expansion team of the NFL. They struggled at first, losing their first 26 games in a row to set a league record for futility. After a brief taste of success in the late 1970s, the Bucs again returned to their losing ways, and at one point lost 10+ games for 12 seasons in a row. The hiring of Tony Dungy in 1996 started an improving trend that eventually led to the team's victory in Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003 under coach Jon Gruden.
Tampa has hosted four Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVIII (1984), Super Bowl XXV (1991), Super Bowl XXXV (2001), and Super Bowl XLIII (2009). The first two events were held at Tampa Stadium, and the other two at Raymond James Stadium.
Originally the Pittsburgh Gladiators and a charter member of the Arena Football League, the Tampa Bay Storm relocated from Pittsburgh in 1991 and won ArenaBowl V that year. They have won 4 more ArenaBowls since then: ArenaBowl VII, IX, X, and XVII, and also appeared in ArenaBowl I, III, XII and XXIII.^[139] They have the most Arena Bowl titles.
Tampa was also home to the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League. The Bandits made the playoffs twice in their three seasons under head coach Steve Spurrier and drew league-leading crowds to Tampa Stadium, but the team folded along with the rest of the USFL after the 1985 season.^[140]^[141] They played at Tampa Stadium, which hosted the 1984 USFL Championship Game.^[142]

Baseball

Steinbrenner Field

Main article: Baseball in the Tampa Bay area

The Tampa Bay area has long been home to spring training, minor league, and excellent amateur baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays (originally "Devil Rays") began playing in 1998 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. After a decade of futility, the Rays won the 2008 American League Pennant and made it to the World Series. They also won American League East titles in 2008 and 2010.
In 2007, the Rays began the process of searching for a stadium site closer to the center of the area's population, possibly in Tampa.^[143]^[144]
Several Major League baseball teams conduct spring training in the area, and most also operate minor league teams in the Class-A Florida State League. The New York Yankees and the affiliated Tampa Yankees use George M. Steinbrenner Field across Dale Mabry Highway from Raymond James Stadium.

Amalie Arena

Hockey

The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning was established in 1992, and currently play their home games in the Amalie Arena, located in downtown Tampa. In 2004, the team won their first Stanley Cup. The Lightning made the Eastern Conference Final in 2011 and were Eastern Conference Champions in 2015. They returned to the Eastern Conference Final in 2016.

Soccer

The Tampa Bay Rowdies compete in the United Soccer League (2nd Division) after spending their first 6 seasons in the North American Soccer League. The team began play at Tampa's George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2010, then moved to St. Petersburg's Al Lang Field in 2011. The Rowdies won their first league championship in Soccer Bowl 2012.
Previously, Tampa had hosted two top-level soccer teams. The Tampa Bay Rowdies of the original North American Soccer League was the area's first major sports franchise, beginning play in 1975 at Tampa Stadium. The Rowdies were an immediate success, drawing good crowds and winning Soccer Bowl '75 in their first season to bring Tampa its first professional sports championship. Though the NASL ceased operations in 1984, the Rowdies continued to compete in various soccer leagues until finally folding in 1993.
The success of the Rowdies prompted Major League Soccer (MLS) to award Tampa a charter member of the new league in 1996. The Tampa Bay Mutiny were the first MLS Supporters' Shield winner and had much early success beginning in 1996. However, the club folded in 2001 when local ownership could not be secured mainly due to a financially poor lease agreement for Raymond James Stadium. The city has no current representation in MLS, however the Rowdies are currently seeking to join the league.^[145]

The USF Sun Dome

College sports

The University of South Florida is the only NCAA Division I sports program in Tampa. USF began playing intercollegiate sports in 1965. The South Florida Bulls established a basketball team in 1971 and a football team in 1997. The Bulls joined the Big East in 2005, and the football team rose to as high as #2 in the BCS rankings in 2007. They are now part of the American Athletic Conference.
The University of Tampa Spartans compete at the NCAA Division II level in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC).

Arts and culture

Arts and entertainment

Main article: Media in the Tampa Bay Area

Tampa is home to a variety of stage and performing arts venues and theaters, including the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa Theatre, Gorilla Theatre, and the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre next to the Florida State Fairgrounds.

The Channelside Entertainment Complex in Tampa's Channel District.

Performing arts companies and organizations which call Tampa home include the Florida Orchestra, Opera Tampa, Jobsite Theater, the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, Stageworks Theatre, Spanish Lyric Theater, Tampa Bay Opera, and the Tampa Bay Symphony.
Current popular nightlife districts include Channelside, Ybor City, SoHo, International Plaza and Bay Street, and Seminole Hard Rock. Downtown Tampa also contains some nightlife, and there are more clubs/bars to be found in other areas of the city. Tampa is rated sixth on Maxim magazine's list of top party cities.^[112]
The area has become a "de facto" headquarters of professional wrestling, with many pros living in the area.^[113]^[114]^[115]^[116] WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, is also based in Tampa.
Tampa is home to several death metal bands, an extreme form of heavy metal music that evolved from thrash metal. Many of the genre's pioneers and foremost figures are based in and around the city. Chief among these are Deicide, Six Feet Under, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Death and Morbid Angel. The Tampa scene grew with the birth of Morrisound Recording, which established itself as an international recording destination for metal bands.^[117]
The underground rock band, the Baskervils, got their start in Tampa. They played the Tampa Bay area between 1994 and 1997 and then moved to New York City. Underground hip-hop group Equilibrium is based out of Tampa, as well as the Christian metalcore band, Underoath.
In 2009, the new Frank Wildhorn musical Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure hosted its world premiere at the Straz Center.

Museums

Tampa Museum of Art

Museum of Science and Industry

The Tampa area is home to a number of museums that cover a wide array of subjects and studies. These include the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI), which has several floors of science-related exhibits plus the only domed IMAX theater in Florida and a planetarium; the Tampa Museum of Art; the USF Contemporary Art Museum; the Tampa Bay History Center; the Tampa Firefighters Museum; the Henry B. Plant Museum; and Ybor City Museum State Park. Permanently docked in downtown's Channel District is the SS American Victory, a former World War II Victory Ship which is now used as a museum ship.

Cuisine

Cuban Sandwiches ready to be pressed in a busy café in Ybor City, Tampa

Tampa has a diverse culinary scene from small cafes and bakeries to bistros and farm-to-table restaurants. The food of Tampa has a history of Cuban, Spanish, Floribbean and Italian cuisines. There are also many Colombian cuisine, Puerto Rican cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine and Barbecue restaurants. Seafood is also very popular in Tampa, and Greek cuisine is prominent in the area, including around Tarpon Springs. Food trucks in Tampa, Florida are popular and the area holds the record for the world's largest food truck rally. In addition to Ybor, the areas of Seminole Heights and South Tampa are known for their restaurants.
Tampa is the birthplace of the Florida version of the deviled crab and the Cuban sandwich, which has been officially designated as the "signature sandwich of the city of Tampa" by the city council.^[118] A Tampa Cuban sandwich is distinct from other regional versions, as Genoa salami is layered in with the other ingredients. likely due to the influence of Italian immigrants living next to Cubans and Spaniards in Ybor City.^[119]^[120]
Tampa is also where several restaurant chains were founded or headquartered, including Outback Steakhouse, Melting Pot, Front Burner Brands, Carrabba's, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Bonefish Grill, Columbia Restaurant, Checkers and Rally's, Taco Bus, and PDQ.

Economy

Finance, retail, healthcare, insurance, shipping by air and sea, national defense, professional sports, tourism, and real estate all play a vital role in the area's economy.^[102] Hillsborough County alone has an estimated 740,000 employees, a figure which is projected to increase to 922,000 by 2015.^[102] Several large corporations, such as banks and telecommunications companies, maintain regional offices in Tampa.

Tampa Convention Center, built at the site of Fort Brooke

Several Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in the metropolitan area,^[103] including OSI Restaurant Partners, WellCare, TECO Energy, and Raymond James Financial.

Largest employers in Tampa (2013)^[104]
Employer	Employees	Industry
BayCare Health System	19,600	Healthcare
Publix Super Market	13,800	Retail
HCA West Florida	13,150	Healthcare
Frontier Communications	9,950	Telecommunications
Tampa General Hospital	6,600	Healthcare
Wal-Mart	5,800	Retail
Florida Hospital	5,100	Healthcare
JPMorgan Chase & Co.	5,000	Finance
Moffitt Cancer Center	4,300	Healthcare
Citi	4,000	Finance

Downtown Tampa is undergoing significant development and redevelopment in line with a general national trend toward urban residential development. As of April 2007, the Tampa Downtown Partnership noted development proceeding on 20 residential, hotel, and mixed-use projects.^[105] Many of the new downtown developments are nearing completion in the midst of a housing market slump, which has caused numerous projects to be delayed or revamped, and some of the 20 projects TDP lists have not broken ground and are being refinanced. Nonetheless several developments are nearing completion, which city leaders hope will make downtown into a 24-hour neighborhood instead of 9 to 5 business district.^[106] As of 2010, Tampa residents faced a decline in rent of 2%. Nationally rent had decreased 4%.^[107] The Tampa Business Journal found Tampa to be the number two city for real estate investment in 2014.^[108]
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. Tampa currently ranks second in the state behind Miami in terms of cruise ship travel. Besides smaller regional cruise ships such as Yacht Starship and SunCruz Casino, Tampa also serves as a port of call for three cruise lines: Holland America's MS Ryndam, Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas, and Carnival's Inspiration and Legend.^[109]
The main server farm for Wikipedia and other Wikimedia Foundation projects is located in Tampa.^[110]

A KC-135R stationed at MacDill flying over Tampa Bay.

MacDill Air Force Base remains a major employer as the parent installation for over 15,000 active uniformed military, Department of Defense (DoD) civil service and DoD contractor personnel in the Tampa Bay area. A significant majority of the civil service and contractor personnel are, in fact, themselves retired career military personnel. In addition to the 6th Air Mobility Wing, which is "host wing" for the base, MacDill is also home to Headquarters, United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), Headquarters, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), the 927th Air Refueling Wing, Headquarters, United States Marine Forces Central Command (USMARCENT), Headquarters, United States Special Operations Command Central (USSOCCENT), and numerous other military activities of the active and reserve components of the armed forces.
Since the year 2000, Tampa has seen a notable upsurge in high-market demand from consumers, signaling more wealth concentrated in the area.^[111]

Demographics

As of 2000, the largest European ancestries in the city were German (9.2%), Irish (8.4%), English (7.7%), Italian (5.6%), and French (2.4%).^[12]
As of 2010, there were 157,130 households out of which 13.5% were vacant. In 2000, 27.6% households 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 2000, the city's 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 34.7 years old. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.
In 2006, the median income for a household in the city was $39,602, and the median income for a family was $45,823. Males had a median income of $40,461 versus $29,868 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,522. 20.1% of the population and 16.4% of families were below the poverty line. 31.0% of those under the age of 18 and 13.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty level.
As of 2000, those who spoke only English at home accounted for 77.4% of all residents, while 22.6% spoke other languages in their homes. The most significant was Spanish speakers who made up 17.8% of the population, while French came up as the third most spoken language, which made up 0.6%, and Italian was at fourth, with 0.6% of the population.^[85]
There is a large gay population and a gay cultural center known as the GaYbor District.

Religion

The Sacred Heart Church

Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church

Episcopal House of Prayer

Communities of faith have organized in Tampa from 1846, when a Methodist congregation established the city's first church,^[86] to 1939, when a 21-year-old Billy Graham began his career as a spiritual evangelist and preacher on downtown's Franklin Street,^[87] and through to today. Among Tampa's noteworthy religious structures are Sacred Heart Catholic Church, a 1905 downtown landmark noted for its soaring, Romanesque revival construction in granite and marble with German-crafted stained glass windows,^[88] the distinctive rock and mortar St. James Episcopal House of Prayer, listed with the U.S. historic registry,^[89] and the St. Paul AME church, which has seen the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,^[87] and President Bill Clinton speak from its pulpit.^[90] The later two have been designated by the city government as Local Landmark Structures.^[91]
Tampa's religious community includes a broad representation of Christian denominations, including those above, and Presbyterian, Lutheran, Christian Science, Church of God, United Church of Christ, Philippine Independent Church, Unitarian Universalist, Metropolitan Community Church, Seventh-day Adventist, Eastern Orthodox (Greek, Coptic, Syrian, and OCA), various Pentecostal movements, Anglicans, the Quakers, Jehovah's Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is also at least one congregation of Messianic Jews in Tampa.^[92] In addition there is a Korean Baptist church.,^[93]^[94] as well as a Mennonite Church, several Haitian Churches, and a Vietnamese Baptist Church.^[95] Tampa also has several Jewish synagogues practicing Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform.^[96] In addition, there is a small Zoroastrian community present in Tampa.^[97]
Around the city are located a handful of mosques for followers of Islam, as well as a Tibetan-style Buddhist temple, a Thai Buddhist Wat,^[98] and local worship centers for the Sikh,^[99] Hindu and Bahá'í faiths. The Church of Scientology, based in nearby Clearwater, maintains a location for its members in Tampa.^[100]
Overall, Tampa is 50th out of the largest 51 metropolitan area in the percentage of the populace that attends religious services of any kind.^[101]

Landmarks

The Sulphur Springs Water Tower, a landmark in Sulphur Springs section of the city, dates back to the late 1920s. This 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-mile (10 km) continuous sidewalk on the eastern end, the longest in the world.^[75]^[76]
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.

El Centro Español de Tampa

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', who had a residence nearby, and closed upon her death. In 1974, the city of Tampa opened the golf course to the public.^[77] The Story of Tampa, a public painting by Lynn Ash, is a 4-by-8-foot (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 can be found in the lobby of the Tampa Municipal Office Building.^[78] Park Tower (originally the First Financial Bank of Florida) is the first substantial skyscraper in downtown Tampa. Completed in 1973, it was the tallest skyscraper in Tampa until the completion of One Tampa City Center in 1981.^[79] The Rivergate building, a cylindrical building known as the "Beer Can building", was featured in the movie "The Punisher".
Spanning the southern part of Tampa Bay, is the massive steel-span Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
Tampa is home to the Bro Bowl, one of the last remaining skateparks built during skateboarding's "Golden Era" in the 1970s. It opened in 1979 and was constructed by Tampa Parks and Recreation. It was the first public skatepark to be constructed in Florida and the third on the East Coast.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Tampa Bay area

Landsat 8 image of Tampa Bay Region

Topography

Tampa viewed from above.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 170.6 square miles (442 km²) including 112.1 square miles (290 km²) of land and 58.5 square miles (151.5 km²) (34.31%) of water. The highest point in the city is only 48 feet (15 m). Tampa is bordered by two bodies of water, Old Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bay, both of which flow together to form Tampa Bay, which in turn flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The Hillsborough River flows out into Hillsborough Bay, passing directly in front of Downtown Tampa and supplying Tampa's main source of fresh water. Palm River is a smaller river flowing from just east of the city into McKay Bay, which is a smaller inlet, sited at the northeast end of Hillsborough Bay^[55] Tampa's geography is marked by the Interbay Peninsula which divides Hillsborough Bay (the eastern) from Old Tampa Bay (the western).

Climate

Main article: Climate of the Tampa Bay area

Tampa's climate displays characteristics of a tropical climate, but is situated on the southern fringe of the humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) zone. Tampa's climate generally features hot summer days with frequent thunderstorms in the summer (rain is less frequent in the fall and winter), and a threat of a light winter freeze from November 15 through March 5 caused by occasional cold fronts from the north. Average highs range from 70 to 90 °F (21 to 32 °C) year round, and lows 52 to 76 °F (11 to 24 °C).^[56] Tampa's official recorded high has never hit 100 °F (37.8 °C) – the all-time record high temperature is 99 °F (37 °C), recorded on June 5, 1985.^[56]

Paddling on the Hillsborough River

Because of Tampa Bay, Tampa is split between two USDA climate zones. According to the 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, Tampa is listed as USDA zone 9b north of Kennedy Boulevard away from the bay and 10a south of Kennedy Boulevard and along the bay, Zone 10a is about the northern limit of where coconut palms and royal palms can be grown, although some specimens do grow in northern Tampa. Southern Tampa has much more tropical foliage than the northern parts of the city.

Summer

Temperatures are warm to hot from around mid-May through mid-October, which roughly coincides with the rainy season. Summertime weather is very consistent from June through September, with daytime highs near 90 °F (32 °C), lows in the mid-70s °F (23–24 °C), and high humidity.
Afternoon thunderstorms, usually generated by the interaction of the Gulf and Atlantic sea breezes, are such a regular occurrence during the summer that the Tampa Bay area is recognized as the "Lightning Capital of North America". Every year, Florida averages 10 deaths and 30 injuries from lightning strikes, with several of these usually occurring in or around Tampa.^[57] Because of the frequent summer thunderstorms, Tampa has a pronounced wet season, receiving an average of 26.1 inches (663 mm) of rain from June to September but only about 18.6 inches (472 mm) during the remaining eight months of the year. The historical averages during the late summer, especially September, are augmented by passing tropical systems, which can easily dump many inches of rain in one day. Tropical Storm Debby in 2012 dropped 8.57 inches (218 mm) of rain at Tampa International Airport on June 24, 2012 and amounts up to 10.36 inches (263 mm) was reported by a CoCoRaHS observer in NW Tampa.^[58] Outside of the summer rainy season, most of the area's precipitation is delivered by the occasional passage of a weather front.^[56]
The regular summertime afternoon thundershowers occasionally intensify into a severe thunderstorm, bringing heavy downpours, frequent lightning, strong straight-line winds, and sometimes hail.

August 2004: Hurricane Charley was forecast to make landfall in Tampa but veered east.

Tropical systems

Though it is affected by tropical storms every few years and threatened by tropical systems almost annually, Tampa has not taken a direct hit from a hurricane since 1921.^[59] That seemed about to change in 2004, when Hurricane Charley was forecast to make landfall near downtown Tampa, with potentially devastating effects for the entire region. The danger prompted the largest evacuation order for Pinellas County history^[60] and the largest evacuation request in Florida since Hurricane Floyd five years before. But Charley never reached Tampa Bay. After paralleling Florida's southwest coastline, the storm swerved to the east and slammed into Punta Gorda instead.

Winter

In the winter, average temperatures range from the low to mid 70s °F (21–24 °C) during the day to the low to mid 50s °F (10–13 °C) at night. However, sustained colder air pushes into the area on several occasions every winter, dropping the highs and lows to 15 °F (8 °C) or more below the seasonal averages for several days at a time. The temperature can fall below freezing an average of 2 to 3 times per year, though this does not occur every season.^[61]
Since the Tampa area is home to a diverse range of freeze-sensitive agriculture and aquaculture, hard freezes, although very infrequent, are a major concern. Since Tampa has some characteristics of a tropical climate, hard freezes (defined as below 28 °F (−2.2 °C)) happen rarely (every 5 to 20 years depending on location). The last officially recorded freeze at Tampa International Airport took place on the morning of January 13, 2011, when the temperature dropped to 31 °F (−1 °C).^[62]
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Tampa was 18 °F (−8 °C) on December 13, 1962.^[56] The last measurable snow in Tampa fell on January 19, 1977, with a total accumulation of 0.2 inches (0.5 cm). Three major freezes occurred in the 1980s: in January 1982, January 1985, and December 1989. The losses suffered by farmers forced many to sell off their citrus groves, which helped fuel a boom in subdivision development in the 1990s and 2000s.^[63]^[64]
In January 2010, a prolonged cold snap was the longest stretch of cold weather in the history of Tampa.^[65] Temperatures did not get above 49 °F (9.4 °C) for 5 days and there were freezes every night in northern Tampa for a week straight, causing significant damage to tropical foliage.

[hide]Climate data for Tampa, Florida (Tampa Int'l), 1981−2010 normals,^[a] extremes 1890−present^[b]
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	86 (30)	88 (31)	92 (33)	93 (34)	98 (37)	99 (37)	98 (37)	98 (37)	96 (36)	95 (35)	92 (33)	86 (30)	99 (37)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	81.1 (27.3)	82.3 (27.9)	85.2 (29.6)	88.2 (31.2)	93.3 (34.1)	94.8 (34.9)	94.8 (34.9)	94.4 (34.7)	93.5 (34.2)	90.8 (32.7)	86.2 (30.1)	82.4 (28)	96.0 (35.6)
Average high °F (°C)	69.9 (21.1)	72.5 (22.5)	76.3 (24.6)	81.0 (27.2)	87.2 (30.7)	89.6 (32)	90.1 (32.3)	90.2 (32.3)	88.9 (31.6)	84.3 (29.1)	78.0 (25.6)	72.0 (22.2)	81.7 (27.6)
Average low °F (°C)	51.6 (10.9)	54.4 (12.4)	58.2 (14.6)	63.0 (17.2)	69.7 (20.9)	74.8 (23.8)	75.9 (24.4)	76.2 (24.6)	74.5 (23.6)	68.0 (20)	60.3 (15.7)	54.2 (12.3)	65.1 (18.4)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	32.6 (0.3)	37.0 (2.8)	41.4 (5.2)	48.8 (9.3)	59.6 (15.3)	68.3 (20.2)	70.8 (21.6)	71.7 (22.1)	67.5 (19.7)	53.2 (11.8)	44.6 (7)	36.1 (2.3)	30.2 (−1)
Record low °F (°C)	21 (−6)	22 (−6)	29 (−2)	38 (3)	49 (9)	53 (12)	63 (17)	66 (19)	54 (12)	40 (4)	23 (−5)	18 (−8)	18 (−8)
Average rainfall inches (mm)	2.23 (56.6)	2.81 (71.4)	3.03 (77)	2.03 (51.6)	2.10 (53.3)	6.68 (169.7)	7.07 (179.6)	7.77 (197.4)	6.30 (160)	2.26 (57.4)	1.55 (39.4)	2.47 (62.7)	46.3 (1,176)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.01 inch)	6.8	6.6	6.6	4.9	5.5	12.7	15.9	16.0	12.2	6.5	5.1	5.8	104.6
Average relative humidity (%)	74.9	73.0	71.8	69.0	69.8	74.4	76.6	78.4	77.6	74.2	75.0	75.0	74.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours	199.9	202.7	267.5	299.1	314.5	277.8	265.3	249.5	223.0	233.9	201.7	191.6	2,926.5
Percent possible sunshine	61	65	72	78	75	67	62	61	60	66	62	60	66
Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990)^[66]^[67]^[68] Weather Channel^[69]

Cityscape

Main article: Cityscape of Tampa, Florida

Tampa skyline panorama facing northwest.

Neighborhoods

Main article: Neighborhoods in Tampa, Florida

The city is divided into many neighborhoods, many of which were towns and unincorporated communities annexed by the growing city. Generally, the city 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, Tampa Palms, College Hill, and non-residential areas of Gary and the Westshore Business District.

Architecture

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, a priority.^[70] 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 and Channelside (Channelside was recently approved^[71] to undergo major renovations by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik along with other investors). Several museums are part of the plan, including new homes for the Tampa Bay History Center, the Tampa Children's Museum, and the Tampa Museum of Art.^[72] Mayor Bob Buckhorn has continued these developments.
Tampa is the site of several skyscrapers. Overall, there are 18 completed buildings that rise over 250 feet (76 m) high. The city also has 69 high-rises,^[73] second only to Miami in the state of Florida. The tallest building in the city is 100 North Tampa, formerly the AmSouth Building, which rises 42 floors and 579 feet (176 m) in Downtown Tampa.^[74] The structure was completed in 1992, and is the tallest building in Florida outside of Miami and Jacksonville.^[74]