Tampa is a Great City..for me! (Clearwater, University: rentals, established neighborhood)

[Not_liking_FL]

What's the point of resurrecting a thread that is 6 years old?

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by Not_liking_FL

What's the point of resurrecting a thread that is 6 years old?

I didn't want to start a brand new thread about the Museum of History.

You mad?

[Not_liking_FL]

Originally Posted by BucFan

I didn't want to start a brand new thread about the Museum of History.

You mad?

No, not mad. I think it would be alright to start a new thread rather than dredging up a really old thread that was not even really about the Museum of History. Understand?

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by tampaguy03

History - the Bay area has been home to several Indian Tribes for thousands of years. The Spanish came in the 15 and 16oo's, but the American's did not start to evaluate Florida and the Tampa area until the mid 1800's. We built Fort Brooke in what is now downtown Tampa during the Seminole Indian Wars, and later used it for soldiers being shipped off for the Spanish-American War. Vincente Martinez Ybor purchased 40 acres of land just east of downtown to start his Cigar Factories. Within 10 years and by the late 1800's until the depression in the 1920's, Tampa was known throughout the world as the Cigar Capital of the World. Immigrants came to Tampa from Italy, Spain, and Cuba to prosper in the Cigar Capital. Henry B Plant chose Tampa to expand his railroad from the North, and that led to many tourists to flock to the warm temperatures, and an increase in Trade. Many of the established neighborhoods from the early 20th century still exist(Hyde Park, Tampa Heights, West Tampa, Seminole Heights, Ybor City), and have numerous architectural buildings, homes, and landscapes. The area has a unique Cuban-Latin American flavor to it. A few interesting tid bits about Tampa include it has one of the largest Civil War largest Confederate grave sites(Oaklawn Cemetery), Ella Fitzgerald lived in Tampa and recorded some of her biggest hits here, Ray Charles made his first recording in Tampa and Tampa is where the "The Twist" dance craze was born, Rev. Billy Graham started his practice in downtown Tampa, and peolpe like Teddy Roosevelt, Elvis Presley, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, John F Kennedy, James Brown, Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and more have all left footprints of some kind here in Tampa.

I discovered all of this today during a trip to Tampa Bay Museum of History.

It was great. I highly recommend locals visit it at least once.

[BucFan]

on another note:

video of the extension of the Riverwalk downtown Tampa....was down there today and things look awesome from Channelside onward.....


Kennedy Segment Fly-thru, The Tampa Riverwalk on Vimeo

[BucFan]

looks like airfest is on again...

AirFest returning to MacDill in March

[BucFan]

Fort De Soto named top family beach | Things to do in Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay Times

[DAJ2121]

Thanks for this post, I have been thinking about moving to Texas. Then my son said mom why not move to Florida, which I did not think to do, the weather is better than New Jersey which is where I am from. However currently living in England and I am planning to move back to the states as the weather here is horrible and it's very expensive, I have had enough. I then started to do research as I am a single mom 1 son and want my son to go to a good school and live in a desent neighbourhood safe neighbourhood with lots do do. A friend recommend New Tampa area and Wiregrass high school. I am so pleased to have read such a positive post, there is a lot I did not know about Tampa. Thank for the history, Tampa have so much to offer us, I am more excited than ever....

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by DAJ2121

Thanks for this post, I have been thinking about moving to Texas. Then my son said mom why not move to Florida, which I did not think to do, the weather is better than New Jersey which is where I am from. However currently living in England and I am planning to move back to the states as the weather here is horrible and it's very expensive, I have had enough. I then started to do research as I am a single mom 1 son and want my son to go to a good school and live in a desent neighbourhood safe neighbourhood with lots do do. A friend recommend New Tampa area and Wiregrass high school. I am so pleased to have read such a positive post, there is a lot I did not know about Tampa. Thank for the history, Tampa have so much to offer us, I am more excited than ever....

Good luck w/ the possible move. There are a lot of good things about the area - and bad, of course. Some say that it's difficult to make new friends - because there are so many transplants, every man/woman for themselves - I kind of agree w/ this sentiment. You'll have to find your own community then find people w/ similar interests. This area does get hot/humid from May - October and the state is becoming very populated. With population, comes more social ills that you read about every day here in the TB area.....

[BucFan]

Good news for Tampa

Counting Down the 20 Greenest Cities in America | Travel + Leisure

No. 11 Tampa 10 of 21
The Florida city got high marks for its seemingly unpolluted vibe, ranking in the top 10 for both cleanliness and quiet. The city also has its own flavor of farm-to-table eating: Fodder & Shine in Seminole Heights salutes the early 20th century “Florida Cracker” cuisine—like rabbit and cornmeal dumplings, grilled frog legs and “cracker” beef pot roast, derived from the smaller, local cows. And at Elevage, in the Epicurean Hotel, the menu is not so much farm-to-table as wall-to-table: you can select your salad from a living wall inside the hotel (and do likewise in the hotel’s Evangeline spa, which has a living wall of treatment herbs). Bayshore Boulevard is a scenic spot for renting a bicycle, and you can ride without fear: the locals ranked in the survey’s top 10 for being good drivers.