Ethnic Areas in Tampa (Tarpon Springs: neighborhoods, living in, restaurants)

[vdecapio]

I was wondering if there are any clusters of ethnic people in the Tampa area. Growing up and living in the northeast most of my life, I enjoyed the big cities because you could visit the parts of town that were totally colombian, or totally Italian, or totally puerto rican...etc.

So, I know of Tarpon Springs having lots of Greeks. Are there any other places that have lots of ethnic people clustered together......Jews, Hispanics, Asians, Italians, etc.?

Thanks

[Mzfloridagurl]

hispanics are all over

[gypsychic]

Tampa has lots of ethnic "pockets" although it tends to be diverse all over these days. I grew up in "historic" old West Tampa, settled by mostly Spaniards and Italians. We had Latin meat markets, bakeries, grocery stores, restaurants, etc., many of which still exist. It is still an area that Hispanics love to live in due to the ethnic conveniences there. Ybor and Tampa Heights have a lot, also. Lots of tasty eating!

[vdecapio]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Tampa has lots of ethnic "pockets" although it tends to be diverse all over these days. I grew up in "historic" old West Tampa, settled by mostly Spaniards and Italians. We had Latin meat markets, bakeries, grocery stores, restaurants, etc., many of which still exist. It is still an area that Hispanics love to live in due to the ethnic conveniences there. Ybor and Tampa Heights have a lot, also. Lots of tasty eating!

Very good....west Tampa then. Is it hispanics in general or is it predominately hispanics from a certain area (i.e. dominican, puerto rican, colombian, brazilian, etc.)? Is there just a mix of hispanics in West Tampa or do they further divide themselves into smaller subsections of west Tampa based on which country they are from?

Oh yeah and I love hispanic food,music, and religous celebrations!

[ferret111]

There seem to be certain clusters. I know the Colombian cluster is on North Armenia Avenue. Other than that, I know there's a Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and obviously Cuban population. Aside from the Cuban population, which traditionally hung around West Tampa, I'm not positive if the other ones have a specific area.

[Keeper]

There are several areas where you will find ethnic clusters. TnC also has a lot of hispanic stores and restuarants. There are several areas around Armenia and Columbus too.

[tampaguy03]

I find Armenia Avenue north of I-275, to be an enclave of International Cuisine, especially as you get north of Columbus Avenue to Waters Avenue.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by tampaguy03

I find Armenia Avenue north of I-275, to be an enclave of International Cuisine, especially as you get north of Columbus Avenue to Waters Avenue.

Yes, Armenia Ave. was always where we shopped for our Spanish eating. Our little "village" was north of Columbus, South of Tampa Bay, Armenia/Howard on the east, and Himes on the west. Back then almost exclusively Spanish and Cuban. Nowadays there really is a great mix of ethnic cuisine all up and down Armenia as mentioned in Tampaguy's post. I think anyone who enjoys a variety of ethnic cuisine will LOVE Tampa, as it has a lot more variety than many other cities.

[vdecapio]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Yes, Armenia Ave. was always where we shopped for our Spanish eating. Our little "village" was north of Columbus, South of Tampa Bay, Armenia/Howard on the east, and Himes on the west. Back then almost exclusively Spanish and Cuban. Nowadays there really is a great mix of ethnic cuisine all up and down Armenia as mentioned in Tampaguy's post. I think anyone who enjoys a variety of ethnic cuisine will LOVE Tampa, as it has a lot more variety than many other cities.

This is good news about Tampa. In my mind, having a variety of ethnic cuisines and ethnic neighborhoods defines a city. A city that is purely black and white in terms of food and skin color is really not a city. Just my opinion. So, I am glad to hear that Tampa has its own section for immigrant hispanics!

What about Asians? Is there a place where Asians congregate?

[Davachka]

I completely agree with vdecapio..

I was just wondering where the good Indian, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese restaurants are in Tampa?! Are they located all over town or on Armenia as was mentioned before? It's great that everyone is answering about the Hispanic areas, but hopefully thats not the only ethnic areas/businesses/restaurants around!
My family couldn't live without ethnic cuisine nearby- not just restaurants but little markets too, I wonder if there are Indian or Asian grocers?