The Other West Coast
Located on the west coast of Florida, Tampa is home to various industries including service, retail, finance, insurance and real estate, which play a vital role in the area's economy. Several Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in the Tampa metropolitan area, including OSI Restaurant Partners, WellCare Health Plans, Inc., TECO Energy, Walter Energy and Raymond James Financial.
Tampa and St. Petersburg both anchor opposite sides of the Tampa Bay market with a combined population of about 3 million residents, making it the second most-populated metro area in Florida and the 19th largest in the United States.
Tampa's port is the 7th largest in the nation and handling nearly half of all seaborne commerce that passes through the state.
Tampa Has Healthcare Covered
Tampa and its surrounding suburbs are home to more than 20 hospitals and four trauma centers. Three of the area's hospitals were ranked under "America's best hospitals" by US News and World Report. It is also home to many health research institutions, including the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute, the only cancer center in Florida to be recognized as a National Cancer Institute Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Watch Out for the Dreaded Pirates
The most well-known and celebrated event in Tampa is the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. Over 400,000 people attend Gasparilla bringing $23 million to the city annually.
Since 1904, pirates have “attacked” the city on the last Saturday of January.
Visit Tampa, Florida
City of Tampa, official site
Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau
Tampa Chamber of Commerce
Tampa Bay History Center
Gasparilla Pirate Festival
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Busch Gardens
St. Petersburg Times
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Tampa Bay Times
La Gaceta - (Nation's Only Trilingual Newspaper (English, Spanish and Italian)
WTSP Channel 10 CBS
WFLA Channel 8 NBC
University of South Florida
University of Tampa
Tampa International Airport