V.M. Ybor, Tampa, Florida
Encyclopedia
V.M. Ybor is a neighborhood within the city limits of Tampa, Florida
. As of the 2000 census the neighborhood had a population of 3,010. The ZIP Code
s serving the neighborhood are 33602, 33603, and 33605.
The area was part of the historic boundaries of Ybor City, but is not part of the Ybor City Historic District
and is officially classified as a separate neighborhood. The "V.M." in the name stands for "Vicente Martinez", as in Vicente Martinez Ybor
, the Spanish cigar
manufacturer who founded Ybor City in 1885.
The area slowly deteriorated along with much of the rest of Ybor City after the Great Depression
and World War II
, when changes in the cigar industry eliminated the main source of employment, causing the children of the original residents to move away in large numbers. While many structures in Ybor City were razed by Urban Renewal
and during the construction of Interstate 4
in the 1960s, much of what became V.M. Ybor was left untouched. The demographics of the area changed significantly during this period, however, as the outgoing middle-class "Latin" population was replaced by predominantly low-income African-American residents.
Today, many homes, commercial buildings, and cigar factories built in the early 1900s still stand. Most are still in use, often in various states of disrepair. Despite several attempts to rejuvenate the neighborhood, poverty is still very prevalent.
(15th St.) to the east, and Interstate 275
to the west.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 3,010 people and 1,043 households residing in the neighborhood. The population density
was 7,236/mi². The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 38% White, 45% African American, 1% Native American, 1% Asian, 12% from other races
, and 3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 42% of the population.
There were 1,043 households out of which 36% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31% were married couples
living together, 25% had a female householder with no husband present, and 8% were non-families. 31% of all households were made up of individuals.
In the neighborhood the population was spread out with 31% under the age of 18, 23% from 18 to 34, 19% from 35 to 49, 9% from 50 to 64, and 17% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males.
The per capita income
for the neighborhood was $10,086. About 42% of the population were below the poverty line, 43% of those are under the age of 18.
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. As of the 2000 census the neighborhood had a population of 3,010. The ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
s serving the neighborhood are 33602, 33603, and 33605.
The area was part of the historic boundaries of Ybor City, but is not part of the Ybor City Historic District
Ybor City Historic District
The Ybor City Historic District pronounce] is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District located in Tampa, Florida...
and is officially classified as a separate neighborhood. The "V.M." in the name stands for "Vicente Martinez", as in Vicente Martinez Ybor
Vicente Martinez Ybor
Vicente Martinez Ybor was a Spanish American industrialist and cigar manufacturer, best known for founding the cigar-manufacturing town of Ybor City near Tampa, Florida in 1886.-Cuba:...
, the Spanish cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
manufacturer who founded Ybor City in 1885.
History
The area now known as V.M. Ybor was cleared and settled soon after Ybor City was founded in 1885 and was annexed by the city of Tampa in 1887. For several decades, many Cuban, Spanish, and Italian cigar workers lived in what was once a middle-class neighborhood just a few blocks north of the commercial district of Ybor City that centered on 7th Avenue.The area slowly deteriorated along with much of the rest of Ybor City after the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when changes in the cigar industry eliminated the main source of employment, causing the children of the original residents to move away in large numbers. While many structures in Ybor City were razed by Urban Renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
and during the construction of Interstate 4
Interstate 4
Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...
in the 1960s, much of what became V.M. Ybor was left untouched. The demographics of the area changed significantly during this period, however, as the outgoing middle-class "Latin" population was replaced by predominantly low-income African-American residents.
Today, many homes, commercial buildings, and cigar factories built in the early 1900s still stand. Most are still in use, often in various states of disrepair. Despite several attempts to rejuvenate the neighborhood, poverty is still very prevalent.
Geography
V.M. Ybor boundaries are Historic Ybor City to the south, 26th Avenue to the north, East TampaEast Tampa, Tampa, Florida
East Tampa is a district within the city limits of Tampa, Florida. As of the 2000 census the neighborhood had a population of 15,121. The ZIP Codes serving the neighborhood are 33605 and 33610...
(15th St.) to the east, and Interstate 275
Interstate 275 (Florida)
Interstate 275 in Florida serves the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, measuring 60.696 miles in length. The southern terminus is I-75 near Palmetto, just five miles east of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a toll bridge crossing Tampa Bay. The highway passes through St...
to the west.
Demographics
Source: Hillsborough County AtlasAs of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,010 people and 1,043 households residing in the neighborhood. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 7,236/mi². The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 38% White, 45% African American, 1% Native American, 1% Asian, 12% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 42% of the population.
There were 1,043 households out of which 36% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 25% had a female householder with no husband present, and 8% were non-families. 31% of all households were made up of individuals.
In the neighborhood the population was spread out with 31% under the age of 18, 23% from 18 to 34, 19% from 35 to 49, 9% from 50 to 64, and 17% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males.
The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the neighborhood was $10,086. About 42% of the population were below the poverty line, 43% of those are under the age of 18.