West Tampa, Florida
Encyclopedia
West Tampa is one of the oldest districts within the city limits of Tampa
, USA, and a former incorporated city located west of the Hillsborough River
and downtown Tampa
. As of the 2000 census
, the district had a population of 22,008. West Tampa has one of the highest concentration of Latino
s in the city since its founding in the early 1890s.
Initially, West Tampa's growth was stunted by transportation problems. The first cigar factory built in the area was forced to close temporarily because workers refused to ride a ferry across the Hillsborough River
to the "wilds" of West Tampa .
But after MacFarlane built a bridge and then a streetcar line, his development experienced a period of tremendous growth. Many of these new residents had not come over from Ybor City; most were Cuban immigrants who settled in West Tampa soon after arriving in the United States. Accordingly, the community was almost exclusivity Cuban during the first several years of its existence. A gradual influx of Italians
and Spaniards
, mainly from Ybor City, gradually made the cultural mix of the two communities more similar over time.
West Tampa was incorporated as a city in 1895 with a population of 2,335, making it the 2nd largest Hispanic
community in the state. By 1900, it had more inhabitants than Florida
's capital city of Tallahassee
and was the second largest city in Hillsborough County
, behind only Tampa. The neighboring cities were also two of the top cigar-making locales in the world during the early 20th century.
The first public library
in Hillsborough County opened on Howard Avenue in 1914. Construction of the Neo-classical revivalist style
brick building was funded with a $17,500 grant from Andrew Carnegie
The West Tampa Library was restored and expanded in 2004 and is still in use.
The process concluded in 1925, when West Tampa was annexed by the city of Tampa and became a city neighborhood.
, many of its residents moved to West Tampa, making it the largest predominantly Latin neighborhood in town. While the same factors that destroyed Ybor City's cigar industry also affected West Tampa, the latter community had enough economic variety to survive when the cigar factories shut down. Most of the large brick factory buildings still stand around the district. Some have been renovated and remodeled for office space and other uses, while others have been vacant for years.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, West Tampa received another large influx of Cuban immigrants as they fled Castro's revolution
Today, the neighborhood has many small Cuban
eateries and ethnic markets, mostly along main roads such as Columbus Drive, Armenia Avenue, Howard Avenue, Main Street, and Tampa Bay Boulevard. A few cigar small manufacturers continue to operate shops in the area. Also the area has become the subject of renewed interest because of its history and culture.
and Rome Avenue to the east, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd (formerly Buffalo Ave.) to the north, Kennedy Blvd. (formerly Grand Central Ave.) to the south, and Dale Mabry Highway
to the west. The West Tampa Historic District
encompases much of this area, and Interstate 275
, built in the 1960s, runs through the approximate center of the neighborhood. The land area of the district is about 10 square miles (about 26 km2).
In West Tampa, the population is spread out with 6% Under 5 Years; 5.5% 5 to 9 Years; 10.8% 10 to 19 Years; 32.0% 20 to 39 Years; 22.7% 40 to 59 Years; 17.2% 60 to 79 Years; 3.3% 80 Years and Over. Out of every 100 females residing in the district, there are 93 males.
, Marina Club
, Northeast Macfarlane
, and Old West Tampa
.
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....
, USA, and a former incorporated city located west of the Hillsborough River
Hillsborough River (Florida)
The Hillsborough River is a river located in the state of Florida in the USA. It arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, and flows through Pasco and Hillsborough Counties to an outlet in the city of Tampa on Tampa Bay. The name Hillsborough River first...
and downtown Tampa
Downtown Tampa
Image:Tampa_Skyline.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Downtown Tampa looking from the Hillsborough Riverpoly 2403 537 2441 500 2488 483 2516 455 2566 439 2597 410 2649 390 2682 358 2803 315 2949 342 2956 362 3068 383 3074 406 3202 431 3204 447 3332 473 3350 484 3485 1616 2446 1587 Wachovia Centerpoly 1745 1216...
. As of the 2000 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...
, the district had a population of 22,008. West Tampa has one of the highest concentration of Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
s in the city since its founding in the early 1890s.
Establishment and early history
West Tampa was founded in 1892 by Scottish immigrant and local attorney Hugh MacFarlane, who bought 200 acres of forested land with the intention of starting a new development by luring some of the cigar factories and cigar workers from Ybor City, a very successful new immigrant community on the northeast side of Tampa.Initially, West Tampa's growth was stunted by transportation problems. The first cigar factory built in the area was forced to close temporarily because workers refused to ride a ferry across the Hillsborough River
Hillsborough River (Florida)
The Hillsborough River is a river located in the state of Florida in the USA. It arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, and flows through Pasco and Hillsborough Counties to an outlet in the city of Tampa on Tampa Bay. The name Hillsborough River first...
to the "wilds" of West Tampa .
But after MacFarlane built a bridge and then a streetcar line, his development experienced a period of tremendous growth. Many of these new residents had not come over from Ybor City; most were Cuban immigrants who settled in West Tampa soon after arriving in the United States. Accordingly, the community was almost exclusivity Cuban during the first several years of its existence. A gradual influx of Italians
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
and Spaniards
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
, mainly from Ybor City, gradually made the cultural mix of the two communities more similar over time.
West Tampa was incorporated as a city in 1895 with a population of 2,335, making it the 2nd largest Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
community in the state. By 1900, it had more inhabitants than Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's capital city of Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
and was the second largest city in Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
, behind only Tampa. The neighboring cities were also two of the top cigar-making locales in the world during the early 20th century.
The first public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
in Hillsborough County opened on Howard Avenue in 1914. Construction of the Neo-classical revivalist style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
brick building was funded with a $17,500 grant from Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
The West Tampa Library was restored and expanded in 2004 and is still in use.
Annexation
As the years progressed, the boundaries between West Tampa and Tampa blurred. Most "Latins" (as Tampa's mix of Spanish, Cuban, and Italian cultures is locally known) had family in both of the neighboring towns. Many lived in one community and worked in the other. A few of Ybor City's social clubs built West Tampa branches, further uniting the two Latin districts.The process concluded in 1925, when West Tampa was annexed by the city of Tampa and became a city neighborhood.
Neighborhood
As Ybor City faded and emptied out after World War IIWorld 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...
, many of its residents moved to West Tampa, making it the largest predominantly Latin neighborhood in town. While the same factors that destroyed Ybor City's cigar industry also affected West Tampa, the latter community had enough economic variety to survive when the cigar factories shut down. Most of the large brick factory buildings still stand around the district. Some have been renovated and remodeled for office space and other uses, while others have been vacant for years.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, West Tampa received another large influx of Cuban immigrants as they fled Castro's revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
Today, the neighborhood has many small Cuban
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
eateries and ethnic markets, mostly along main roads such as Columbus Drive, Armenia Avenue, Howard Avenue, Main Street, and Tampa Bay Boulevard. A few cigar small manufacturers continue to operate shops in the area. Also the area has become the subject of renewed interest because of its history and culture.
Description
The historical boundaries of West Tampa are the Hillsborough RiverHillsborough River (Florida)
The Hillsborough River is a river located in the state of Florida in the USA. It arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, and flows through Pasco and Hillsborough Counties to an outlet in the city of Tampa on Tampa Bay. The name Hillsborough River first...
and Rome Avenue to the east, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd (formerly Buffalo Ave.) to the north, Kennedy Blvd. (formerly Grand Central Ave.) to the south, and Dale Mabry Highway
Dale Mabry Highway
Dale Mabry Highway is a north–south road in Tampa, Florida. The majority of its length consists of three lanes each direction plus a central turn-lane and often includes a right-turn lane. It begins at the MacDill Air Force Base entrance in South Tampa and ends by merging with US 41 just...
to the west. The West Tampa Historic District
West Tampa Historic District
The West Tampa Historic District is a U.S. historic district situated in the larger neighborhood of West Tampa in the city of Tampa, Florida. It is bounded by Cypress and Ivy Streets, Fremont and Habana Avenues, encompasses approximately , and contains 908 historic buildings. On October 18, 1983,...
encompases much of this area, 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...
, built in the 1960s, runs through the approximate center of the neighborhood. The land area of the district is about 10 square miles (about 26 km2).
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 22,008 people, 9,277 households, and 9,908 housing units residing in West Tampa. The racial makeup of the district is 73.7% White, 11.3% African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.5% Asian and Pacific Islander, 8.4% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. 51.6% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.In West Tampa, the population is spread out with 6% Under 5 Years; 5.5% 5 to 9 Years; 10.8% 10 to 19 Years; 32.0% 20 to 39 Years; 22.7% 40 to 59 Years; 17.2% 60 to 79 Years; 3.3% 80 Years and Over. Out of every 100 females residing in the district, there are 93 males.
Areas within West Tampa
Distinct areas within the West Tampa district are Bowman HeightsBowman Heights, Tampa, Florida
Bowman Heights is a neighborhood within the district ofWest Tampa, which represents District 6 of the Tampa City Council. Demographically, The neighborhood did not report separately.-Geogaraphy:...
, Marina Club
Marina Club, Tampa, Florida
Marina Club or Marina Club of Tampa is a gated, residential condominium neighborhood located along the Hillsborough River within the city limits of Tampa, Florida....
, Northeast Macfarlane
Northeast Macfarlane, Tampa, Florida
Northeast Macfarlane is a neighborhood within the city limits of Tampa, Florida. As of the 2000 census the neighborhood had a population of 7,976...
, and Old West Tampa
Old West Tampa, Tampa, Florida
Old West Tampa is a neighborhood within the city limits of Tampa, Florida. As of the 2000 census the neighborhood had a population of 2,115. The ZIP Code serving the neighborhood is 33607...
.