New Tampa is a region in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

that encompasses both a area within the corporate limits of the City of Tampa, as well as a larger land area that is in unincorporated Hillsborough, but retains a Tampa mailing address. The incorporated portion of "New Tampa" that lies within the city limits of Tampa is one of the largest city neighborhoods. The population has grown rapidly since being annexed by the city of Tampa in 1988. As of the 2000 census, the district had a population of 22,466. Many new master planned residential communities are planned or already under construction.

Big-box store A big-box store (also hyperstore, supercenter, superstore, or megastore) is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The t ...

s are following the boom in population and are transforming this once rural area. "New Tampa" may also refer to a larger area that includes the area described above as well as parts of Wesley Chapel, an unincorporated area that abuts Hillsborough County to the north. Although neither technically nor officially part of the Tampa designated neighborhood New Tampa, most Tampa area residents identify the entire area as New Tampa.

Description

New Tampa is bounded by

Lutz Lutz is a surname and given name, occasionally a short form of Ludwig. People with the name include: Surname *Adolfo Lutz (1855–1940), Brazilian physician *Aleda E. Lutz (1915–1944), American Army flight nurse * Alois Lutz, Austrian figure ...

to the west, Wesley Chapel to the north, Morris Bridge Road (near

Thonotosassa Thonotosassa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,238 at the 2020 census, up from 13,014 at the 2010 census. History The name "Thonotosassa" comes from the Seminole- Creek w ...

) to the east, and the

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

community and the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

to the south.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 22,466 residing in the district. 14,891 families, and 15,447 households. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 936/mi². There were 11,143 housing units at an average density of 464.3/mi². The racial makeup of the district was 64%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 21%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race, 15%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

, 11% Asian, less than 0.01% Native American, less than 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 8% from some other race. NOTE: ''The demographic numbers exclude Pebble Creek, which is in unincorporated Hillsborough County''.

Population growth

New Tampa has seen extraordinary growth in the past few years. The population rose from 7,145 residents in 1990 to 26,634 in 2000, an increase of 19,489 or 272.7%. The population was estimated at 37,350 in 2005. New Tampa is accounting for 52% of Tampa's citywide growth and is expected to continue. Housing units increased by 850 between 2004 and 2005 to a total of 15,340 and many new subdivision are being built which is causing the extraordinary growth.

History

Although first settled in the mid-19th century, New Tampa remained undeveloped until the late-1980s, when the city of Tampa annexed the area. Its oldest neighborhood being Pebble Creek with its oldest area residing within the Tampa city limits being Tampa Palms. Although originally developed when the area was still

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

, it did not thrive until the district boom of the 1990s. Most of the city's growth in the 1990s occurred in this district.

Development

The explosive growth of New Tampa, in both residential and commercial properties, has given rise to a great deal of confusion regarding the boundaries of New Tampa. For example, the annual "Taste of New Tampa" culinary event was held in Wesley Chapel, Pasco County, not because Wesley Chapel is a part of the New Tampa community, but due to the failure to find an acceptable location in New Tampa proper. The end result is that New Tampa and Wesley Chapel are separate communities. Another "growing pain" for New Tampa is the amount of infrastructure improvements being made to accommodate the area's rapid growth. Numerous residential developments, including high density housing ( condominia,

townhouses A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...

, etc.), continue to dot the landscape. Several retail outlets in the area have been completed (

Shops at Wiregrass The Shops at Wiregrass is an open-air lifestyle center in Wesley Chapel, Pasco County, Florida. In addition to free parking lots, valet parking, and a parking structure, there are streetside parking spaces at meters along its central street, Pas ...

in nearby Wesley Chapel) or are under construction ( Cypress Creek Town Center, near Wesley Chapel and Lutz). Roadways such as

Bruce B. Downs Boulevard State Road 581 (SR 581), also known as Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, is a north–south road in Pasco County, extending from State Road 56, north to SR 54 in Wesley Chapel. SR 581, along with County Road 581 (CR 581), which extends to the ...

continue to deal with vehicle traffic well above the numbers the roadways were built to support, making for slower traffic movement in the area. Citizens groups continue to petition elected officials of both city and county offices for relief from these problems. Many major roadway improvements have recently begun and/or been completed. These include the widening of Cross Creek Blvd., the construction of the I-75 flyover ramp from the westbound traffic lane of Bruce B. Downs Blvd to the southbound lane of I-75. Roadway projects also in future city planning are the widening of Bruce B Downs Blvd from Bearss Ave. east to the County Line Rd. intersection and the construction of the highly debated East-West road to connect New Tampa Blvd. directly to I-275 south (to be located north of Livingston Ave Bridge and the Bearss Ave Exit).

Culture and Recreation

''Flatwoods Conservation Park'' This county-managed park is part of the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve (LHWP) and is accessible by the Bruce B. Downs Boulevard or Morris Bridge Road entrance. It is home to the Morris Bridge Well-Field which supplies the Tampa Bay region with an average of 8 million gallons of water per day. This woodland area also has a paved bicycle loop, off road bike trails, remote picnicking, and nature trails. ''New Tampa Center'' Located in New Tampa Community Park, the recreation center has a 12,500 square-foot gymnastics area, which includes a gymnastics pit, tumbling strip, and full apparatus gymnastic equipment for all competitive Olympic events. The center offers both gymnastic and dance classes. In addition to the gymnastics area, the center features a concrete bi-level street skate park with pyramids, stairs, wedges and grind rails, and a series of quarter-pipe turns. ''New Tampa Nature Park'' This park is managed by the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department and is located off of Dona Michelle Drive near Interstate 75. The wooded park features paved and unpaved trails for hiking and biking. There are picnic areas and a playground featuring a small ropes course. '' New Tampa Regional Library'' Located on Cross Creek Boulevard, this 25,000 square foot library offers a variety of free programs for New Tampa residents and the surrounding community including technology instruction and early literacy classes. The library is also home to numerous works of art via Hillsborough County’s Public Art Program.

Major roads and highways

* Cross Creek Boulevard *

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

* Interstate 275 *New Tampa Boulevard

ZIP Code

* ZIP code for the area is 33647

References

External links

Tampa, Florida Municipal GovernmentHillsborough County Government
{{authority control Neighborhoods in Tampa, Florida Planned communities in Florida Geography of Hillsborough County, Florida