Seminole Heights is a historic

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

and

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

located in central

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...

. It includes many early 20th century

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a b ...

homes and historic buildings. It was an early residential area of Tampa connected by

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

. The area had an economic downturn in the late 20th century marked by increased crime, but has since seen a resurgence with new restaurants,

brew pub Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

s and independent businesses opening up. The neighborhood's historic homes, eclectic shops and gourmet restaurants are an increasing draw. As of the 2000 census, the district had a population of 24,567.

Description

Hillsborough High School Seminole Heights

Seminole Heights is known for its historic craftsman style

bungalows A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a b ...

from the early 20th century. Many buildings in the neighborhood existed in the early 1900s, including the Seminole Heights Methodist Church, Seminole Heights Elementary School, Broward Elementary, Hillsborough High School, and St. Paul Lutheran Church. The Seminole Heights Garden Center, a neighborhood park, is used for community events such as art festivals and picnics. Seminole Heights has the longest stretch of Riverfront parkland in the city of Tampa. Rivercrest, Epps, and several pocket parks provide access to the Hillsborough River. In recent years Seminole Heights has experienced rising property values and a decrease in crime. The area is popular among young professionals and their families who are seeking an alternative to master planned communities. The area contains two designated historical districts including Seminole Heights (local and national designation) and Hampton Terrace (national designation). In 2003, Southeast Seminole Heights was named Best Neighborhood in America by Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA). In July 2009, '' This Old House magazine'' ranked Seminole Heights among the best places to buy an old house for: families, green thumbs, cottages and bungalows, single women homebuyers, porch sitters, walkers, and the south. Overall, Seminole Heights was in the top eight of editors picks. The district has become known as a dining destination. Notable restaurant/ bars include Rooster and the Til, Ichicoro, the Independent Bar & Cafe', and

Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe is a restaurant and bar in the Seminole Heights section of Tampa, Florida. Ernie Locke and Melissa Deming opened it in 2009. It is decorated with artwork from regional artists, hosts live music on the weekends, and ser ...

. http://www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/south-tampa/2013/feb/27/seminole-heights-featured-in-southern-living-magaz-ar-644273/ In 2014, Seminole Heights made international headlines when a "local naturalist" sent a picture of a two headed alligator to a local newspaper, which ran the image as its cover story. The alligator was allegedly captured by local trappers and taxidermied for display at Ella's Folkart Cafe. The authenticity of the creature has often come under question. Since the story in 2014, it has been the subject of art murals, flags, tee-shirts and other ephemera related to the neighborhood. In 2016, the creature made news again when the community art project, Urban Art Attack, funded the building of a two headed alligator statue on Nebraska Ave.

History

Seminole Heights was born in 1911. T. Roy Young had to develop Tampa's first suburb three miles (5 km) north of downtown. He called it Seminole Heights. Ten years earlier Tampa's population had reached 26,000. A trolley line connected

Sulphur Springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage under ...

to downtown, making travel to the suburbs possible and inviting. The streetcar made it possible to live in one area of town and work in another. Young recognized this potential. His Seminole Development Corporation property encompassed a rectangle bordered by Hillsborough Avenue, Central Avenue, Wilder Avenue and Florida Avenue. The houses built here were mostly bungalow, oriented east-to-west and started at $5,000. Other developments quickly followed. By 1912, the Mutual Development Company owned by Milton and Giddings Mabry and the Dekle Investment Company owned by Lee and James Dekle surveyed and platted land adjacent to Seminole Heights forming the Suwanee Heights subdivision. Bounded by Henry Avenue, Hillsborough Avenue, Central Avenue and Florida Avenue, Suwanee Heights was also a restricted subdivision. Like the original Seminole Heights, houses required the same east–west orientation but started at $1,400. During the "Florida Bloom" years (roughly 1919–1929), more development came to areas north and east of the original subdivisions. Of course, with this development came the merchants seeing an opportunity to provide welcome goods and services to the residents. Some of those early businesses have faded away. However, many current Seminole Heights businesses have been open for more than 50 years. In 2017 the area had the

Seminole Heights serial killer The Seminole Heights serial killer is an alleged serial killer who is believed to have murdered four people, three men and one woman, in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, in October and November 2017. All four victims were sho ...

. Now in 2021, The neighborhood has been redeveloping and homes are being updated leading to quite a popular area for those seeking to find historic properties. This neighborhood is filled with shops, restaurants and bars and is up and coming.

Areas

The greater Seminole Heights area has a resident population 23,141 living in 9,433 households as of 2009. The median household income is $47,817. The median age is 37. The area is projected to grow 5.89% during 2009–2014. 47% of the population has some college level education or higher. Seventy percent 70% of the homes are owner occupied. (Source:SiteReports.com) Seminole Heights consists of three distinct neighborhoods: *

Old Seminole Heights Old Seminole Heights is a neighborhood within the city limits of Tampa, in the U.S. state of Florida. The neighborhood is one of three which comprise the greater Seminole Heights district within the city. As of the 2010 census the neighborhood ha ...

''(pop. 15,062)'' * South Seminole Heights ''(pop. 3,160)'' * Southeast Seminole Heights ''(pop. 3,384)'' ''source for population figures
The Planning Commission
'