Timeline of Tampa, Florida
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The following is a timeline of the history of the
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
of
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 County ...
in
Hillsborough County, Florida Hillsborough County is located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. In the 2020 census, the population was 1,459,762, making it the fourth-most populous county in Florida and the most populous county outside the Miami metrop ...
, United States.


19th century

* 1824 – Fort Brooke established by U.S. Army in the Territory of Florida. * 1831 – Tampa Bay post office established. * 1845 – Tampa Bay becomes part of the new U.S. state of Florida. * 1848 –
1848 Tampa Bay hurricane The 1848 Tampa Bay hurricane (also known as the Great Gale of 1848) was the strongest known hurricane to impact the Tampa Bay area of the U.S. state of Florida. Along with the 1921 Tampa Bay hurricane, it is one of only two major hurricanes to mak ...
. * 1849 – Village of Tampa incorporated. * 1850 –
Oaklawn Cemetery Oaklawn Cemetery is the first public burial ground in Tampa, Florida, United States. The location was deeded in the mid-19th century and was described as the final resting place for "White and Slave, Rich and Poor." Oaklawn Cemetery is located a ...
established. * 1855 – Town of Tampa incorporated. * 1856 – Joseph B. Lancaster becomes mayor. * 1859 – First Baptist Church established. * 1861 – Town becomes part of Confederate States of America. * 1862 – June 30-July 1:
Battle of Tampa The Battle of Tampa, also known as the "Yankee Outrage at Tampa", was a minor engagement of the American Civil War fought June 30 – July 1, 1862, between the United States Navy and a Confederate artillery company charged with "protecting" ...
. * 1863 – October 16–18:
Battle of Fort Brooke The Battle of Fort Brooke was a minor engagement fought October 16–18, 1863 in and around Tampa, Florida during the American Civil War. The most important outcome of the action was the destruction of two Confederate blockade runners whic ...
. * 1873 ** Yellow fever outbreak. ** ''Tampa Guardian'' newspaper in publication. * 1877 – Gainesville-Tampa stagecoach begins operating. * 1882 – Hillsborough High School opens. * 1884 – South Florida Railroad begins operating. * 1885 – Board of Trade established. * 1886 ** Sanchez & Haya cigar factory begins operating. **
Ybor Factory Building The Ybor Factory Building is a historic site in Tampa, Florida, United States located at 1911 North 13th Street. The main factory and its surrounding support buildings cover an entire city block between 8th Avenue and 9th Avenues and 13th and 14th ...
constructed. * 1887 **
Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly ...
becomes part of Tampa. ** Tampa Electric Company established. * 1888 – Plant Park laid out. * 1889 – Florida Railway begins operating. * 1890 ** Tampa Business College established. ** Telephones begin operating. * 1891 ** Tampa Bay Hotel built. ** Cuban José Martí gives speech "Los Pinos Nuevos". * 1893 – ''Tampa Daily Times'' newspaper begins publication. * 1895 – Tampa Fire Department established. * 1899 ** Burgert photo studio in business. ** Circulo Cubano founded. * 1900 – Tampa Woman's Club formed.


20th century


1900s-1950s

* 1901 –
Jackson Rooming House The Jackson Rooming House, also known as Jackson House, is a historic building constructed in 1901 as a boarding house in the city of Tampa, in the U.S. state of Florida. It provided accommodations to African-Americans and other travelers o ...
in business. * 1904 –
South Florida Fair The South Florida Fair is an annual fair held in West Palm Beach, Florida every January. The fairgrounds site occupies and is located on the site of the former Palm Beach Speedway at the intersection of Southern Boulevard (US 98/ SR 80) and F ...
and Gasparilla Parade begin. * 1905 **
Columbia Restaurant The original Columbia Restaurant, located in Ybor City in Tampa, Florida, is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida. It is also the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. ...
in business. ** Sacred Heart Catholic Church and United States Courthouse Building constructed. * 1907 ** St. Andrew's Episcopal Church built. ** Havatampa Cigar Company in business. * 1908 – YMCA built. * 1912 ** Union Station opens. ** El Centro Español de Tampa building constructed. ** ''El Comercio'' Spanish-language newspaper begins publication. **
Union Hotel Union Hotel may refer to: Canada * Union Hotel, now site of the British High Commission, Ottawa United States * Union Hotel (Benicia, California), a California Historical Landmark, Sonoma County, California * The Union Hotel, La Porte, Californi ...
in business. * 1913 –
Centro Asturiano de Tampa The Centro Asturiano is a historic site in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida. It is located at 1913 Nebraska Avenue. On July 24, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Tampa architect M. Leo Elliott. His ...
building constructed. * 1914 –
St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...
begins operating. * 1915 –
Tampa City Hall The Tampa City Hall is a historic site in Tampa, Florida, United States. It was designed by Bonfoey & Elliott and is located at 315 East John F. Kennedy Boulevard. It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1981. On October 1 ...
built. * 1916 – ''Heraldo Dominical'' Spanish-language newspaper begins publication. * 1917 ** Tampa Public Library opens. ** Circulo Cubano de Tampa rebuilt. * 1918 – Unione Italiana building constructed. * 1920 – Population: 51,608. * 1922 ** WDAE radio begins broadcasting. ** '' La Gaceta'' trilingual newspaper begins publication. * 1924 – Gandy Bridge to St. Petersburg built. * 1925 ** West Tampa becomes part of Tampa. ** Municipal Auditorium built. ** WFLA radio begins broadcasting. * 1926 ** Junior League of Tampa founded. ** Tampa Theatre opens. * 1927 **
Sulphur Springs Water Tower Sulphur Springs Water Tower is a landmark of Tampa, Florida. It stands tall, with a foundation deep which makes it visible from nearby Interstate 275 and much of the rest of Sulphur Springs. It's located in the historic district of Sulphur Spri ...
erected. **
Floridan Hotel :''There was a Floridan Hotel from 1927–1956 in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, and in the 1940s a Hotel Floridan in Jacksonville, Florida.'' The Floridan Hotel was a former hotel located at 204 North Monroe St. in Tallahassee, Florida, on the NW ...
in business. * 1930 – Population: 101,161. * 1931 ** Labor strike of cigar workers. ** Tampa Junior College established. * 1934 – Davis Causeway opens. * 1938 – Janus Administration Building constructed. * 1939 – U.S. Army Southeast Air Base established. * 1940 – Population: 108,391. * 1950 – Population: 124,681. * 1955 - WFLA-TV and WTVT ( television) begin broadcasting. * 1956 – Britton Plaza Shopping Center in business. * 1957 –
Lowry Park Zoo ZooTampa at Lowry Park (formerly known as Lowry Park Zoo or Lowry Park Zoological Garden) is a nonprofit zoo located in Tampa, Florida. In 2009, Lowry Park Zoo was voted the #1 Family Friendly Zoo in the US by Parents Magazine, and is recognized ...
opens. * 1959 –
Busch Gardens Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The original park is in Tampa, Florida, and the second park is in Williamsburg, Virginia. There were also previously B ...
theme park in business.


1960s-1990s

* 1960 – Population: 274,970. *1961 - The Pinellas Manufacturers Association (now known as the Bay Area Manufacturers Association) was formed. * 1962 – Museum of Science and Industry founded. * 1966 –
Franklin Exchange Building The Franklin Exchange Building is a 280 ft (85m) high rise in Tampa, Florida. It was completed in 1966 and has 22 floors. At the time of its completion, it was the tallest building in Tampa. It is now the 14th tallest. It is at 655 North Fr ...
constructed. * 1968 - Hope Children's Home established. * 1970 – Population: 277,767. * 1972 **
Sant'Yago Knight Parade The Gasparilla Pirate Festival is a large parade and a host of related community events held in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida almost every year since 1904. The theme of the festivities is a friendly invasion by the mythical pirate José Gaspar (al ...
begins. ** Floriland Cinema in business. * 1978 – Cracker Country (museum) established. * 1979 ** May 8: Storm. ** Tampa Museum of Art founded. * 1980 ** Hillsborough Area Regional Transit established. ** Population: 271,523. * 1981 – Feeding America Tampa Bay active (approximate date). * 1982 –
Foreign trade zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cust ...
and Ybor City Museum Society established. * 1984 – Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System established. * 1986 – Barnett Plaza (hi-rise) built. * 1987 **
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center 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 Coun ...
opens. **
Children's Museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feat ...
founded. * 1988 –
Rivergate Tower The Rivergate Tower, also known as the Sykes building or the Beer Can Building, is a skyscraper in Tampa, Florida. With 31 floors, it is the seventh tallest building in Tampa. Rivergate Tower's principal tenant is Sykes Enterprises, a publicly-t ...
built. * 1989 – Tampa Bay History Center founded. * 1990 ** Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival begins. ** Population: 280,015. * 1992 – AmSouth Building and
SunTrust Financial Centre Truist Place, formerly SunTrust Financial Centre, is a skyscraper in Tampa, Florida. It was completed in 1992 and has 36 floors. Cooper Carry designed the building, which is the 4th tallest in Tampa. It was designed to take a wind load. The ic ...
constructed. * 1995 –
Florida Aquarium The Florida Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, publicly operated institution located in downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It is a large scale, aquarium and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This means ...
opens. * 1996 ** City website online. ** Ice Palace (arena) opens. * 1997 ** Jim Davis becomes
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for Florida's 11th congressional district. ** Tampa Police Museum founded. * 2000 - Channelside 9 Cinemas in business.


21st century

* 2001 ** The Stovall built. ** Tampa Gallery of Photographic Arts opens. **
Ruby (programming language) Ruby is an interpreted, high-level, general-purpose programming language which supports multiple programming paradigms. It was designed with an emphasis on programming productivity and simplicity. In Ruby, everything is an object, including pr ...
conference held in city. * 2002 ** January 5:
2002 Tampa plane crash On January 5, 2002, Charles J. Bishop, a high-school student of East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States, stole a Cessna 172 light aircraft and crashed it into the side of the Bank of America Tower in downtown Tampa, Flori ...
. ** TECO Line Streetcar begins operating; Centennial Park Station and Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union Station open. * 2003 – Whiting Station opens. * 2004 ** Ford Amphitheatre opens. ** Tampa Riverwalk construction begins. * 2007 **
SkyPoint SkyPoint is a 361 ft (110 m) high rise in Tampa, Florida. It was constructed from 2005 to 2007 and has 33 floors. The Preston Partnership, LLC along with Echelon Engineering, LLC designed the building, which is the 9th tallest building in T ...
built. **
Kathy Castor Katherine Anne Castor (born August 20, 1966) is an American politician and lawyer currently representing in the United States House of Representatives, serving since 2007. The district, numbered as the 11th district from 2007 to 2013, is based ...
becomes
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for Florida's 11th congressional district. * 2009 –
Tampa Bay History Center Tampa Bay History Center is a history museum in Tampa, Florida. Exhibits include coverage of the Tampa Bay area's first native inhabitants, Spanish conquistadors, and historical figures who shaped the area's history, as well as a reproduction of a ...
opens. * 2010 – Population: city 335,709;
metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
2,783,243. * 2011 ** ''Florida Voices'' begins publication. ** Bob Buckhorn becomes mayor. ** Population: 346,037; metro 2,824,724. * 2012 – August:
2012 Republican National Convention The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the Republican Party (United States), U.S. Republican Party during which Delegate (American politics), delegates officially nominated former List of governors of Massachusetts, Ma ...
held. * 2014 –
Tampa Baseball Museum The Tampa Baseball Museum is a museum in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida. Located in the rehabilitated childhood home of Al López Alfonso Ramón López (August 20, 1908 – October 30, 2005) was a Spanish-American professional bas ...
opens. * 2018-21 – Water Street Tampa construction takes place * 2019 ** Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute opens. ** Jane Castor becomes mayor.


See also

*
History of Tampa, Florida The modern history of Tampa, Florida, can be traced to the founding of Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in today's downtown in 1824, soon after the United States had taken possession of Florida from Spain. The outpost brought a ...
*
History of Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood that includes the Ybor City Historic District in Tampa, Florida. It is located just northeast of downtown Tampa and north of Port Tampa Bay. The neighborhood has distinct architectural, culinary, cultura ...
*
List of mayors of Tampa, Florida The Mayor is the highest elected official in Tampa, Florida. Since its incorporation in 1856, the town has had 59 mayors. Tampa had no mayor from 1862 until 1866, during which time the city government was temporarily suspended during and immediate ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Hillsborough County, Florida __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hillsborough County, Florida. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hillsborough Co ...
*
Timelines A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representi ...
of other cities in the Central Florida area of Florida:
Clearwater Clearwater or Clear Water may refer to: Places Canada * Clear Water Academy, a private Catholic school located in Calgary, Alberta * Clearwater (provincial electoral district), a former provincial electoral district in Alberta * Clearwater, Briti ...
, Lakeland, Largo, Orlando, St. Petersburg


References


Bibliography

* * * * * *
part 2
* * (als
via Open Library
* * * * * Gary R. Mormino, "Tampa: From Hell Hole to the Good Life", in Richard M. Bernard and Bradley R. Rice, eds., ''Sunbelt Cities: Politics and Growth Since World War II'' (Austin, 1983) * * * * * * *


External links

* (short film) *
Items related to Tampa
various dates (via Digital Public Library of America) * * * {{Tampa Bay Area
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 County ...
Tampa, Florida-related lists