One of the fastest growing areas in the nation, the Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg metro area has nearly 3 million residents.

Over 225,000 African Americans live in the metro area.

Believe it or not, Tampa and St. Petersburg were the first two cities to have scheduled airline passenger service.

Surprise, Florida was the nation's first wine producing state. Nearby vineyards still produce wines that seem to grow in reputation each year.

“Tampa” is derived from an Indian word meaning "sticks of fire", which is a non-subtle reference to the lightning so common to the metro areas.

Notable persons born or made their mark here include:

Angela Bassett
Academy Award-nominated actress

Julian “Cannonball” Adderley
Famous jazz saxophonist

Butterfly McQueen
Famous actress in the 1930s and 40s.

Leroy Selmon
First all-pro football player for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers; so popular they are named a freeway in his honor

Dwight Gooden
Gifted and troubled Major League Baseball pitcher

Bo Diddley
One of the pioneers of Rock n’ Roll in the 1950s

General Antonio Maceo
A prime figure in the Cuban-American War and settlement at Tampa at the turn of the 20th century