Tampa Water Taxis near the convention center; credit Keir Margoulas
Tampa Trivia
One of the fastest growing areas in the nation, the Tampa-St. Petersburg Metro Area has nearly 3 million residents.
Over 225,000 African Americans live in Tampa-St. Petersburg Metro Area.
Believe it or not, Tampa and St. Petersburg were the first two cities to have scheduled airline passenger service.
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 direct reference to the lightning so common to Tampa Bay Metro Area.
Consider that alligators and snakes are common to large parks that have wetland. So be careful with small children and pets.
Famous Residents
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-NFL on 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
