New Tampa, Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Tampa is an area in Florida that encompasses both a 24 square mile area within the corporate limits of the City of Tampa, as well as a larger land area that is in unincorporated Hillsborough and Pasco Counties, 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 area 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 stores are following the boom in population and are transforming this once rural area.

1 Description
2 Demographics
3 Population Explosion and Building Explosion
4 History
5 Controversies
6 Major roads and highways in New Tampa
7 ZIP code
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] Description

New Tampa is bounded by Lutz to the west, Wesley Chapel to the north, Morris Bridge Road (near Thonotosassa) to the east, and the University community and the University of South Florida to the south.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 22,466 residing in the district. 14,891 families, and 15,447 households. The population density is 936/mi². There are 11,143 housing units at an average density of 464.3/mi². The racial makeup of the district is 80.77% White, 6.13% Black, 0.51% Native American, 7.46% Asian, less than 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.98% from some other race. 8.82% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

NOTE: The demographic numbers excludes Pebble Creek, which is in unincorporated Hillsborough County.

[edit] Population Explosion and Building Explosion

New Tampa has seen extraordinary growth in the past few years. The population rose from 4,568 in 1995 to 22,466 in 2000. The population is now estimated at 34,598 and is expected to rise to 50,000 in 2010 and then 120,000 by 2050. New Tampa flows from northern Hillsborough County into southern Pasco County. There is a lot of available land around the city to develop on. Many new franchises are being built in the city; one of the earliest stores was Supercenter Wal-mart. A brand new elementary/middle school has just been completed and opened to handle the rapidly growing population of school-age children. New shopping centers, restaurants, stores, homes and schools are being built.

[edit] History

Although settled in the mid 1800s, New Tampa remained undeveloped until the late-1980s, when the city of Tampa annexed the 24-square mile area. Its oldest neighborhood, Tampa Palms, although originally developed when the area was still unincorporated, didn't thrive until the district boom of the 1990s. Most of the city's growth in the 1990s occurred in this district.

[edit] Controversies

The explosive growth of New Tampa, both in terms of residential and commercial properties, has given rise to a great deal of territorial debates and arguments regarding what exactly constitutes New Tampa. People and businesses located within the established city of Tampa limits argue that any house or business located outside the city limits should not be referred to as being in New Tampa. Those living outside the limits argue that their homes and businesses contribute to the overall financial and social success of the region, and therefore the region as a whole deserves to be referred to as New Tampa. This argument came to a head in the spring of 2006, when the annual "Taste of New Tampa" culinary event was held in Wesley Chapel, Pasco County. The controversy, for the most part, is civil in tone.

Another contentious issue for New Tampa is how the city and counties encompassing the area are dealing with infrastructure improvements in the wake of seemingly uncontrolled commercial and residential growth. Numerous residential developments, including high density housing (condominiums, townhouses, etc.), continue to dot the landscape while several retail outlets are being planned for completion by the end of 2007, including the Cypress Creek Town Center Mall. Yet roadways, especially Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Cross Creek Blvd. continue to deal with vehicle traffic well above the numbers the roadways were built to support, making for sometimes nightmarish morning and afternoon commutes and jamming the roadways around popular Friday and Saturday night theaters and restaurants each week. Citizens groups, like the New Tampa Community Council (NTCC), continue to press elected officials for relief from these problems. Widening of Cross Creek Blvd. began in June 2006, and is set to be completed by May 2007. [1]