Cityscape of Tampa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tampa, Florida is home to numerous structures that are noteworthy due to their architectural characteristics or historic associations, the most noteworthy being the Seminole Heights and Hyde Park neighborhoods, two of the largest historic preservation districts in the city.
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[edit] Business districts
The downtown business district of Tampa is located immediately east of the Hillsborough River, and southwest of the Ybor City Historic District. Tampa International Airport is located approximately 4 miles (6 km) west-northwest of the downtown area, and easily connected to most parts of the city by three Interstate Highways, maximizing its accessibility. The largest industrial sections of town are located to the north of the airport and east of the city limits, while most of the residential areas of the city are located to the southwest, northwest, northeast and west of downtown.
Another major business district is the Westshore Business District, located east of Tampa Bay and south of Tampa International Airport. Currently, Westshore has more than 11,000,000 square feet (1,000,000 m²) of commercial office space, 4,000 businesses with nearly 100,000 employees, 32 hotels, 2 major shopping malls (International Plaza and Bay Street and WestShore Plaza). The city of Tampa has 165 parks with 2,286 acres (9 km²) within its borders.[1]
[edit] Architecture
The city's architecture contains a blend of old and new. The neighborhoods of Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights, and Hyde Park neighborhoods are historic preservation districts featuring mostly Victorian homes and buildings.
[edit] Neighborhoods and Districts
The city is divided into many neighborhoods, many of which were towns and unincorporated communities that were annexed by the growing city. Generally, the city is divided into the following areas: Downtown Tampa, New Tampa, West Tampa, East Tampa, North Tampa, and South Tampa.
[edit] East Tampa
On the eastern portion of the city lies residential neighborhoods of College Hill, Jackson Heights-Belmont Heights, Ybor City, East Ybor, Southeast Seminole Heights, Northeast Community, Northview Hills, Live Oaks Square, Rivergrove, Palmetto Beach-Grant Park, South Nebraska, Woodland Terrace and the industrial section of Gary, just east of downtown. The historic section of Ybor City is also located within this district.[2]
[edit] Downtown Tampa
Besides the financial district, two upscale residential neighborhoods are Davis Island and Harbour Island.
[edit] South Tampa
On the southern portion of the city lies residential neighborhoods of Ballast Point, Fair Oaks - Manhattan Manor, Gandy-Sun Bay South (or just Sun Bay South), Golf View, Palma Ceia, South Westshore, Bayshore Beautiful, Bayshore Gardens, Belmar Shore, Port Tampa , Golfview, New Suburb Beautiful, and Virginia Park. The region also contains portions of Sunset Park and Oscawana.[3]
[edit] West Tampa
On the western portion of the city lies residential neighborhoods of Armenia Gardens Estates, Beach Park, Beach Park Isles, Bon Air, Carver City-Lincoln Gardens, Culbreath Bayou, Culbreath Isles, Drew Park, Gray Gables, Lowry Park, Mid-Peninsula, Midtown, North Bon Air, North Hyde Park, Oakford Park, Palma Ceia West, Parkview, Plaza Terrace, Ridgewood River, Riverbend, Riverside Heights, South Seminole Heights, Wellswood, West Tampa, Westshore Palms.[4]
In the West Tampa District, the sublets include Bowman Heights, MacFarlane Park, Northeast Macfarlane, Marina Club, and Old West Tampa.
The West Tampa region also contain parts of Lowry Park North, Southeast Seminole Heights, Sunset Park and Tampa Heights.
[edit] North Tampa/New Tampa
On the northern portion of the city lies residential neighborhoods of Forest Hills, Sulphur Springs, Temple Crest, Terrace Park, University Square, and North Tampa (neighborhood).
Meanwhile, with characteristics of its own, the New Tampa district contains several upscale neighborhoods. They include Hunter's Green, Hunter's Key, and Tampa Palms.
[edit] Tallest buildings
- see also: tallest buildings in downtown Tampa.
The tallest buildings in Tampa are all in downtown.[5]
| Building | Height (meters) | Stories | Year Completed |
|---|---|---|---|
| AmSouth Building[6] | 176 | 42 | 1992 |
| Bank of America Tower[7] | 176 | 42 | 1986 |
| One Tampa City Center[8] | 164 | 38 | 1981 |
| SunTrust Financial Centre[9] | 160 | 36 | 1992 |
| Park Tower[10] | 140 | 36 | 1972 |
| Rivergate Tower[11] | 138 | 32 | 1988 |
| Hillsborough County Center[12] | 114 | 28 | 1993 |
[edit] Transportation infrastructure
At present, there are three road bridges crossing Tampa Bay to Pinellas County: the Howard Frankland Bridge (I-275), the Courtney Campbell Causeway (SR-60) and the Gandy Bridge (US 92).
Two major expressways are within the city limits. The Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway (SR-618), connects to downtown Tampa from suburban Brandon as its eastern terminus and neighborhoods in South Tampa (near MacDill Air Force Base) as its western terminus. The Veterans Expressway (SR-589), meanwhile connects Tampa International Airport and the bay bridges to the northwestern suburbs as Carrollwood, Northdale, and near Land O' Lakes.
Three freeways are within the city limits. Interstate 4, Interstate 275, and a portion of Interstate 75 in New Tampa.
Along with highways, major surface roads are main arteries of the city. These roads are Hillsborough Avenue, Dale Mabry Highway, Busch Boulevard, Nebraska Avenue, Adamo Drive, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
[edit] Other infrastructure
[edit] Airports
Tampa International Airport (IATA: TPA, ICAO: KTPA) is the city's main airport and, as of 2005, is ranked as the 27th-busiest in the US.[13] In March 2003, Condé Nast Traveler magazine ranked the airport #1 in the US and #3 in the world for its creativity and interior design.[14]- Peter O. Knight Airport (IATA: TPF, ICAO: KTPF)is a small general aviation terminal located on Davis Islands near downtown.
- Vandenberg Airport (IATA: VDF, ICAO: KVDF) is another option for general aviation fliers.
- St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (IATA: PIE, ICAO: KPIE) is across the bay and offers another option for air travelers.
[edit] Train stations
Amtrak services Tampa via the Tampa Union Train Station, located in a historic building near downtown.
[edit] Seaports
Since Tampa Bay was first spotted by Spanish explorers in the 1500s, sailors have admired its wide, sheltered beauty. But it had a problem; it's naturally very shallow - less than 30 feet (9 m) deep almost everywhere and well less than that in many places near the coast, including the approach to the small town of Tampa. [15]. By the late 1800s, typical cargo ships had grown large enough that they were not able to navigate upper Tampa Bay and reach the ports of Tampa at all.
In 1899, however, the US Congress authorized the dredging of a 27' deep channel to Port Tampa, Henry Plant's rail-to-ship facility just west of Tampa. In 1917, another channel was dredged out to the Port of Tampa proper, instantly making Tampa an important shipping location.[16]
The bay bottom is very sandy and the ship channels need constant dredging to keep them navigable to the largest modern cargo ships. Every year, the US Army Corps of Engineers dredge up enough sediment from the bay to fill Raymond James Stadium 10 times.[17]
Today, the Port of Tampa is by far the busiest port in Florida and one of the busiest commercial ports in North America.[18] Traditionally, the largest bulk of shipments passing through the port have been phosphate and related materials, but petroleum products recently took over the mantle with an annual tonnage of over 19 million tons. [19]
Several cruise ships also make use of the Port of Tampa. Tampa's cruise ship terminals, located in the Channel District, are home to several Carnival Cruise Lines ships which regularly depart on Mexican and Caribbean sailings.
[edit] Mass transit
The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) operates streetcars as well as the bus system. HART has a signed transit deal with the University of South Florida, allowing students to ride for free on most bus routes.[20] In addition, students from several other colleges and universities can purchases passes at half price from their school.[21]
The TECO Line Streetcar System, which links Ybor City, the Channel District and downtown Tampa, began operating on Saturday, October 19, 2002. Despite the system's limited reach and comparatively slow speed (about 10-15 mph), the air-conditioned cars do offer a nostalgic method of getting around in far greater comfort than was possible a century ago. The line is intentionally reminiscent of Tampa's extensive early twentieth-century streetcar network, albeit much smaller in scope at present (2007). Currently, the line has 10 stops along its 2.4 mile (3.9 km) route.[22]
[edit] References
- ^ Tampa Parks and Recreation
- ^ District Five
- ^ District Four
- ^ District Six
- ^ Buildings of Tampa
- ^ Regions Building, Tampa
- ^ Bank of America Plaza, Tampa
- ^ One Tampa City Center, Tampa
- ^ SunTrust Financial Centre, Tampa
- ^ Park Tower, Tampa
- ^ Rivergate Tower, Tampa
- ^ Hillsborough County Center, Tampa
- ^ "FAA Airport Traffic for CY2005." Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved on December 17, 2006.
- ^ "Airports We Love." Condé Nast Traveler. Published on March 2003. Retrieved on December 17, 2006.
- ^ http://dl.nwrc.gov/net_prod_download/public/gom_net_pub_products/MAP/1879chart_tampa.jpg
- ^ Corps, Port Consider Channel Widening Options
- ^ Tampa Bay Estuary Program - State of the Bay - Dredging & Dredged Material Management
- ^ Tampa Port Authority
- ^ Tampa Port Authority
- ^ "USF UPass." Hillsborough Area Regional Transit. Retrieved on December 17, 2006.
- ^ "Adult Student Fare." Hillsborough Area Regional Transit. Retrieved on December 17, 2006.
- ^ "[1]." TECO Line Streetcar System. Retrieved on December 17, 2006.
[edit] See also
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