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Tampa Real Estate Overview

Tampa is a major United States city located in Hillsborough County, on the west coast of Florida. Tampa serves as its county seat. The population within the city limits in 2004, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, was 321,772; making Tampa the third largest city in the state of Florida, following Jacksonville and Miami.

Tampa is a part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area, most commonly referred to as the "Tampa Bay area". The four-county area is composed of roughly 2.6 million residents, making it the second largest Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the state behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, the third largest in the Southeastern United States, and the twelfth largest in the United States.

Tampa Shopping Centers

• International Plaza and Bay Street, located in the Westshore business district, is home to many upscale department stores (with Nordstrom, Dillard's, Robb & Stucky Interiors and Neiman Marcus as anchors) as well as a hotel that was recently built on the premises.
• WestShore Plaza is an upper-middle class shopping center, one mile away from International Plaza and Bay Street. On the middle class end, the mall is anchored by Sears and JCPenney, and on the higher end, anchored by Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue.
• University Mall, in the northern part of the city near the University of South Florida, with Sears, Macy's, Dillard's, Steve and Barry's University Sportswear, and Burlington Coat Factory as anchors.
• Westfield Shoppingtown Brandon, A fairly large mall located in the eastern part of the city, with Sears, Dillards, Macy's, and JCPenney as anchors. An upper-middle class mall.
• Citrus Westfield Shoppingtown, A mid-size mall located in th north western part of the city.

Tampa Transportation

Airports

• Tampa International Airport (KTPA) is the city's main airport. In March 2003, Conde Nast Traveler magazine ranked the airport #1 in the US and #3 in the world.
• There is also a smaller general aviation terminal called Peter O. Knight Airport (KTPF) which is located on Davis Island near downtown.
• Vandenburg Airport (KVDF) is another option for general aviation fliers.
• St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (KPIE) is across the bay and offers another option for air travelers.

Train Stations

Amtrak services Tampa via the Tampa Union Station which is near downtown.

Seaports

Several cruise ships make use of the Port of Tampa, located in the Channel District.

Mass Transit

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HARTline) operates the streetcars as well as the bus system. HARTline has signed transit deals with both the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa, allowing HARTline buses to transfer students from the two campuses to other areas of Tampa free of charge as long as proof of affiliation with the school is presented. Starting in December 2005, faculty from both schools now have to pay 25 cents.

The TECO Line Streetcar System, which links Ybor City, the Channel District and downtown Tampa, began operating on Saturday, October 19, 2002. Although quite limited in the scope of areas that it services, and its slow speed (about 10-15 mph), the air-conditioned cars do offer a comfortable and nostalgic method of getting around. The line is similar to the streetcar network in Tampa in the early 20th century.

Major Roads

• Interstate 75
• Interstate 275
• Interstate 4
• Veterans Expressway
• Crosstown Expressway
• U.S. Route 41 - Business 41
• U.S. Route 92
• U.S. Route 301
• State Road 60
• State Road 580
• Bruce B. Downs Boulevard
• Dale Mabry Highway

Tampa Neighborhoods

Ballast Point, Downtown Tampa, Forrest Hills, Hyde Park, New Tampa, Tampa Heights.

Also: City of Tampa, Florida Official Website