year. Between 2000 and 2006, the Tampa Bay market area has experienced a combined growth rate of 14.8 percent, growing from 3.4 million to 3.9 million and hitting the 4 million people mark on April 1, 2007. It is the largest media market in the state of Florida and thirteenth largest DMA Market in the United States. For more information visit the Tampa visitors guide website.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 303,447 people, 124,758 households, and 71,236 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,045.4/km² (2,707.8/mi²). There were 135,776 housing units at an average density of 467.8/km² (1,211.6/mi²).

The racial makeup of the city was 64.22% White (51.0% White Non-Hispanic), 26.07% Black or African American, 0.38% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.15% Asian, 0.09% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 4.17% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.29% of the population.

There were 124,758 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years old. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,415, and the median income for a family was $40,517. Males had a median income of $31,452 versus $26,133 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,953. 18.1% of the population and 14.0% of families were below the poverty line. 26.8% of those under the age of 18 and 15.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty level.

As of 2000, English spoken as a first language accounted for 77.43% of all residents, while 22.56% spoke other languages as their mother tongue. The most significant was Spanish speakers who made up 17.76% of the population, while French came up as the third most spoken language, which made up 0.63%, and Italian was at fourth, with 0.56% of the population.

Economy
Service, retail, finance, insurance, and real estate play a vital role in the area's economy. Hillsborough County alone has an estimated 740,000 employees, a figure which is projected to increase to 922,000 by 2015. Many corporations, such as large banks and telecommunications companies, maintain regional offices in Tampa.

Downtown Tampa is undergoing significant development and redevelopment in line with a general national trend toward urban residential development. The Tampa Downtown Partnership notes development proceeding on 20 residential, hotel, and mixed-use projects as of April 2007. Many of the new downtown developments are nearing completion in the midst of a housing market slump, which has caused numerous projects to be delayed or revamped, and some of the 20 projects TDP lists have not broken ground and are being refinanced. Nonetheless several developments are nearing completion, which city leaders hope will make downtown into a 24-hour neighborhood instead of 9 to 5 business district.

Tampa's port is now the seventh largest in the nation and Florida’s largest tonnage port, handling nearly half of all seaborne commerce that passes through the state. Tampa currently ranks second in the state behind Miami in terms of cruise ship travel. Besides smaller regional cruise ships such as Yacht Starship and SunCruz Casino, Tampa also serves as a port of call for three cruiselines - Holland America's MS Veendam, Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas, and Carnival's Legend and Inspiration.

Three Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in the metropolitan area-- OSI Restaurant Partners (the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, and Bonefish Grill), TECO which provides energy for the surrounding area, and Raymond James Financial, the namesake of Buccaneers home field Raymond James Stadium. Fortune 500 company Tech Data is based across the bay in Clearwater, Florida.

Wikipedia is based in Tampa, with additional servers in Amsterdam and Seoul.

Attractions
Nighttime hot spots include the SoHo District, Channelside, and Ybor City.

Some well-known shopping areas are the International Plaza and Bay Street, WestShore Plaza, Westfield Brandon, Westfield Citrus Park and Hyde Park Village.

Events held annually in Tampa include the Outback Bowl (every New Year's Day), the Gasparilla Pirate Festival (every February), the Sant'Yago Knight Parade (usually 1 week after the day parade during the Pirate Festival), the Florida State Fair (mid-February), and Guavaween (every October near Halloween).

Tampa is also known for its significant landmarks. The Sulphur Springs Water Tower, a landmark in Sulphur Springs section of the city dates back to the late 1920s. Also during this time period was the construction of Bayshore Boulevard, which parallel Hillsborough Bay from Downtown Tampa to areas in South Tampa. The road has a 4.5-mile continuous sidewalk on the eastern end, the longest in the world. Babe Zaharias Golf Course in the Forest Hills area of Tampa has been designated a Historical Landmark by the National Register of Historic Places. It was bought in 1949 by the famous 'Babe' who had a residence nearby and closed at her death. In 1974, the City of Tampa opened the golf course to the public

The Story of Tampa, a public painting by Lynn Ash, is a 4' x 8' oil on masonite mural that weaves together many of the notable aspects of Tampa's unique character and identity. It was commissioned in 2003 by the City of Tampa's Public Art Program and can be found in the lobby of the Tampa Municipal Office Building.

Park Tower (originally the First Financial Bank of Florida), the first substantial skyscraper in Downtown Tampa. Completed in 1973, it was the tallest skyscraper in Tampa until the completion of One Tampa City Center in 1981.

Future landmarks include The Tampa Riverwalk, a proposed continuous pedestrian walkway along the eastern end of the Hillsborough River. The sidewalk will extend from the Channelside district to Tampa Heights. The schedule time for completion is around 2010.

Other landmarks within the city include theTampa Theatre, Museum of Science and Industry (which include the IMAX dome theater), Fun-Lan Drive-In (drive-in theater), and Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

Downtown Tampa boasts a number of landmark high rises, including the Suntrust Building, Sykes Building, SkyPoint Condominium, Towers of Channelside, and the Bank of America Building.

South of Tampa, spanning the southern part of Tampa Bay, is the region's most endearing landmark. In much the same way that San Francisco is recognizable world-wide because of its Golden Gate Bridge, the Tampa Bay area holds its massive steel-span Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the same regard.

Sports
Tampa is represented by teams in four major professional sports leagues; the NFL, the NHL,Major League Baseball, and the Arena Football League. Three of the teams play in Tampa proper, while the Tampa Bay Devil Rays of Major League Baseball play across the bay in St. Petersburg. All of the teams are considered to represent the entire Tampa Bay metropolitan area. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the area's first major franchise in 1976, and brought the area its first major sports championship at the end of the 2002 season, winning Super Bowl XXXVII against the Oakland Raiders. The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning was established in 1992, and currently play their games in the St. Pete Times Forum. The team won their first Stanley Cup championship in Tampa in an ultimate game 7 against the Calgary Flames at the end of the 2003-2004 NHL season. The Devil Rays began play in 1998, but have yet to be a major contender - finishing last in the American League's East Division in nine of the ten seasons they have played. The Tampa Bay Storm play in the Arena Football League. Originally playing in Pittsburgh, the team moved to Tampa in 1991. The Storm won their first Arena Bowl championship in 1991, and have won four subsequent championships in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 2003, winning more than any other AFL team. Since 1997, the team has played its home games in the St. Pete Times Forum, which is located in Tampa.

The University of South Florida football program, only eleven years old became ranked for the first time in school history after the team's week 2 victory in Auburn against the #17 ranked tigers. USF was ranked 23. After beating The University of North Carolina, they were ranked 18. Two weeks later on September 28, 2007, #18 USF hosted #5 ranked and Big East rival West Virginia University. The game was the first sell out in the university's short lived football history, with 67,018. That day in Tampa was proclaimed "Green and Gold Day" by the city's mayor, and the downtown Tampa skyline was illuminated green and gold. University of South Florida won biggest game in their history 21-13, and eventually be ranked 6 in the nation. After defeating cross-state rival, University of Central Florida soundly two weeks later, the USF Bulls would set another school record - marking the first time ever that the school has placed in the BCS Polls. The first BCS Poll of 2007 ranked the USF Bulls second in the nation, after Ohio State.

Other sports teams include:

• The Bay Area Krewe rugby union team who play at Skyview Park
• The Tampa Bay Titans rugby union team

Tampa has hosted several franchises of other professional leagues over the years. The first of these was the Tampa Bay Rowdies, started in 1975 as an expansion franchise of the defunct North American Soccer League (NASL). They played their games at Tampa Stadium. The Rowdies won the inaugural Soccer Bowl in 1975, bringing Tampa Bay its first professional sports championship. The NASL folded in 1984, while the Rowdies continued play in other indoor soccer leagues before folding in 1993. The Tampa Bay Bandits of the defunct United States Football League (USFL) began play in 1985, and played three seasons in Tampa Stadium before the league and the team folded. Coached by Steve Spurrier, their crowd-pleasing style of play was known as "banditball". The Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer began play at Tampa Stadium in 1996, and continued through 2001 before folding.

Tampa has hosted three Super Bowls. Super Bowl 18 (1984) and Super Bowl 25 (1991). Super Bowl 35 was played in the newly built Raymond James Stadium in 2001. Tampa is slated to host the Super Bowl in February 2009.

The Tampa Bay Area also hosts a number of Major League Baseball teams for spring training, as well as several minor league baseball teams.

Education
Hillsborough County School District boasts an impressive 200+ schools with an enrollment of over 180,000 students as well as 73 additional centers such as charter schools and early childhood education centers. There are also several well known colleges and universities in the area that provide opportunities for continuing education including University of South Florida, ITT Technical Institute, University of Tampa, and Florida College, as well as Hillsborough Community College.

Transportation

• 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. 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.
• 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.

Amtrak services Tampa via the Tampa Union Train Station, located in a historic building near the port between downtown and Ybor City.

The Port of Tampa is by far the busiest port in Florida and one of the busiest commercial ports in North America. 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. 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.

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. In addition, students from several other colleges and universities can purchases passes at half price from their school.

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.