10 Fun Facts You May Not Know About Tampa Bay!
Are you a Tampa resident? Here are a few fun facts for ALL Tampanians. Maybe natives will be inspired by some of the history of our great city and ignite a passion inside also!
- Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base May be the second most important government facility outside of the pentagon. It’s home to the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. action in the Middle East.
- Tampa is home to the world’s longest continuous sidewalk, Bayshore Boulevard. It is 4.5 miles long.
- Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders were waiting to ship out for the Spanish-American War In 1898, they were stationed in Tampa.
- Tampa Bay is Florida’s biggest port, but the waterways where surprisingly shallow at only 12ft! Manmade channels had to be dredged to allow ships in.
- The world’s first scheduled passenger flight flew from St. Pete to Tampa in 1914. Tickets cost $5. It only operated for 4 months, but it paved the way for today’s daily transcontinental flights!
- Tampa’s number one export? Phosphate
- During prohibition, Tampa was one of the top sellers of illegal liquor in the country.
- The name Tampa is believed to come from the Calusa phrase, “Sticks of Fire.” Tampa sees some of the nastiest lightning each summer, which is how the local hockey team got its name!
- Babe Ruth hit his longest home run during an exhibition game in Tampa — it sailed 587 feet!
- In 1929, The Ybor City Cigar Factory rolled 500 million stogies. Where the city got its proudly worn title “Cigar City”.
How many of these fast facts did you know? Share with us in the comments below!
