The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States.

19th century

1821 – Spain transfers control of Florida to the United States per the Adams-Onis Treaty 1824 – Fort Brooke established by U.S. Army on Tampa Bay in the Territory of Florida. 1831 – Tampa Bay post office established.

1845 – Tampa Bay becomes part of the new U.S. state of Florida. 1848 – 1848 Tampa Bay hurricane. 1849 – Village of Tampa incorporated. 1850 – Oaklawn Cemetery established. 1855 – Town of Tampa incorporated. 1856 – Joseph B. Lancaster becomes mayor. 1859 – First Baptist Church established. 1861 – Florida secedes the US and joins the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War 1862 – June 30-July 1: Battle of Tampa. 1863 – October 16–18: Battle of Fort Brooke. 1873 Yellow fever outbreak. Tampa Guardian newspaper in publication. 1877 – Gainesville-Tampa stagecoach begins operating. 1882 – Hillsborough High School opens. 1884 – Henry Plant's South Florida Railroad begins operating. 1885 – Board of Trade established. 1886 - Ybor City established by Vicente Martinez Ybor; first cigar factories open 1887 Ybor City annexed by city of Tampa. Tampa Electric Company established. 1888 – Plant Park laid out. 1889 – Florida Railway begins operating. 1890 Tampa Business College established. Telephone service established. 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel built. Cuban José Martí speaks in Ybor City in support of Cuban independence. 1893 – Tampa Daily Times newspaper begins publication. 1895 – Tampa Fire Department established. 1899 Burgert Brothers photo studio established. Circulo Cubano founded. 1900 – Tampa Woman's Club formed.

20th century

1900s-1950s 1901 – Jackson Rooming House in business.

1904 – South Florida Fair and Gasparilla Parade begin. 1905 Columbia Restaurant in business. Sacred Heart Catholic Church and United States Courthouse Building constructed. 1907 St. Andrew's Episcopal Church built. Havatampa Cigar Company in business. 1908 – YMCA built. 1912 Union Station opens. El Centro Español de Tampa building constructed. El Comercio Spanish-language newspaper begins publication. Union Hotel in business. 1913 – Centro Asturiano de Tampa building constructed. 1914 – St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line begins operating.

1915 – Tampa City Hall built. 1916 – Heraldo Dominical Spanish-language newspaper begins publication. 1917 Tampa Public Library opens. Circulo Cubano de Tampa rebuilt. 1918 – Unione Italiana building constructed. 1920 – Population: 51,608. 1922 WDAE radio begins broadcasting. La Gaceta trilingual newspaper begins publication. 1924 – Gandy Bridge to St. Petersburg built. 1925 West Tampa annexed by City of Tampa. Municipal Auditorium built. WFLA radio begins broadcasting. 1926 Junior League of Tampa founded. Tampa Theatre opens. 1927 Sulphur Springs Water Tower erected. Floridan Hotel in business. 1930 – Population: 101,161. 1931 Labor strike of cigar workers. Tampa Junior College established. 1934 – Davis Causeway opens. 1938 – Janus Administration Building constructed. 1939 – U.S. Army Southeast Air Base established. 1940 – Population: 108,391. 1950 – Population: 124,681. 1955 - WFLA-TV and WTVT (television) begin broadcasting. 1956 – Britton Plaza Shopping Center in business. 1957 – Lowry Park Zoo opens. 1959 – Busch Gardens theme park in business.

1960s-1990s 1960 – Population: 274,970. 1962 – Museum of Science and Industry founded. 1965 - Curtis Hixon Hall opens 1966 – Franklin Exchange Building constructed. 1970 – Population: 277,767. 1972 - Sant'Yago Knight Parade begins. 1977 New Florida State Fairgrounds hosts first fair Floriland Cinema in business. 1978 – Cracker Country (museum) established. 1979 May 8: Storm. Tampa Museum of Art founded. 1980 Hillsborough Area Regional Transit established. Population: 271,523. 1981 – Feeding America Tampa Bay active (approximate date). 1982 – Foreign trade zone and Ybor City Museum Society established. 1984 – Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System established. 1986 – Barnett Plaza (hi-rise) built. 1987 Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center opens. Children's Museum founded. 1988 – Rivergate Tower built. 1989 – Tampa Bay History Center founded. 1990 Tampa Convention Center opens Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival begins. Population: 280,015. 1992 – AmSouth Building and SunTrust Financial Centre constructed. 1995 – Florida Aquarium opens.

1996 City website online. Ice Palace arena opens. 1997 - Tampa Police Museum founded. 2000 - Channelside 9 Cinemas in business.

21st century

2001 Tampa Gallery of Photographic Arts opens. Ruby (programming language) conference held in city. 2002 January 5: 2002 Tampa plane crash. TECO Line Streetcar begins operating; Centennial Park Station and Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union Station open. 2003 – Whiting Station opens. 2004 Ford Amphitheatre opens. First segments of Tampa Riverwalk open 2007 SkyPoint built. Kathy Castor becomes U.S. representative for Florida's 11th congressional district. 2009 – Tampa Bay History Center opens. 2010 Population: city 335,709; metro 2,783,243. Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park opens 2011 Florida Voices begins publication. Bob Buckhorn becomes mayor. Population: 346,037; metro 2,824,724. 2012 – 2012 Republican National Convention held in Tampa 2014 – Tampa Baseball Museum opens. 2018-21 – First phase of Water Street district construction

See also History of Tampa, Florida History of Ybor City List of mayors of Tampa, Florida National Register of Historic Places listings in Hillsborough County, Florida Timelines of other cities in the Central Florida area of Florida: Clearwater, Lakeland, Largo, Orlando, St. Petersburg

References

Bibliography

+ part 2

(also via Open Library)

Gary R. Mormino, "Tampa: From Hell Hole to the Good Life", in Richard M. Bernard and Bradley R. Rice, eds., Sunbelt Cities: Politics and Growth Since World War II (Austin, 1983)

External links

(short film)

Items related to Tampa, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)