Moving to Tampa – what you need to know:

When you’re visiting or considering making the move to a new place, there are key characteristics of the
Tampa, Florida, you want to know about. From activities and things to do, to the type of people that live here, to the professional and personal opportunities available.

With Tampa being a rather large city of over 350,000 and the population of Hillsborough County over 1.25 million, Tampa has a wide range of people and something for everyone. Tampa is a growing hub for the arts, technology and sciences. Tampa has a great range of IT careers in every specialization from IT Networking to Software Development to Business Intelligence to Mobile and Web Development.

In regards to education, the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida are the largest local universities. Other nearby educational institutions are Eckerd College, St Pete College and Hillsborough Community College.

Florida is known as the sunshine state, however you may not know that we do get quite a bit of rain and storms throughout the year, especially in summertime. With moderately high temperatures and high humidity from the gulf breeze comes rain and quick sudden thunderstorms. Though they last only a few minutes, they bring quite a bit of precipitation. Between June – September, Tampa receives and average of 5-8 inches of rain per month. If you’re looking to move to warm climate where anything below 70 degrees is winter weather, Central Florida is the perfect place for you!

Places to visit in Tampa – Live Like A Touristy Local:

  1. Busch Gardens – Busch Gardens is a tourist and local favorite. Busch Gardens is known for its animal-themed attractions and animals roaming in open fields that you can view on safari train rides, as well as their roller coasters!
  2. The Florida Aquarium- Tampa has a soft spot for animals, so much so, that one of our most famed attractions main showcase is the Florida Aquarium. The Florida Aquarium has over 20,000 aquatic animals and plants.
  3. Lowry Park Zoo – Lowry Park Zoo is home to animals from around the world. The primate exhibit currently has 5 orangutans, including two females born recently and a juvenile male. Other exhibit highlights include elephants, giraffes, meerkats and penguins. The zoo is also home to the local Manatee Hospital that has rescued over 400 manatees since 1991.
  4. Bern’s Steak House – Right by the Hillsborough Bay, is a mouthwatering amazing restaurant known as Bern’s Steak House. Bern’s has the best red-meat paired with a variety of wines.
  5. Curtis Hixon Park – Curtis Hixon Park is centrally located in downtown Tampa along the Hillsborough river. The park hosts a number of events and concerts year round and is part of the recently completed Tampa Riverwalk. In the same area, you’ll find Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa Museum of Art, Glazer Children’s Museum, and nearby the Straz Museum of Performing Arts. The park provides a beautiful sunset view of the University of Tampa minarets.
  6. Columbia Restaurant – Though several locations have been opened in Florida, Ybor City is home to the original Columbia Restaurant. Be sure to grab a Cuban sandwich and a 1905 salad for lunch or catch the Flamenco show if you go for dinner.

The Channelside district is home to several cruise ports, which makes planning a vacation very easy and accessible. Some of Tampa Bay’s most popular beaches including Clearwater Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Caladesi Island State Park, and Fort DeSoto Park are a short drive away. If you’re a professional sports fan, Tampa is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Lightning. From date nights to family day-cations, Tampa has it all.

With a city that began it’s history as a military fort and starting booming once railroad access helped establish Ybor City as the “Cigar Capital of the World”, Tampa has continued it’s growth and is now a major hub for aviation, defense and marine electronics, data warehousing, financial services, tourism, import/exports, business and information services, and manufacturing engineering. Additionally, the climate in Tampa affords a great opportunity for hobbies, arts, cultural activities, boating and water sports and sporting events. Whatever you’re seeking, you will find your passion in the city of Tampa.