Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city located in Hillsborough County on the west coast of central Florida in the United States. Easily accessible by Interstate 4 and Interstate 75, it is the largest city in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area which is composed of roughly 2.6 million residents, making it the second largest MSA in the state behind the new Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach MSA, and third largest MSA in the south. It is also the third largest city in the state following Jacksonville (Duval County consolidated) and Miami. It is also the county seat of Hillsborough County{{GR|6}}. The Population within the city limits in 2004 according to the U.S. Census Bureau is 321,772. The area code served by the city is 813. Other cities in Hillsborough County include Temple Terrace, FL and Plant City, FL.

MacDill Air Force Base

MacDill Air Force Base, located in south Tampa, is home to CENTCOM, the Central Command of the United States military; and SOCOM, the Special Operations Command. The base is run by the 6th Air Mobility Wing, and includes both the 310th Airlift Squadron, flying the C-37, and the 91st Air Refueling Squadron, flying the KC-135.

Related Topics:
MacDill Air Force Base - CENTCOM - United States - SOCOM - C-37 - KC-135

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The base flightline was closed in the 1991 round of base closings under the Base Realignment and Closure committee discussions; at the time, the base was used for F-16 training and the air traffic in the Tampa area was considered detrimental to training; the noise produced was also considered inappropriate in a densely settled area. However, despite committee recommendations, the base remained open to house and support CENTCOM and SOCOM. The flightline was reopened in 1993 for NOAA operations, and in 1996 the air refueling squadron moved to the base from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

Related Topics:
F-16 - NOAA - Malmstrom Air Force Base - Montana

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Approximately 14,000 people work at MacDill Air Force Base. It is a significant contributor to Tampa's economy, and the city is very supportive of the military community. In 2003 and 2004, the Tampa Bay area was awarded the Abilene Trophy, which annually honors the most supportive Air Force city in the country.

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