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.

Yearly events

• Bonk Festival of New Music is an annual event to promote public awareness of new music and to foster relationships between musicians. It takes place at a variety of venues around Tampa.
• Florida State Fair lasts about a week in February and features livestock, food, entertainment and midway rides. It takes place at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
• Gasparilla Pirate Festival is a daytime parade that takes place one Saturday in February.
• Sant'Yago Knight Parade is an illuminated nighttime parade that takes place one Saturday in February in Ybor City.
• Guavaween offers daytime events and nighttime parade one Saturday in October in Ybor City.
• Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival lasts a little over a week during October. The movies are primarily shown at the Tampa Theatre although other local venues are occasionally used as well.
• Tropical Heatwave is a diverse series of concerts sponsored by community radio 88.5 WMNF.