The population of Tampa is approximately 392,800 making it the 3rd largest city in Florida and the 53rd largest city in the United States. Tampa is part of the metropolitan area most commonly referred to as the "Tampa Bay Area" which has an approximate population of 3 .1 million. It is located on the west coast of Florida with an average annual temperature of 73.1 degrees. Tampa's economy is ...
Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon first arrived in the Tampa Bay area in 1513, but the Spaniards focused their attention on settling eastern Florida and left the western areas alone. In 1824, only two months after the arrival of the first American settler, four companies of the U.S. Army established Fort Brooke to protect the strategic harbor at Tampa Bay.