GENERAL INFORMATION TAMPA Panfilo de Narvaez and Hernando DeSoto came to what is known today as Tampa during the 16th Century in search of gold. Instead they found the Tocobagan Indians. After many battles Panfilo de Narvaez went no farther but Hernando DeSoto extensively explored the region and came into contact with the Seminole Indians who also resisted the Spanish intruders. This constant hostile environment lasted even after the Americans took possession of the area in 1821. They quickly established Fort Brooke as a safe haven. This area evolved into Tampa, a major trading center of the 19th Century and today the third largest city in Florida. Today with tourism expanding along with an influx of immigration and migration the Tampa Bay Area has a diverse and affluent economy. Tampa, is the only major Florida city that is not dependent upon tourism. The Tampa Port is the nation's seventh largest and Tampa International Airport is known as the world's friendliest airport. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is the largest theater complex south the Mason Dixon line and Tampa Convention Center is one of the largest convention centers in the Southeastern United States. ST. Petersburg St. Petersburg area was discovered and explored by Panfilo de Narvaez in 1528, 36 years after Columbus arrived in the Caribbean and 37 years before the founding of St. Augustine. Narvaez and 400 soldiers, probably the first Europeans in this area, came looking for gold and silver. Instead they found the Tocobagan Indians, an agricultural tribe that had occupied the peninsula for hundreds of years. The Spanish ransacked their huts, and pillaged their ceremonial mounds, but found no treasure. Fierce battles ensued and the Indians never forgot the white man's atrocities. In 1875, General John Williams came down from Detroit and bought 2,500 acres of land on Tampa Bay. He envisioned a grand city with graceful parks and broad streets, the trademark of today’s St. Petersburg. Thirteen years later, Peter Demens, a noble Russian aristocrat, brought the Orange Belt Railway to St. Petersburg. On June 8, 1888 the first train arrived. It was Demens who named the city after his birthplace, St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1914 the rich history of spring training and Florida’s love affair with baseball began when the city’s former mayor, Al Lang, convinced Branch Rickey to move his St. Louis Browns to the Sunshine City for spring training. The boom years in the 1920s brought notable architecture to St. Petersburg. The city’s architecture reflected a Mediterranean theme, however during the Depression, the real estate boom crashed. The city recovered during the 1940s, when it witnessed large growth because of World War II. It was home to the U.S. Coast Guard Station on Bayboro Harbor, a training base for troops plus The War Department later selected St. Petersburg as a major technical services training center for the Army Air Corps. After the war, many of the military men stationed here returned to live or visit as tourists. In the 1950s the population reached beyond 200,000. Today, St. Petersburg continues to lead the region in conservation and cultural affairs. Population: Tampa 353,362, St. Petersburg 284,691. Hillsborough County (Tampa) 1,053,864, Pinellas County (St. Petersburg) 930,000. Total Metro Area 2.990,000. Flight times: Chicago-3.75 hr., NYC-3 hrs., Los Angeles-4.5 hrs., Miami-.5 hr. WEATHER Expect warm winters and very warm humid summers; rain may be persistent. Average Daily High/Low Temperature: • Spring: High 82/ Low 69 • Summer: High 90/ Low 71 • Fall: High 80/ Low 65 • Winter: High 69/ Low 57 TRANSPORTATION Tampa International Airport (TPA) is located just seven miles southeast of downtown Tampa. It is served by no less than 26 national airlines, services more than 560 flights daily, and welcomes almost 16 million passengers annually. International & Domestic Carriers: Air Canada, AirTran, America West, American, British Airways, Cayman Airways, Condor, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Jet Blue, Midwest Express, Northwest/KLM, Southwest, Spirit, United/Lufthansa, and US Airways. http://www.tampaairport.com/ AIRPORT SHUTTLES SHARED PASSENGER VAN SERVICE (LIMOUSINES UNDER CONTRACT) Bay Shuttle (866) 259-9929 or (813) 259-9998 Service is provided from the Commercial Ground Transportation Quadrants located at all four corners of the Baggage Claim Level. Super Shuttle (800) 282-6817 or (727) 572-1111 Service is provided from the Commercial Ground Transportation Quadrants located at all four corners of the Baggage Claim Level. http://www.tampabayshuttle.com/ Taxicabs provide service from the Red or Blue Baggage Claim Curbside.. PUBLIC TRANSIT Bus Service HARTline Route #30 (Town N' Country) provides local city bus service to and from Tampa International Airport. The Bus Stop is at the East end of the Red Baggage Claim Curbside. http://www.hartline.org/ AMTRAK: Union Station is located at 8303 NW 37th Avenue in Hialeah. 800 872-7245 http://www.amtrak.com Greyhound: 800 231-2222 http://www.greyhound.com The St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport offers a wide variety of affordable and convenient ground transportation services. Whether it's the famous white, sandy Gulf beaches or a business appointment at one of the major businesses headquartered in the Tampa Bay region, we'll get you there fast. Yellow Cab and Yellow Shuttle service are the premiere on-site provider of taxi and limo service. The Airport also offers vehicle rental service from the following well-known providers: Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, and Enterprise. http://www.fly2pie.com/ Taxicabs Clearwater Yellow Cab - (727) 799-2222. FOUR passengers can ride for the price of ONE. All major credit cards accepted. VISITOR INFORMATION Tampa http://www.visittampabay.com/index.php St. Petersburg http://www.stpete.org/explore.htm