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79-573: Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida . Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Greater Orlando area , though in recent times the Tampa Bay area has often been described as its own region, with "Central Florida" becoming more synonymous with

158-511: A tropical climate . Unlike South Florida, where temperatures below 32 °F (0 °C) practically never occur, Central Florida can see occasional freezing temperatures in the some winters (though brief). Consequently, most of Central Florida cannot accommodate the same tropical plants found in Southern Florida with the exception of coastal areas in the Tampa Bay area , Brevard county , and Indian River county due to maritime influences of

237-403: A detrimental ripple effect on the economy. The hard-packed sand of Volusia County's beaches lent itself to auto races beginning in 1903 before paved roads were common, leading to the area's reputation for cars and racing. Ormond Beach was a popular spot for those who liked fast cars after the turn of the 20th century because the hard-packed beach was ideal for going fast. The same beach had led to

316-550: A high speed rail between Orlando and Miami is currently being developed by Brightline , who plans to extend the rail to Tampa after completion. Florida's public primary and secondary schools are administered by the Florida Department of Education . 28°55′37″N 81°43′17″W  /  28.92694°N 81.72139°W  / 28.92694; -81.72139 Regions of the United States#Florida This

395-598: A large swath of peninsular Florida. This area encompassed the interior, including the Orlando metropolitan area , and coastal stretches from the Citrus County south to the Hillsborough County in the west and from Volusia County south to Sebastian in the east. Central Florida is one of Florida's three most common directional regions, the others being North Florida and South Florida . Lamme and Oldakowski note that

474-514: A leak of 65 million gallons of acidic water from a Cargill phosphate plant on the bay's southern shore severely impacted wetlands in the vicinity of the spill. And in April 2021, a breach of a wastewater reservoir at the long-closed Piney Point phosphate plant sent over 200 millions gallons of nutrient-rich mine tailings streaming into lower Tampa Bay. The resulting growth of red tide algae led to an ecocide and killed over 1000 tons of fish in

553-734: A means of standardizing government administration nationwide. Despite a finding in 1977 that this restructuring did not reduce administrative costs as initially expected, and the complete rescinding of the standard region system in 1995, several agencies continue to follow the system, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development . Office location: Boston States: Connecticut , Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island , and Vermont Office location: New York City States: New York , New Jersey , Puerto Rico , and

632-592: A much lesser extent: Disney's Animal Kingdom and SeaWorld Orlando . Central Florida also has a wide variety of natural attractions including the Bok Tower Gardens , Wekiwa Springs State Park , Blue Spring State Park , Rock Springs Run State Reserve , Canaveral National Seashore , and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge . The region also boasts an extensive network of recreational trails (jogging, biking, equestrian, etc.). While many connections are already in place, construction continues and will link all of

711-729: A threat to the coastal cities as evidenced by the 2004 hurricane season , which brought three major hurricanes to the Central Florida area: Charley , Jeanne , and Frances . Winters are dry and temperate with the average winter high temperature in Orlando being 71 °F (22 °C) and the average winter low temperature being 49 °F (9 °C). Summers are hot and humid with high temperatures averaging 92 °F (33 °C) and low temperatures averaging 75 °F (24 °C). Peak summer heat generally arrives in early June and continues to early October. The combination of high temperatures, high humidity, and opposing sea breezes from both

790-518: A wide mouth connecting it to the Gulf of Mexico . Prior to that time, it was a large fresh water lake, possibly fed by the Floridan Aquifer through natural springs . Though the exact process of the lake-to-bay transformation is not completely understood, the leading theory is that rising sea levels following the last ice age coupled with the formation of a massive sink hole near the current mouth of

869-461: Is a large contributor to Central Florida's economy. The area has economically diversified in the past decade. As a high-tech industrial hub, Metro Orlando has the seventh largest research park in the U.S., Central Florida Research Park , the engineering and business school of the University of Central Florida . It has defense companies such as Lockheed Martin and Siemens . Medical research

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948-544: Is a list of some of the ways regions are defined in the United States . Many regions are defined in law or regulations by the federal government; others by shared culture and history, and others by economic factors. Since 1950, the United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions. The Census Bureau region definition is "widely used ... for data collection and analysis", and

1027-541: Is being developed in Central Florida. The first of these initiatives, SunRail , is a commuter rail line that runs from DeLand south to Kissimmee . The first phase was completed in 2014 with the full system in place in 2015. Amtrak also serves Central Florida running on CSX Transportation 's A line and stops at the Orlando Amtrak station . The Auto Train stops in Sanford, Florida , north of downtown Orlando. As of 2022,

1106-456: Is extremely vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change. The sea level has risen 8 inches (200 mm) since 1946. Tampa Bay is also one of the areas in the US most at risk when hurricanes arrive because of its location, growing population, and the geography of the bay. The Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition coordinates the region's response to climate change. Communities throughout

1185-508: Is in Marion County , was included. Although Citrus , Hernando , Hillsborough , Pasco , and Pinellas are also considered to be the Tampa Bay area. Like many vernacular regions, Central Florida's boundaries are not official or consistent, and are defined differently by different sources. A 2007 study of Florida's regions by geographers Ary Lamme and Raymond K. Oldakowski found that Floridians surveyed identified Central Florida as comprising

1264-488: Is prominent at Tampa's University of South Florida and Orlando's University of Central Florida , as well as the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute biomedical research facility. USF in particular is a national leader in cancer and dementia research. The Tampa Bay area has become a center of high-tech manufacturing and research, while both Orlando and the Tampa Bay area are centers for

1343-563: Is the closest port for tourists and Orlando residents alike to cruise on Disney Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruises . Future plans for the port include a rail and natural gas line running directly to Orlando International Airport. Another major seaport of the region is Port Tampa Bay , which is one of the busiest in the state and is on the verge of a huge expansion which will allow it to compete on an international level. Limited Access Freeways and Expressways : Major Surface Arterials: * U.S. Highway 41 A regional commuter rail network

1422-471: Is the most commonly used classification system. Puerto Rico and other US territories are not part of any census region or census division. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 divided the country into twelve districts with a central Federal Reserve Bank in each district. These twelve Federal Reserve Banks together form a major part of the Federal Reserve System , the central banking system of

1501-586: Is the present day Orlando International Airport ; and Orlando Air Force Base , which was transferred to the Navy in 1968 and renamed Naval Training Center Orlando until its BRAC -directed closure in 1999 and conversion to the present day Baldwin Park neighborhood. The other major U.S. Government installations in Central Florida is the Kennedy Space Center , a NASA facility located adjacent to Cape Canaveral SFS, and

1580-539: The 2000 Presidential election . Central Florida's economy is very similar to that in South Florida. Compared to the more diversified North Florida economy, tourism is by far the most significant industry in Central and South Florida, along with a much smaller but significant agricultural industry. Lamme and Oldakowski's survey also found some cultural indicators that characterize Central Florida. In general, Central Florida

1659-498: The Alafia , Manatee , and Little Manatee rivers the next largest sources. Because of these many flows into the bay, its large watershed covers portions of five Florida counties and approximately 2,200 square miles (5,700 km ). The bottom of Tampa Bay is silty and sandy, with an average water depth of only about 12 feet (3.7 m). The relatively shallow water and tidal mud flats allow for large sea grass beds, and along with

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1738-834: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Outpatient Clinic at Baldwin Park (former Orlando AFB Hospital / former Naval Hospital Orlando) and the VA Hospital at Lake Nona. Central Florida has four major zoos , the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Sanford , the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay animal park, and Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. There are also two theme parks in Orlando featuring animals, albeit to

1817-563: The Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean . However, winters are still warmer than most other areas of the United States in winter. Central Florida’s typical high temperatures in the winter are around 70 °F (21 °C). The low temperatures near 50 F. At the end of the Civil War, aside from the cattle, cotton, and coastal lands, much of Central Florida was wetlands. It took a major drainage project financed by businessman Hamilton Disston in

1896-559: The Kennedy Space Center . Deltona was developed in 1962 as a planned retirement community. It is now the largest city in Volusia County. The construction of the Walt Disney World Resort was a transforming event for greater Orlando. Walt Disney wanted a location with abundant available land that was more accessible for the residents of the eastern United States to visit. Not only was there ample land in Central Florida, but it

1975-733: The South , people in the southern part of Central Florida did not typically identify their area as part of " Dixie ", while people in northern Central Florida did. People from Central Florida usually did not consider their region part of the Bible Belt . Politically, while North Florida overwhelmingly was considered conservative and South Florida was considered more liberal, the majority of Central Florida residents (52%) considered their area moderate; 41% considered it conservative, and 7% liberal. Lamme and Oldakowski's survey tracks with Barney Warf and Cynthia Waddell's studies of Florida's political geography during

2054-850: The St. Johns River , the Halifax River , the Ocklawaha River and the Econlockhatchee River . Major lakes include Lake Apopka , Lake Tohopekaliga , East Lake Tohopekaliga , Lake Louisa , Lake Monroe , Lake Jessup , and the Butler Chain of Lakes. There are over 100 miles (160 km) of coastline in Central Florida along the Atlantic Coast. Major beaches include Canaveral National Seashore , New Smyrna Beach , Daytona Beach , Cocoa Beach , and Indialantic Beach near Melbourne . Hurricanes are

2133-621: The U.S. Census Bureau . The nine regions are: Some of Connecticut's informal regions include: Regions of Delaware include: "Slower Lower": Directional regions of Florida include: Local vernacular regions of Florida include: Regions of Georgia include: Physiographic regions of Georgia include: Regions of Guam include: Regions of Hawaii include: Regions of Idaho include: Regions of Illinois include: Regions of Indiana include: Regions of Iowa include: Regions of Kansas include: Regions of Kentucky include: Tampa Bay The shores of Tampa Bay were home to

2212-1489: The U.S. Virgin Islands Office location: Philadelphia States: Delaware , Maryland , Pennsylvania , Virginia , Washington, D.C. , and West Virginia Office location: Atlanta States: Alabama , Florida , Georgia , Kentucky , Mississippi , North Carolina , South Carolina , and Tennessee Office location: Chicago States: Illinois , Indiana , Minnesota , Michigan , Ohio , and Wisconsin Office location: Dallas States: Arkansas , Louisiana , New Mexico , Oklahoma , and Texas Office location: Kansas City States: Iowa , Kansas , Missouri , and Nebraska Office location: Denver States: Colorado , Montana , North Dakota , South Dakota , Utah , and Wyoming Office location: San Francisco States: Arizona , California , Hawaii , Nevada , Guam , Northern Mariana Islands , and American Samoa Office location: Seattle States: Alaska , Idaho , Oregon , and Washington The Bureau of Economic Analysis defines regions for comparison of economic data. Regions of Alabama include: Regions of Alaska include: Regions of American Samoa include: Regions of Arizona include: Regions of Arkansas include: Regions of Colorado include: Connecticut has nine official planning regions, which operate as councils of governments and are recognized as county equivalents by

2291-527: The Weeden Island Culture and then the Safety Harbor culture for thousands of years. These cultures relied heavily on Tampa Bay for food, and the waters were rich enough that they were one of the few Native American cultures that did not have to farm. The Tocobaga was likely the dominant chiefdom in the area when Spanish explorers arrived in the early 1500s, but there were likely smaller chiefdoms on

2370-641: The trails and greenways . Major trails include the Cady Way , Cross Seminole and West Orange Trails . Many of the top ranked beaches in the United States are located in Central Florida. Major international airports include: Port Canaveral , located in Cape Canaveral 45 minutes east of Orlando, is a cruise, cargo, and naval port. It is one of the busiest ports in Florida and is economically tied to Orlando. Locally perceived to be Orlando's seaport , Port Canaveral

2449-649: The 1880s to make these wetland areas available for settlement. Sanford was incorporated in 1877 as a port city at the Lake Monroe intersection and the St. Johns River. It was envisioned as a transportation center; the city's founder, Henry S. Sanford, nicknamed it "the Gate City of South Florida". It became a hub for shipping agricultural products, which earned the city another nickname, "Celery City". Kissimmee, originally named Allendale, after Confederate Major J.H. Allen, who operated

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2528-403: The 1950s. However, industrial and agricultural runoff along with runoff from developed areas pose a continuing threat to marine ecosystems in the bay, particularly by clouding the water with sediments and algae blooms, and seagrass coverage declined slightly in the late 2010s. Wastewater pollution from old phosphate plants near the shoreline has been a particular problem. For example, in 2004,

2607-472: The 20th century. Today, the area is home to about 4 million residents, making Tampa Bay a heavily used commercial and recreational waterway and subjecting it to increasing amounts of pollutants from industry, agriculture, sewage, and surface runoff . The bay's water quality was seriously degraded by the early 1980s, resulting in a sharp decline in sea life and decreased availability for recreational use. Greater care has been taken in recent decades to mitigate

2686-543: The Bay, including St. Petersburg and Tampa are adapting infrastructure and buildings to face changes in sea level. Humans have lived in Florida for millennia, at least 14,000 years. Due to worldwide glaciation, sea levels were much lower at the time, and Florida's peninsula extended almost 60 miles west of today's coastline. Paleo-Indian sites have been found near rivers and lakes in northern Florida, leading to speculation that these first Floridians also lived on Tampa Bay when it

2765-543: The Corps of Engineers dredged another channel from the mouth of Tampa Bay to the Port of Tampa, instantly making the city an important shipping center. The Corps of Engineers currently maintains more than 80 miles of deep-water channels in Tampa Bay up to a depth of 47 feet. These must be continuously re-dredged and deepened due to the sandy nature of the bay bottom. While dredging has enabled seaborne commerce to become an important part of

2844-513: The Floridian leg of the Trail of Tears . For the next 100 years, many new communities were founded around the bay. Fort Brooke begat Tampa on the northeast shore, Fort Harrison (a minor military outpost on Florida's west coast) begat Clearwater , the trading post of "Braden's Town" developed into Bradenton on the south, and St. Petersburg grew quickly after its founding in the late 19th century, on

2923-451: The Gulf and Atlantic coasts, results in significant thunderstorm activity from June to September for the interior counties. Central Florida records more lightning strikes per area than any other region in Florida, and Florida records more lightning strikes than any other state in the US. As a result, Florida, and more specifically, Central Florida, is often referred to as the "Thunderstorm capital of

3002-483: The Interbay peninsula and Hillsboro Bay on the east with an overall name of Bay of Spiritu Santo . At other times, the entire bay was identified as The Bay of Tocobaga. The United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1821. The name Spirito Santo seems to have disappeared from maps of the region in favor of "Tampa Bay" (sometimes divided into Tampa and Hillsboro Bays) soon after the US established Fort Brooke at

3081-797: The Navy Pinecastle Impact (Bombing) Range, and the Avon Park Air Force Range located inland. These are augmented by major commands that are tenant activities at these installations, such as the headquarters for United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) and the headquarters for United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill AFB , the Naval Ordnance Test Unit and Coast Guard Station Port Canaveral at Cape Canaveral SFS , and other Active, Reserve, Army National Guard , and Air National Guard activities that are located as either stand-alone facilities or as tenants on

3160-475: The Orlando area (most notably, this is what the local news channels in each respective metro area call their region). It is one of Florida's three directional regions, along with North Florida and South Florida . Under the previously mentioned "usual" definition, it includes the following 13 counties: Brevard , Citrus , Hernando , Hillsborough , Lake , Orange , Osceola , Pasco , Pinellas , Polk , Seminole , Sumter , and Volusia . Sometimes Ocala, which

3239-495: The Tampa Bay area's economy, it has also damaged the bay's water quality and ecology. More care has been taken in recent decades to lessen the environmental impact of dredging. Dredged material has also been used to create several spoil islands on the eastern side of Hillsboro Bay. These islands have become important nesting sites for many seabirds, including threatened species such as oystercatchers , and have been designated as "sanctuary islands" that are off-limits to boaters. In

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3318-456: The Tampa Bay region would be virtually uninhabited for almost 200 years. Tampa Bay was given different names by early mapmakers. Spanish maps dated from 1584 identifies Tampa Bay as Baya de Spirito Santo ("Bay of the Holy Spirit "). A map dated 1695 identifies the area as Bahia Tampa . Later maps dated 1794 and 1800 show the bay divided with three different names, Tampa Bay west of

3397-497: The USA", or "Lightning Alley." These severe thunderstorms often make Central Florida prone to many tornadoes. However, they are usually small, short lived, and almost always rated as EF0 or EF1 size storms. According to the Köppen climate classification , Central Florida has a subtropical climate. A climate that is typical for the majority of the state, except for South Florida, which has

3476-504: The United States. Missouri is the only U.S. state to have two Federal Reserve locations within its borders, but several other states are also divided between more than one district. The Federal Circuit is not a regional circuit. Its jurisdiction is nationwide but based on the subject matter. In 1969, the Office of Management and Budget published a list of ten "Standard Federal Regions", to which federal agencies could be restructured as

3555-454: The active duty installations. Additional former facilities that have since been closed and converted to civilian use include Hillsborough Army Air Field , a World War II training range which is now part of a neighborhood, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay , and the University of South Florida ; Naval Air Station Sanford , which closed in 1968 and is the present day Orlando-Sanford International Airport ; McCoy Air Force Base , which closed in 1975 and

3634-489: The agency and other state and outside entities, including the Florida Department of Transportation . This definition covers much of the same area as in Lamme and Oldakowski's survey, with some exceptions. The central region includes the Orlando metropolitan area ( Orange , Lake , Osceola , and Seminole Counties), and Sumter , Polk counties in the interior, Citrus , Hernando , Hillsborough , Pasco , and Pinellas counties on

3713-529: The bay and along the nearby gulf coast and may lead to further damage to seagrass beds. The effects of Hurricane Milton in October 2024 caused polluted waste from the fertilizer industry including products from Mosaic , which were retained after the production of phosphate, to enter into Tampa Bay. Both Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene caused disruption in the production of phosphate fertilizers from Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay, like other parts of Florida ,

3792-427: The bay created a connection between the lake and the gulf. Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open-water estuary, extending over 400 square miles (1,000 km ) and forming coastlines of Hillsborough , Manatee and Pinellas counties. The freshwater sources of the bay are distributed among over a hundred small tributaries, rather than a single river. The Hillsborough River is the largest such freshwater source, with

3871-456: The bay was connected to the Gulf of Mexico. This culture, which relied almost exclusively on the bay for food and other resources, was in turn replaced by the similar Safety Harbor culture by approximately 800 AD. The pre-contact Indigenous nation most associated with the Tampa Bay are the historic Tocobaga nation, who are known to be among the ancestors of the contemporary Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes of Florida. The Safety Harbor culture

3950-483: The bay. Not finding gold or silver in the vicinity and unable to convert the native inhabitants to Christianity, the Spanish did not remain in the Tampa Bay area for long. However, diseases they introduced decimated the native population over the ensuing decades, leading to the near-total collapse of every established culture across peninsular Florida. Between this depopulation and the indifference of its colonial owners,

4029-591: The century and severely impacting the marine ecosystem. Many previously common species became scarce, and bay beaches were regularly closed due to unsafe levels of bacteria and pollutants. Beginning in the early 1980s after federal and state legislation to improve water quality, authorities installed improved water treatment plants and tightened regulation of industrial discharge , leading to slow but steady improvement in water quality and general ecological health. By 2010, measures of sea grass coverage, water clarity, and biodiversity had improved to levels last seen in

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4108-470: The city of Tampa's downtown wharves on Hillsboro Bay. Most ships would anchor well out from shore and transfer cargo and passengers to and from the city in smaller boats. Henry B. Plant 's railroad line reached the area in 1884 and ran across the Interbay Peninsula to Old Tampa Bay, where he built the town and shipping facility of Port Tampa at its terminus. In 1898, Plant used his connections in

4187-399: The clearing of mangroves for shoreline development were important factors. Most damaging was the discharge of waste water and other pollutants into the bay, which drastically degraded water quality. The bay's health reached a low point in the 1970s. The water was so murky that sunlight could not reach the shallow bottom, reducing sea grass coverage by more than 80% compared to earlier in

4266-462: The development of a tourist resort by Henry Flagler. It later attracted Flagler's former business partner John D. Rockefeller, who had a winter home in Ormond. During and after World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces (U.S. Air Force after 1947) and the U.S. Navy established several training facilities and operational bases in the region, mainly for aviation activities, followed by space exploration sites. In

4345-558: The directional region is more commonly used in the interior areas rather than on the coast. In fact, while coastal areas often have their own regional vernacular identities such as the Space Coast and the Nature Coast , no vernacular regions were reported on the interior of the state other than Central Florida. Enterprise Florida, the state's economic development agency , identifies "Central Florida" as one of eight economic regions used by

4424-408: The early 20th century, traveling overland between the growing communities around Tampa Bay was an arduous process. The trip between Tampa and St. Petersburg was almost 50 miles (80 km) around the north end of Old Tampa Bay and took up to 12 hours by train and over a full day over uncertain roads by car. The trip between St. Petersburg and Bradenton was even longer – over 70 miles (110 km) all

4503-481: The eastern side of the bay which were not well documented. The indigenous population had been decimated by disease and warfare by the late 1600s, and there were no permanent human settlements in the area for over a century. The United States took possession of Florida in 1821 and established Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in 1824. The communities surrounding Tampa Bay grew tremendously during

4582-478: The effects of human habitation on Tampa Bay, most notably upgraded sewage treatment facilities and several sea grass restoration projects, resulting in improved water quality over time. However, occasional red tide and other algae blooms have caused concern about the ongoing health of the estuary. The term "Tampa Bay" is often used as shorthand to refer to all or parts of the Tampa Bay area , which comprises many towns and cities in several counties surrounding

4661-554: The federal government to make Port Tampa a major embarkation point for the U.S. Army during the Spanish–American War , leading to the U.S. Congress appropriating funds for the United States Army Corps of Engineers to begin the first large dredging operation in Tampa Bay. A deep shipping channel was created which linked Port Tampa to the mouth of the bay, enabling Plant to greatly expand his steamship line. In 1917,

4740-514: The financial industry, especially insurers and back-end operations for large banking companies. Active military installations in the region include Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station located on the Atlantic coast; MacDill Air Force Base , Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater and Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast; and Naval Support Activity Orlando ,

4819-465: The first cargo steamboat on the Kissimmee River, boomed in the 1880s. It was the headquarters of Hamilton Disston's drainage company. The city was an important regional steamship port, owing that status to its location on Lake Tohopekaliga. Expanding the railroads into Central Florida eliminated the need for Kissimmee's steamship industry. The Great Freeze of 1894-1895 ruined citrus crops, which had

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4898-401: The large body of water. Local marketing and branding efforts (including several professional sports teams, tourist boards, and chambers of commerce) commonly use the moniker "Tampa Bay", furthering the misconception that it is the name of a particular municipality when this is not the case. Tampa Bay formed approximately 6,000 years ago as a brackish drowned river valley type estuary with

4977-522: The late 1940s, the U.S. military established a missile testing facility on Merritt Island near Cape Canaveral. The land was largely undeveloped and the agreeable climate allowed for year-round operations. When NASA later searched for a long-term base in the 1960s to launch spacecraft, it chose the Merritt Island site next to Cape Canaveral for its access to the testing facility and nearby communities. NASA purchased over 100,000 acres (400 km) of land for

5056-563: The mouth of the Hillsborough River in 1824. For the next several decades, during the Seminole Wars , the Tampa Bay would be a primary point of confrontation, detention, and forced expulsion of the Seminole & Miccosukee people of Florida. Fort Brooke, Fort Dade, and the American military's miscellaneous Egmont Key facilities were the primary sites associated with the removal of the Seminole in

5135-478: The past thirty years. As of 2007 there were 70,000 Asians in Central Florida according to the U.S. Census . There were almost 1,900 Japanese persons, making up 3% of the Asians. Selected cities in Central Florida arranged by population: Agriculture has occupied a large portion of Central Florida's economy, with winter strawberries, citrus, timber, vegetables, and aquaculture all making major contributions. Tourism

5214-510: The refuge on Egmont Key . Most of the islands (including several man-made islands built from dredge spoil ) and sandbars are off-limits to the public, due to their fragile ecology and their use as nesting sites by many species of birds. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program keeps watch over the Bay's health. Tampa Bay was once teeming with fish and wildlife. People of the Safety Harbor culture lived almost entirely from mullet, shellfish, sea turtles, manatees, crabs, and other bounties harvested from

5293-408: The sea. As late as the early 20th century, visitors still reported huge schools of mullet swimming across the bay in such numbers that they "impeded the passage of boats". The establishment and rapid growth of surrounding communities during the 20th century caused serious damage to the bay's natural environment. Heavy harvesting of fish and other sea life, constant dredging of shipping channels, and

5372-602: The surrounding mangrove -dominated wetlands, the bay provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. More than 200 species of fish are found in the waters of the bay, along with bottlenose dolphins and manatees , plus many types of marine invertebrates including oysters , scallops , clams , shrimp and crab . More than two dozen species of birds, including brown pelicans , several types of heron and egret , Roseate spoonbills , cormorants , and laughing gulls make their year-round home along its shores and small islands, with several other migratory species joining them in

5451-455: The surrounding communities much faster and furthering the economic development of the Tampa Bay area. The difficulty of traveling between Tampa and St. Petersburg in the early 20th century inspired the world's first scheduled air service, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line , which operated during the tourist season of 1914. While the construction of bridges made air travel across Tampa Bay unnecessary, several airports have been built along

5530-608: The way around Tampa Bay, a trip that still took about two hours into the 1950s. In 1924, the Gandy Bridge over Old Tampa Bay reduced the driving distance between Tampa and St. Petersburg to 19 miles (31 km). Ten years later, the Davis Causeway (later renamed the Courtney Campbell Causeway ) was built between Clearwater and Tampa. More bridges criss-crossed Tampa Bay over the ensuing decades, making travel between

5609-483: The west coast and Volusia and Brevard Counties on the east coast. The central cities of both metropolitan areas ( Orlando and Tampa ) are in close proximity (85 miles (137 km)), and as a result, their two metropolitan areas blend together in the area of Lakeland to make up a larger contiguous population center often referred to as the I-4 corridor . This is a population concentration that stretches from Tampa Bay on

5688-537: The west coast to Daytona Beach and Cape Canaveral on the east coast of the state. With the exception of hill terrain in Mount Dora , southern Lake County, Polk County ( Lake Wales Ridge ) Pasco County, and Hernando County (Brooksville Ridge). Central Florida is mostly flatland with significant amounts of open space and over 1,500 lakes and ponds. There is a mixture of wetlands, Cypress, Oak, Maple and Pine forests, pastures, prairies and coastline. Major rivers include

5767-543: The western bay shore opposite Tampa. By 2010, the Tampa Bay Area was home to over 4 million residents. As Tampa began to grow in the mid-1800s, roads across central Florida were still just rough trails and rail lines did not yet extend down the Florida peninsula, so the most convenient means of traveling to and from the area was by sea. By the late 19th century, however, the shallow nature of Tampa Bay made it impossible for large modern vessels with deeper drafts to reach

5846-592: The winter. The cooler months are also when warm-water outfalls from power plants bordering the bay draw one out of every six West Indian manatees , an endangered species, to the area. Tampa Bay was designated as an "estuary of national significance" by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 1990. Two National Wildlife Refuges are located in Tampa Bay: Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge and

5925-413: Was dominant in the area at the time of first contact with Europeans in the mid-1500s. The Tocobaga , who built their principal town near today's Safety Harbor in the northwest corner of Old Tampa Bay, are the most documented group from that era because they had the most interactions with Spanish explorers . However, there were many other coastal villages organized into various small chiefdoms all around

6004-415: Was inexpensive, and the inland location offered some protection from hurricanes. Plans were announced in 1965, and the theme park opened to the public in 1971. Lamme and Oldakowski's survey identifies several demographic, political, and cultural elements that characterize Central Florida and distinguish it from other areas of the state. While people from all parts of the state associated their area as part of

6083-433: Was less popular in Central and North Florida, and more so in South Florida. In 2009, the estimated total population of the Central Florida, including the populations of Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, and Lake Counties region was 3.3 million people. If the populations of Polk and Sumter counties were included, the estimated population would be 3.969 million people. Exponential growth has fueled Central Florida for

6162-470: Was similar to North Florida and differed from South Florida in these measures. In Central and North Florida, American cuisine was the most popular food, in contrast to South Florida where ethnic foods were equally popular. Additionally, while there was little geographical variation for most styles of music, there was regional variation for both country and Latin music. Country was popular in Central and North Florida, and less so in South Florida, while Latin

6241-649: Was still a freshwater lake. Evidence of human habitation from this early period has been found at the Harney Flats site, which is approximately 10 miles east of the current location of Tampa's downtown waterfront. The earliest evidence of human habitation directly on the shores of Tampa Bay comes from the Manasota culture , a variant of the Weeden Island culture , who lived in the area beginning around 5,000–6,000 years ago, after sea levels had risen to near modern levels and

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