Located about halfway down Florida's west coast, the city of Tampa is home to over 280,000 residents. St. Petersburg and Clearwater, on the other side of the bay, are about fifteen miles away, with a variety of communities, such as St. Pete Beach, Indian Shores, and Clearwater Beach dotting the shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico. Taken together, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater comprise a metropolitan area of more than two million. Thanks to the health-friendly climate, that number grows steadily.
Tampa itself covers roughly 170 square miles, 65 of which consists of inland water. Included in the Tampa city limits is Ybor City, which, in addition to a world-famous cigar industry, holds most of the area's Latino residents and some of the hottest nightclubs in town. The seat of Hillsborough County, Tampa is one of the state's most important seaports. About 45 million metric tons of phosphate ore, fish, soft drinks, cement, lumber and canned fruit are exported yearly to destinations around the world, and a thriving fishing industry insures that the Bay area's seafood restaurants are provided with the freshest catch available. Tourism is important too.
What follows is a quick summary of some of the information contained in the guide, hitting some of the highlights of each section. Complete listings with addresses and phone numbers of each attraction can be found in the respective sections.
Located about halfway down Florida's west coast, the city of Tampa is home to over 280,000 residents. St. Petersburg and Clearwater, on the other side of the bay, are about fifteen miles away, with a variety of communities, such as St. Pete Beach, Indian Shores, and Clearwater Beach dotting the shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico. Taken together, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater comprise a metropolitan area of more than two million. Thanks to the health-friendly climate, that number grows steadily. 
