5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida is known by many outside the area as a tourist destination. However, if you are looking to become a resident of Tampa, or simply want to learn more about the exciting city that many families, professionals, and retirees love to call home, then you must be sure you check out the following five things you probably did not know about Tampa.

#1: Okay, most everyone living in Tampa already knows this....However, if you are new to the area, is there a treat in store for you! You can actually see NASA's space shuttle launches on the east coast right from your backyard in Tampa! Yes! While Tampa and Cape Canaveral are about 120 miles apart from each other as the bird flies, you can still easily see the shuttle launches from anywhere in Tampa.

You have to look east-northeast, and cloudy days make it very difficult to see shuttle launches. However, when conditions are right (and in many cases they are), you can see a small orange point of light in the sky leading an easily visible column of white exhaust behind it. When launches occur under crystal-clear blue skies, you cannot miss the distinct white exhaust trail high over the eastern horizon.

Night launches are truly incredible. The shuttle can be seen as a blazing orange point of light that competes with the brightness of the moon.

#2: Do you like to walk, jog, or run? Why not do it on the world's longest, continuous sidewalk. Yes, Tampa has it! Bayshore Boulevard, which is a beautiful, palm-lined thoroughfare that rides right alongside the bay and dozens of ritzy mansions and condominiums, has a sidewalk that is 4.5 miles long. Bayshore Boulevard is also the site of the annual pirate parade known as the Gasparilla Festival, which is held in February.

#3: Tampa has some war history behind it. Tampa is the location of MacDill Air Force Base, the home of United States Central Command. Tampa was also the scene of some Civil War action. Notably, Tampa was the place where Theodore Roosevelt and his band of Rough Riders converged before shipping out to Cuba to fight in keeping the island nation independent in 1898 during the Spanish American War.

#4: Before Tampa was known for its theme parks or Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL team, Tampa held a special distinction in the world as being the home of some very popular and sought-after cigars.

Tampa had numerous major cigar factories operating at full steam during the early decades of the 20th century, and the city's cigars were shipped all over the world to eagerly awaiting smokers, puffers, and connoisseurs of fine cigars. While cigar manufacturing had long ago seen its prime days in Tampa, the towering brick buildings of former cigar factories can be seen throughout Ybor City and West Tampa (two neighborhoods nearby northeast and northwest, respectively, of Downtown Tampa).

While some of these former cigar factory buildings have not seen their days of glory for decades, many have been restored and are being used for other purposes today. There are also many displays and exhibits in the city dedicated to telling the story of Tampa's cigar-making heyday.

#5: "Tampa" is a name that derives from the Calusa American Indian word that is largely thought to mean "sticks of fire." Keep in mind, Tampa is notorious for its frequent lightning strikes during the summer months--a possible reason for the name.