Tampa Bay Region

Sarasota

History Development in the area began in the 1880s when Sarasota was promoted in Scotland by Lord & Edwards, a real estate company. Lord & Edwards billed Sarasota as a region where portions...

Bradenton

History The City of Bradenton is the seat of Manatee County, Florida. The earliest human settlement in Bradenton dates back thousands of years ago before Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto arrived...

Clearwater

History Tocobagan Indians first inhabited Clearwater long before the Europeans came and settled in the area in the 1830s. Dr. Odet Philippe, a French surgeon was the first European settler in...

Tarpon Springs

History Immigrants, mostly composed of the Greeks, came around in the 1880s and settled in Tarpon Springs. The seabed has a lot of sponges which caught the attention of the Greeks, whose occupation...

St. Petersburg

History St. Petersburg was founded by John Williams of Detroit and Peter Demens. General John Williams bought over 2,000 acres of land on Tampa bay and envisioned a city of parks and broad streets...

Tampa

History Panfilo de Narvaez was the first Spanish explorer to land in Tampa Bay area in 1528. No permanent habitats had been made, but in 1824, the US federal government established for the Seminole...