World-class sports teams, world-famous beaches, an out-of-this-world fine dining scene and endless options for thrilling entertainment. A robust economy thriving through smart, sustainable growth and strong leadership. Nationally ranked colleges and universities alongside a network of innovation centers, incubators and research centers. Renowned hospitals and health care that bring peace of mind to any patient, knowing they are being treated with expert care and the latest technologies and practices.
Have we caught your attention yet?
These are just a handful of possible answers to the question, “Why Greater Tampa Bay?” Ask each of the 3 million residents why they have chosen to live, work and play here, in one of the country’s best places to live, and there will likely be 3 million different answers. GTB truly has it all, from the beautiful white sands and blue waters along the Gulf of Mexico, to the charming and laid-back neighborhoods, to the metropolitan bustle of not just one, but three major cities. Life in each unique part of GTB will bring a different feel and experience.
Three counties make up the majority of Greater Tampa Bay — with Hillsborough to the east, Pinellas to the west and Pasco to the north. Within these counties are the three major cities which serve as the region’s core urban areas — Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater — where most of the population calls home. A mix of highly populated suburbs and smaller neighborhoods surround this urban core.
Being such a major draw along Florida’s Gulf Coast, the Greater Tampa Bay region extends to connected cities in neighboring counties, including Bradenton in Manatee County, Spring Hill in Hernando County and Lakeland in Polk County.
Together, we are 93 cities, both incorporated and unincorporated. We are the 18th-largest metropolitan area in the country — and the first place that many are proud to call home.
Why Greater Tampa Bay?
You will have a home here.
We are a community who cares. We believe that when we all support each other, we all grow together. Equity, community, family and harmony are all common values our municipalities and residents take pride in.
Notable residential projects here have caught national attention for their impressive takes on the live, work, play model. The leadership of our cities recognizes the need for more affordable housing, and new developments are rising to meet that demand.
Between our numerous communities and zero lot line living options with top-tier amenities, charming neighborhoods in every corner of the bay area and many more housing options on the way, GTB is a place residents love to make a home.
You will lo(i)ve to work here.
Greater Tampa Bay has a growing, thriving, incredibly supportive business community. We highlight several target industries — financial technology, life sciences and health care, defense and security, specialized manufacturing, to name a few — whose growth and success have inspired dozens of large companies to relocate here, and countless others to start up and prosper here.
A few of GTB’s top assets, out of many, include high connectivity between Florida’s largest port, the location along the Interstate 4 corridor and easy access to top-ranked international airports. We have a highly favorable business environment, rich with strong public-private partnerships, incentives and tax advantages. GTB is seeing a growing trend of young professionals moving to the area, along with a strong talent pipeline coming from area schools.
You can become your most empowered, educated self here.
Residents in GTB benefit from many opportunities to gain a world-class education, whether that means getting a head start at an interesting trade or career path, reaching your full potential through demanding Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate curriculum, learning how to not just cook, but make art with food, tackle a new language, study alongside top researchers at advanced medical institutions or simply learn all you need to know to prepare for life after graduation, GTB has all the tools to give students a straight shot in whatever direction they choose.
Several nationally ranked colleges and universities, including the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa, educate thousands of students here each year. Families have plenty of quality public health care systems and renowned private schools to choose from.
You will love getting settled here.
GTB has so many unique places to explore, and travelers can even have fun while getting there. Ride a trolley through downtown, sip your way through our craft beer scene on a brew bus tour, take a pirate water taxi across the bay or fly over those white sands in a helicopter. Getting around town is a breeze — literally.
No matter where you are moving here from, that home away from home is only ever a plane ride away. Our top-ranked airports fly to dozens of nonstop destinations.
Moving into your new home can become part of the fun, too. With our moving checklist, no box is left unpacked, or to-do left behind.
You will be in good hands here.
Our innovative research hospitals stay on the cutting edge of technology and health science. With nationally ranked hospitals, multiple health care systems with legacies of success, several hospitals dedicated to caring for children and countless quality medical facilities throughout the region, excellent health care options abound in GTB.
Learn about our research institutions’ efforts to try and find cures for some of the nation’s most serious and widespread health issues, such as diabetes and cancer. Or, come see for yourself why the region often ranks as one of the nation’s healthiest metros, with plenty of fitness centers and gyms, miles of beautiful urban and natural trails and excellent quality of life.
You will live life to the fullest here.
Champa Bay, the Big Guava, the Sunshine City, the Gulf Coast… What a beautiful place you are. Whether cheering on a favorite sports team, sinking toes in the sand, taking your dogs to the pups pub or out on the boat or exploring wonderful worlds of art and history and science, residents will have a blast here. We have every kind of cuisine, every indoor, outdoor, virtual experience at your fingertips, every genre of music, every festival. No matter what you are into, we have it.
GTB is home to some of the nation’s largest Pride events. Our leaders consistently make equity a priority and celebrate our diversity — whether it comes to race, nationality, ethnicity, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, religion — always, no matter what, when or where. Our strength is in our people, all of them, and we embrace that. And when we say that, we mean it.
That question, “Why Greater Tampa Bay?” is not so easily answered. So, we made this Guide in an effort to do just that. The truth is, though, that some questions are just better answered all on your own.
So, come get to know us, and find your own special reason for “Why Greater Tampa Bay?”
By Jewell Tomazin
