DIVERSITY

In Tampa we celebrate our diversity as a strength, not a weakness. We’re a highly diverse community with a rich supply of multilingual talent.

Our rich ethnic and cultural heritage dates back to the days of Spanish exploration. As we grew, the culture continued to expand and diversify. In 1886, Vicente Martinez Ybor established a cigar factory in Tampa, starting our reign as Cigar City where immigrants from Cuba, Spain, Italy and Germany came to work in the cigar factories. Today, Ybor City continues to offer a taste of our multicultural heritage through local cigar shops, restaurants, and historic architecture. Annual events such as Fiesta Day, Ybor City Cigar Festival, Hispanic Heritage, and Ybor Aficionado Days celebrate our historic roots. And as the birthplace of the Cuban sandwich, nothing beats the annual three-day long Cuban Sandwich Festival.

Ybor City continues to have a strong Italian influence as well. L’Unione Italiana, or the Italian Club of Tampa, hosts regular events, including Festa Italiana and Wines of Italy to honor our Italian heritage. Tarpon Springs is home to a Greek community with some of the best restaurants, markets, and bakeries in the country, among the world-famous sponge docks.

Many nationalities and cultures are prevalent throughout our community. Tampa is home to individuals hailing from more than 130 nationalities and our universities welcome students from more than 140 countries. Large corporations such as Jabil, Mosaic, Tech Data, Raymond James Financial, Citi and JPMorgan Chase employ thousands of people here because of our international diversity and availability of bilingual and multilingual talent.

In addition to our cultural diversity, Tampa is well-known for being inclusive to LGBTQ individuals and families. Tampa proudly earned a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual Municipal Equality Index. The index scores are assigned based on several factors evaluating a city’s commitment to providing LGBTQ protections and inclusive policies in areas ranging from employment to law enforcement. Every March, Tampa hosts the Tampa Pride Parade and Festival in historic Ybor City. Tens of thousands of people gather for the highly anticipated Pride weekend.

Perfect score for LGBTQ equality

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOUNDATION

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