Ybor City

Ybor City, Florida

If you ask residents of Florida' west central coast what comes to mind when you say Ybor City (Ybor pronounced e-bore), they'll almost overwhelming say things like Guavaween, parties and nightlife, particularly the younger crowd. Some of the older folk might first think of Cuban cigars, social clubs and streetcars, but they're also almost certain to add—and not as an afterthought—debauchery, crime and too much drinking to their list of Ybor attributes. And that's precisely the unfortunate, albeit accurate, reputation city planners are seeking to change. Today's Ybor City Vision Plan presents a broader, progressive and more attractive view of Ybor City, calling it:

This description of Ybor City is, increasingly, becoming truer and truer as well—Ybor truly offers a unique way of life. Ybor City, ranked by Forbes.com as one of the 20 best places to buy a home in 2006, is a Historic Landmark District, one of only two such districts in all of Florida. With its brick-laid, compact urban streets and readily available streetcar transportation to and from Tampa and its exploding Channelside district, Ybor City is one of few remaining places in the region where you can live, work and be entertained without needing a car. The city spans 540 acres, has approximately 2,500 residents, and is located less than two miles northeast of downtown Tampa.

Ybor City was founded in the 1880s when Vicente Ybor and Ignacio Haya moved their cigar factories from Key West to Tampa. Ybor purchased 40+ acres northeast of Tampa for $5,000. On that land, he built his cigar factory and his city, which including blocks of small cottage-style homes, casitas, which he rented or sold to his workers for $1.50 to $2.50 a week or $400 to $900, respectively. Lured by the promise of good wages and affordable home ownership, thousands of immigrants from Spain, Cuba and Italy flooded Ybor City. Over the next 50 years, more and more cigar factories, over 140 in all, produced more and more cigars until, in 1929, Ybor reached its peak production, with workers rolling out more than 500 million cigars in a single year.

The city tumbled into decline after the Great Depression; factories scaled back, closed down or mechanized to the extent that the city was a virtual ghost town by the 1950s. In the 1980s, artists discovered Ybor's low rent, eclectic facilities, and began moving in en-masse. By the early 1990s, Ybor was a sea of bars, restaurants and nightclubs; weekends became a nighttime carnival with pedestrian traffic so heavy along 7^{th Avenue that it was closed to vehicular traffic.}

Ybor today, which still attracts more than two million visitor a year, is slowly moving away from its tawdry reputation; over the last ten years, city planners have been implementing steps to turn Ybor into a family-friendly affair, attracting more shops, restaurants and galleries, as well as to make it attractive to young professionals seeking an urban lifestyle close to downtown Tampa. Most historic buildings have been rehabbed and occupied; and much of Ybor's vacant land has been residentially developed. The last ten years has also seen 200 new businesses move into the area, and one million square feet of space renovated. Future plans call for significant investment and changes to bring people, users and quality of life services to the city, including more parks and open spaces, streetscape beautification projects, and additional parking and wireless Internet in the revitalization districts.

Homes in Ybor City

Housing is sparse but a strong residential push is underway in Ybor City, with many small developments appearing north and south of the central business and entertainment core. There is an area of low-income housing between Ybor City and downtown Tampa; developers are discussing ways to convert that area to a more mixed-economy neighborhood. There is also undeveloped land available, primarily in the light industrial sections and south of town near the Port of Tampa, as well as the odd residential lots here and there.

Many of Ybor's original older casitas have been or are being restored and updated with all the modern conveniences; at this writing, a two-bedroom, one-bath is available for $225,000; a three-bedroom, two-bath for $279,000. New three-bedroom, two-bath homes are also available for $250,000+; such homes typically include hardwood floors, high ceilings and vintage-inspired interior trimmings. Ybor Heights is one such neighborhood, as is Las Ybor City Homes on 4th Avenue at 17th; Las Ybor offers 2/2 and 2/3 condominiums from $285,000 to $380,000. If your timing is right, you might find availability in Ybor Village Lofts, a beautiful eight-unit loft development in the historic district with 2/2 homes for $138,000 to $220,000. Other Ybor living options include Fifth Avenue Villas, Las Palmas de Ybor, CitiLofts Ybor and Camden Ybor City.

Ybor City Schools

Children in Ybor City are served by Shore, Desoto, Oak Park and Booker T. Washington Elementary schools. Older students attend Booker T. Washington Middle, Orange Grove Middle, the Franklin Middle magnet, as well as Middleton High. Ybor City is also home to the Tampa Marine Institute, which offers unique marine-related classes like SCUBA diving and boat navigation to at-risk youth.

Shopping and Dining in Ybor City

There's plenty to taste in Ybor City, which is especially known for its authentic Cuban and and Spanish dishes. The Columbia Restaurant on 7th Avenue is one of the world's largest and Tampa's oldest, with a two-storied courtyard and 1,200 seats spread throughout a dozen rooms, including the 1936 Don Quizote Room with scenes by Sergio de Meza. Any trip to Ybor City is incomplete without a visit to this Tampa institution.

A stroll down La Setima, the Historic District's main thoroughfare, brings you within reach of various cuisines, including Spanish, Cuban, Italian, Greek and French. Enjoy a cup of Ybor's famous café con leche, or authentic tapas and a pitcher of sangria in a Mediterranean village-style café atmosphere.

Visit Centro Ybor on East 8th Avenue, the city's latest family-friendly shopping and entertainment center, featuring retailers, restaurants and fun around a palm-lined plaza. Centro Ybor, built around the restored Centro Espanol building, includes a 20-screen theatre, an improvisation threatre, as well as unique boutiques and specialty eateries, such as the Tampa Bay Brewing Company and Samurai Blue, to name but two. The Tampa Bay Brewing Company is an early American brewery with an outdoor beer garden. Samurai Blue, a sushi and sake bar, calls itself the "coolest joint this side of neo-Tokyo"; it features a 30-foot, tsunami-shaped sushi bar and 40-foot-high vaulted ceilings.

Enjoy yet another taste of Ybor at the Ybor City Saturday Market in Centennial Park on 8th Avenue and 18th Street. Year-round, rain or shine, this 'fresh market' brings to residents and visitors alike regional produce, arts and crafts, and prepared foods like jam, jelly, pastries and bread.

Leisure and Play in Ybor City

Ybor's Historic District offers more than food and drink; it is also home to many eclectic shops, museums, art galleries and nightclubs, where you can enjoy live entertainment however you like it—salsa, reggae, jazz, blues, rock, disco…even hip-hop.

Ybor is also home to more than 15 annual events, including the Gasparilla parade in late February, Guavaween in late October, the Rough Rider's St. Patrick's parade in mid-March, and the Tampa Cigar Heritage Festival in mid-November.

To explore Ybor's cultural and historical sides, visit the Ybor City Museum State Park on East 9th Avenue. Tour a historic casita; watch a cigar-roller in action; or take a walking tour of the city with park staff. Or, connect with and visit one of the many ethnic social clubs that helped early Ybor to flourish and then to survive even during tough times. While the social clubs of yesterday provided everything from medical care to entertainment to their members, the clubs of today exist primarily for cultural and historical preservation.

The still-active clubs include L'Unione Italiana, The Italian Club, which is more than 100 years old; it is housed in a beautifully restored building, several rooms of which are available for rent. To raise funds, the club hosts a festival each year and sells pizza. Other active clubs include El Circulo Cubano, The Cuban Club, founded in 1899; and the Centro Asturiano, Ybor's largest social club established primarily by Spaniards of Asturian descent.