Ybor City
Ybor City has a deep history of immigrant influence. The city itself was named after Vicente Martinez Ybor, a Spanish-born entrepreneur who aspired to make the city a center for the production of hand-rolled Cuban cigars. Thus, once the city established a firm industry, many Cuban immigrants followed and established a lively Cuban and Spanish enclave. However, while Cuban immigrants did constitute the majority of the immigrant population, the city also held many Spanish and Italian immigrants. Moreover, Ybor City came to be known as more than just the “Cigar Capital of the World.” The community created a number of opera houses, hotels, ballrooms, restaurants, and clubs, many of which were formed by and for the immigrants. In 1887, Ybor City was incorporated into the City of Tampa, yet it still retained its unique Spanish flair. Today, Ybor City bustles with the heritage of its past; one can still dine at The Columbia Restaurant (Florida’s oldest), smell the coffee roasting at Naviera Coffe Mill, or savor the taste of homemade Cuban bread at La Segunda Bakery.