Ybor City. Tampa, Florida

- April 09, 2026

You can make the argument that the city of Tampa, Florida, might not exist today if it were not for the neighborhood of Ybor City. Yet many people, especially visitors to the area, know very little about this historic district.

In the 1880’s, Vicente Martinez Ybor was looking for a new home for his cigar factory. He had already moved his business from Cuba to Key West, bringing it closer to his main market in the United States. He felt that there were two drawbacks to remaining in Key West. The island gave him very little room to expand the industry. And while Key West was close to Cuba, that proximity meant that progressive and pro-union organizers could easily move back and forth, building their relationships with workers in his factory.

At this time, Tampa was a small town of around 700 residents, but it offered two important benefits to the growing cigar industry. First, it sat along a protected deep water bay, allowing ships to bring in raw materials from Cuba. Second, in 1884, the South Florida Railroad expanded to Tampa, connecting it with a primary freight line to the rest of the country. Ybor began purchasing land just outside of Tampa, and started to construct buildings for factories and shot-gun houses that he offered at low rates and zero-interest loans to the cigar workers.

An old Shotgun House at the Ybor City Museum

A colador for making coffee

Dozens of cigar manufacturers open shops and factories in Ybor City, and hundreds of workers moved into the area.Ybor City quickly became the financial engine for Tampa and the surrounding Hillsborough County. Most of the workers were Cubans and their children. But there were also people who came from Spain, and Italy, along with Jews from Germany. These were mostly poor immigrants, many of whom came with their own support for various left-wing causes from their home countries. Ybor City was a place in the deep south where people of different races worked and lived closely together. Not to say that it was a utopia. Higher paid cigar rollers were mostly white, while black Cubans had more menial and lower paying jobs in the factories. While each nationality built social organizations that provided cultural, financial and health services, Cubans were forced to create separate ones for white and black families. While workers in Ybor City tended to avoid local political issues, especially around Jim Crow, they were very involved in international ones, organizing for the liberation of Cuba from Spain, and supporting the anti-fascist side of the Spanish Civil War.

Centro Español

Italian Center

By the end of World War II, the cigar industry was in financial trouble. The large majority of smokers in the U.S. had switched to cigarettes, which were much more affordable. Manufacturers were switching from hand rolled cigars to machine rolled. Meanwhile, other industries had moved into the Tampa area. As more workers found employment outside of the cigar industry, they began to look beyond Ybor City, and its old shacks, for new suburban houses.

In the 1960’s urban renewal hit Tampa, and the city used the funds to bring an end to Ybor City. The I-4 expressway was built right through the center of the neighborhood. Most of the area was claimed by eminent domain, and the old houses and factories were torn down. Today what is left of Ybor City is located along 7th and 8th avenues. Many have been turned into restaurants and nightclubs, providing an entertainment area that is easily accessed by car or trolley.

There are still some small cigar stores in the area, offering hand-rolled cigars, along with Cuban style cafe con leche and cuban sandwiches.

One place to visit is the Ybor City Museum State Park. It occupies a building that used to be the Ferlita Bakery. Opened in 1973, it offers displays about the history of Ybor City and a tour of one of the shot-gun houses. It will say that in talking with people who have visited in the past, it seems that there has been some editing and re-writing of the displays to reflect the political views of the current state government.

Cigar Roller's Table

Another place to stop in, is the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. This gallery acts as an artistic hub in the neighborhood and provides exhibits of photographers from around the world.