Housing
While for many years Downtown Tampa was primarily a business district, it has recently began adding numerous skyrise apartment and condominium buildings and houses and apartment buildings in the surrounding neighborhoods have been rennovated. This area offers an eclectic mix of architecture from various decades in the form of single family homes, corporate housing, townhomes, student living quarters for University of Tampa students, towering high-rises with fantastic views of the city and the HiIlsborough River.

Things To Do
There is no shortage of things to do in and around Downtown Tampa. Museums include the Tampa Museum of Art, The H.B. Plant Museum and the Tampa Bay History Center. A short drive, bike ride or trolley car ride over to the Channelside District brings you to the Florida Aquarium and the St Pete Times Forum, which hosts concerts and is where the Tampa Bay Lightning play. Channelside is also where cruise ships arrive and deport, including the Yacht Starship Cruise which offers nightly dinner cruises. Nearby Bayshore Boulevard, the world’s longest sidewalk, is enjoyed by walkers, joggers and roller bladers. Centro Ybor features GameWorks, nightclubs, people watching, unique shops and a movie theater with IMAX as well.

Dining and Shopping
The Channelside district is a large shopping and entertainment complex that features restaurants including Hooter’s, Wet Willy’s, Oishi Sushi and Hibaci Grill, Splitsville, Stumps Supperclub, Thai Thani and Tina’s Tapas. Ybor features many more restaurants, including Hamburger Mary’s, Green Iguana, Centro Cantina, Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Columbia and more. If these two shopping centers are not enough there is also nearby IKEA, Westshore Plaza Mall and the International Plaza, which is home to such high end stores as Burberry, Crate & Barrel, J.Crew, Gucci, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.

Traffic and Driving
Being a center for business Downtown Tampa streets can get congested during rush hours and lunch time. There are several one way streets. Streets are pedestrian friendly. There is also easy access to highway 60 and I-275. Public transportation includes the HART bus line, taxis and the TECO Streetcar System which runs 2.4 miles with stops in Channelside, Ybor and Downtown.

Schools
Public schools include B.T. Washington Elementary, Just Elementary, Madison Middle School, Blake High School and Middleton High School. Private schools include St. John Greek Orthodox Day School, St Jude Cathedral School, and the Villa Madonna School. Universities and colleges include University of South Florida, University of Tampa and Hillsborough Community College- Ybor Campus. The 140,000 square foot John F. Germany Public Library serves this area it is also the main library of the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative.

Business
Many corporations have regional offices in banking and telecommunications in Downtown Tampa. Additional commerce is generated by commercial and residential development, tourism and hospitality. Banking. Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times both have offices in Downtown Tampa and Tampa General Hospital is nearby. From Wikipedia