Gary (Tampa) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gary
Neighborhood
Gary Location in Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Hillsborough
City	Tampa
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)

Gary is an industrial area located in the southeastern part of Tampa, Florida. It is mainly found near Adamo Drive, just east of Downtown Tampa.

Where is Gary Located?

Gary is located at 27.955855 degrees north and 82.4281495 degrees west. The land here is about 25 feet above sea level.

Gary does not have official borders. However, the USGS lists it as a populated place. Other areas within Gary include Palmetto Beach and East Ybor.

The Story of Gary

The Gary post office opened in 1898. But the official map for "Gary-Town" was not recorded until May 1903. The Gary neighborhood stretched from 26th Street in the west to 40th Street in the east. It included both Gary-Town and Spanish Park.

At this time, many different groups of people lived there. These included Anglos, Italians, Spaniards, and Cubans. In its early years, celery farming was very important. But Gary also had other businesses. These included cigar factories, a place to pack citrus fruits, dairies, and a blacksmith shop.

In 1903, the Hendry & Knight Real Estate Co. divided up the "Celebrated Neyland's Celery Farm Land." They sold lots in this new neighborhood. Their advertisements were printed in three languages: English, Spanish, and Italian. This was because nearby Tampa and Ybor City had many different cultures.

The original borders of Gary were from 11th Avenue in the north to the Atlantic Coast Line railroad tracks in the south. These tracks were just north of Sixth Avenue. On the west, it was 26th Street, and on the east, it was 28th Street.

Gary Becomes a City

The City of Gary officially became a city in October 1915. Its city limits at that time were from 30th Street in the west to 37th Street in the east. They also went from Wall Street (21st Avenue) in the north to Hillsborough Bay in the south.

The state government decided to end the City of Gary in 1919. Then, in 1923, the City of Tampa grew its borders. It took over the area that used to be the City of Gary.

After World War II, more people moved to Gary. In the 1960s, a big highway called Interstate 4 was built through the neighborhood. This construction caused many homes to be destroyed.

Railroad History

Several old railroads used to have tracks running through Gary. These included the Atlantic Coast Line (SCL), Seaboard Air Line (SAL), and Tampa Northern (TN). Today, Amtrak (for passengers) and CSX (for freight) still run trains through Gary.

Gary has an important "wye" (a Y-shaped track). This wye was once used by the SAL railroad. It helped passenger trains like the Silver Meteor and the Floridian turn around. This allowed them to back into Tampa Union Station. It was also used for trains to reach other towns like Clearwater and St. Petersburg. In 1984, Amtrak stopped its service to Clearwater.

This area used to be very busy with trains. Now, only a few local freight trains pass through each day. Amtrak passenger trains still use the old SCL tracks and the wye to turn around.

Gary was also home to TN Tower. This was a special building that controlled where the Tampa Northern and Atlantic Coast Line tracks crossed. It was the last building of its kind in Florida when it was torn down in February 2019.

The Gary School

On July 27, 1904, people planning the "new Gary school district" met. They decided to build a school. It was planned to be a two-story building, 26 by 50 feet in size, and cost about $600.

The Gary School opened in 1910 at 3610 10th Avenue. In 2005, the City of Tampa recognized the building as a historical landmark. However, it was not taken care of for many years. It was sold to a developer who planned to make it into a sports facility. But in July 2008, part of the roof and one wall fell down. This led to the rest of the building being torn down in September of that year.

Industries in Gary

Like nearby Ybor City, Gary's early industries included several cigar factories. The Tierra del Lago Cigar Co. was at 1908 N 36th St. until 1919. Then, it moved to the corner of 18th Street and Pansy Avenue. This building is still standing today. It is now used by the True Love Missionary Baptist Church.

Other large companies that later moved to Ybor City also started in Gary. The Arguelles & Co. firm worked from a building at Third Avenue and 31st Street. J.D. Greenless had a factory on Eighth Avenue. A. Ramirez & Co. operated a factory on 35th Street.

News from April 1909 showed that Gary was growing and facing challenges. People living inside the city agreed to remove fences from roadways. This was done "while there are no crops in the ground." This opened up the roads for travel. This idea was supported by W.N. Jackson, a well-known real estate dealer. Gary was unique because it gave way to its crops, while many other places in Florida gave way to farm animals.