Drive along Armenia Avenue, and you will see Colombian, Honduran, Mexican, and other Latin American businesses lining the boulevard. West Tampa has historically been a Latino neighborhood for decades; however, visit Plant City to the East and discover a strong Mexican and Central American community. And scattered across the city between East & West you will find plenty of Peruvian, Dominican, Puerto Rican businesses as well as many others. From the city park literally owned by the Cuban government to the historic roots of Ybor City, Tampa has long been a hub for Latin American culture on the Gulf coast of Florida. And while the Tampa Bay area is made up of 7 counties, the growth in the Latino community is heavily concentrated in Hillsborough, the most urban county in the metro area hosting the city Tampa within its borders. Today 1 in 5 residents of Hillsborough County speak Spanish at home.
For disciple-makers called to impact Latin American peoples, Tampa is a re-emerging cultural hub. Tampa Bay is a challenging and diverse mission field. With growing Asian and Middle Eastern communities, one of the more significant percentages of non-religious populations in the U.S., and an overall rapid population growth, Tampa is already a dynamic mission field as an emerging global city. For those called to reach Latin Americans Tampa is home to growing numbers of Colombians, Cubans, Dominicans, Mexicans, and many other nations from across Central and South Americas, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Bienvenidos a Tampa.
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