Among Florida’s oldest communities, Tampa Bay has always been home to a unique blend of people and cultures. The native Tocobaga people who settled on the shores of the bay 12,000 years ago were followed over the centuries by Spanish explorers, the Seminole people, freed African-American slaves, Spanish businessmen, and Cuban cigar rollers. In recent decades, Tampa Bay has welcomed generations of new residents from Asia and the Middle East. Learn more about Tampa Bay’s kaleidoscope of cultures through their Multicultural Guide.