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History · Tampa

Tampa dates to 1887, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 1910.

1887founded
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Tampa began

When was Tampa founded?

1887

Tampa dates its founding to 1887 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 256 in 19102020 census: 105139 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓

What stands out about Tampa’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Tampa are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Tampa’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tampa’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tampa’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Tampa came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tampa.

Read it all →

From the 1820s to the 1870s, one of the most significant land routes in the United States was the Santa Fe Trail. It was located along the edge of what would become Tampa. Two Santa Fe Trail markers were located on the trail near Tampa. The trail was active across Marion County from 1821 to 1866.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Marion County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Tampa.

ChaptersEarly history19th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tampa, 1887 to 1964

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887
    FoundingTampa is established
  3. 1888Post officeThe Tampa post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Tampa, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Marion County2013Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Marion Co…MapDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapDetailed map of Marion County, Kansas2010Detailed map of Marion County, KansasMapMap of Marion Co, Ks, USA2005Map of Marion Co, Ks, USAMapKSMap-doton-Tampa2004KSMap-doton-Tampa
On the map

Tampa on the map, 1964 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tampa. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Tampa on the 1964 USGS mapTampa on the 1979 USGS mapTampa on the 1985 USGS map1964Tampa sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tampa.

People over time

Tampa, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 275

Between 105 and 275 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Tampa’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Tampa

Nobody well known was born in Tampa itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Emil KapaunKorean War US Army chaplain, POW, Medal of Hono… · b. 1916
F
Fay MoultonAthletics and American football competitor · b. 1876
Randolph CarpenterAmerican politician · b. 1894
Homer HochAmerican politician · b. 1879
Lloyd MetzlerAmerican economist · b. 1913
W
Wendell JohnsonAmerican psychologist · b. 1906

Questions about Tampa’s history

What year was Tampa founded?

In 1887, according to Wikidata. Tampa’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1910 counted 256 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.