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1959 was golden year for growth in Tampa

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By MICHELE SAGER

msager@tampatrib.com

Published: November 1, 2009

Updated: 11/01/2009 12:34 am

TAMPA - Need a job? Want an affordable home? Come to Tampa.

You're not likely to hear those words these days, but 50 years ago, that was the marketing campaign of developers luring Northerners to the Sunshine State.

The year was 1959, and the nation was recovering from a recession. Unemployment was at 1.4 million, foreign relations were strained as Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba, and motorists were complaining about a 2-cent rise in gas prices to 32 cents a gallon.

But unlike today, Florida was barely feeling the effects of the gloomy economy. Counties across the state experienced postwar growth, and Tampa was at the heart of the boom. New industries were emerging; suburban communities began to surround the city, and the University of South Florida was under construction.

Communities such as Carrollwood, Town 'N Country, Dana Shores, Apollo Beach and Clair-Mel were just being born. They were considered modern marvels and boasted the latest in amenities, such as streetlights, sewer systems and sidewalks. Better Homes and Gardens magazine featured several Carrollwood homes for their modern design.

It was an age of new opportunities. NASA introduced the country's first astronauts and sent two monkeys into space. Xerox launched the first commercial copier, and thousands of girls got their first Barbie dolls.

People flocked here in droves, hungry for new jobs and new homes. Florida welcomed them with open arms.

"It's Florida's story," said Rodney Kite-Powell, curator of the Tampa Bay History Center. "The idea of controlling growth didn't even enter the minds of leaders. It was all about attracting new people and how to make it happen faster."

A couple of hundred dollars down secured a lot, and for less than $10,000 a couple could get a midsize home perfect for starting a family.

Muriel Haviland and her husband, Harold, were one of those couples, lured to Tampa from Long Island, N.Y.

"We were looking for a safe and peaceful place to raise a family, and we found it in Tampa," said Haviland, 95.

Retirement communities were springing up across the region as retirees sought sunnier pastures.

New communities weren't the only affected areas. Existing neighborhoods, such as those built in South Tampa in the 1920s, started filling up.

"Even existing residents wanted to move into new homes," Kite-Powell said.

Schools were bursting with students, unable to keep up with the rapid growth. Because of classroom shortages in Hillsborough and surrounding counties, districts added portables and placed some schools on double sessions.

A wave of teachers

Counties were begging for teachers. That's what brought Villa Ray and her husband, John, to Tampa.

The young Tennessee couple had gotten married in 1958 and wanted to step out on their own. They heard about booming Tampa, so they packed their 1953 green Oldsmobile convertible and headed south to take teaching jobs.

"It was such an exciting time because all these new homes were being built and all these new companies were being added," said Villa Ray, 72.

Hillsborough County saw record building numbers in 1959, with about 18,000 homes being built in the first six months. The Rays settled in a new development in Town 'N Country, paying slightly less than $10,000 for a three-bedroom, one-bath house with a carport.

Many residents settled in neighborhoods north of Tampa to be near the University of South Florida, which opened the following year.

The FBI opened a branch office. The Schlitz Brewery opened in February, a month after the Busch Brewery was dedicated. Next to the Busch Brewery was a garden with birds and exotic animals that eventually became Busch Gardens.

Theodore Chive, 85, lived in Carrollwood with his wife, Martha, and worked as an accountant downtown. At the time, his newly developed neighborhood seemed far away.

"Commuting was a fairly new concept," he said. "Everyone was shocked at how far I drove. They all thought of Carrollwood as out in a jungle somewhere."

The boom of business and houses brought challenges, too. In addition to crowded schools, counties were dealing with inadequate roads that couldn't be built fast enough for the new breed of commuters.

Tampa saw a host of road projects in 1959. The Howard Frankland Bridge opened, giving drivers a third option to get across Old Tampa Bay. New connector roads were being built through downtown Tampa. State Road 60 had been widened to four lanes in Brandon. A highway expansion between Tampa and Daytona Beach eventually became Interstate 4.

Creating suburbs

These expanded roads would drive the suburban movement and push shopping and other business outward.

"People didn't want to drive downtown to do their shopping," Kite-Powell said. "People were moving out to suburbs and they wanted their shopping closer to home. That's when we see the shopping plazas emerge."

Growth was on the minds of civic leaders. A Tampa Tribune article published in January 1959 polled elected officials' top concerns. Hillsborough leaders said roads and taxes were the big issues. Polk County leaders cited a classroom shortage. Pinellas officials worried about how building would affect beachfronts, while leaders in Pasco and Hernando counties wanted to know how they could attract new residents.

Despite the challenges, it was an exciting time.

"It was a new beginning for so many," said Sue Phillips, 79, who has lived in Carrollwood for 50 years. "These families built new traditions and helped the Tampa area grow into the place it is today. That's why so many of us came here and decided never to leave."

Reporter Michele Sager can be reached at (727) 451-2344.

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