University Square — Tampa Bay Neighborhood Songs >
← All Tampa Bay Neighborhoods
North Tampa • Home of USF • Where the World Comes Together

University Square

University Square, Where the World Comes Together, A Fourth of July Anthem — album cover with a diverse crowd of USF students holding the flags of many nations alongside an American flag at sunset, a Copeland Park sign, the USF University of South Florida sign, the Tampa Klas La Restaurant & Catering storefront, a University Square Mall sign, a Unity Through Diversity mural, a portrait of Mayor Lloyd Copeland 'Mr. Integrity,' fireworks, and street signs for Fowler Ave and N 22nd St. Banners: Students, Immigration, Culture, Community, Pride; Different Roots. One Community. Stronger Together.

♪ University Square — Where the World Comes Together

▶ Watch on YouTube
♪ Sign Up — Free Local Business Giveaways & Monthly Neighborhood Updates
No spam · unsubscribe anytime · from Ignacio Toraño, Agile Group Realty.

🏠 Get involved: University Square Civic Association

This Fourth of July, University Square has more to celebrate than fireworks. It is a neighborhood shaped by movement, learning, resilience, and the many people who have arrived here carrying hopes for a better future. From students beginning a new chapter at the University of South Florida to families building a life in Tampa, University Square has long been a place where different roads meet.

Bounded by East Fowler Avenue to the north, North 15th Street to the west, East Linebaugh Avenue to the south, and North 30th Street to the east, University Square sits at the center of one of Tampa's most dynamic communities. It is an unincorporated area, with Hillsborough County providing many of its public services, but its identity has always come from the people who call these streets home.

Walk through the neighborhood and you will find a community constantly in motion. You will hear different languages, taste food rooted in different traditions, meet students from across Florida and around the world, and see longtime residents welcoming new neighbors. Some people arrive for a degree. Some arrive for work. Some arrive with family, a suitcase, and a dream. Together, they make University Square far more than a place on a map.

From Open Land to a Place of Opportunity

Before the classrooms, apartment communities, shops, and busy streets, this area looked very different. In the 1920s, much of the land around what is now University Square served as Henderson Air Field, an isolated test bombing range. The range stretched through land bordered by Fowler Avenue to the north, what is now Busch Boulevard to the south, and roughly 30th Street through 46th Street. At the time, it was open land on the edge of a growing Tampa.

Then came a decision that changed the future of the entire region. In 1955, Governor LeRoy Collins signed House Bill 1007, legislation championed by Representative Sam Gibbons to establish a new state university in Hillsborough County. Soon after, the University of South Florida rose from land that had once been part of the former practice range. USF brought possibility with it. Students, professors, researchers, entrepreneurs, workers, and families began coming to the area. New homes, apartments, businesses, and gathering places followed. The neighborhood became a gateway for people ready to learn, work, create, and establish roots in Tampa. That spirit still defines University Square today.

The Place Where New Chapters Begin

University Square has often been called "Suitcase City" because of the large number of people who move in and out of the community. But there is another way to see that name. Every suitcase tells a story. It may belong to a student moving into an apartment near campus for the first time. It may belong to a family arriving from another city, another state, or another country. It may belong to someone starting a new job, pursuing a degree, joining relatives, or looking for the opportunity to create something better.

A suitcase may be temporary, but the impact people make here is lasting. The people of University Square bring their traditions, food, faith, music, talent, determination, and dreams with them. They create the multicultural energy that makes this neighborhood special. University Square is a place where longtime Tampa roots and new beginnings grow side by side. That is something worth honoring on Independence Day.

A Neighborhood Built Through Community

University Square's story is not only about growth. It is also about neighbors stepping forward and shaping the future of their own community. In 2001, the University Area Community Plan brought together residents, businesses, civic organizations, government agencies, law enforcement, and community partners. The goal was to create a stronger, safer, more connected neighborhood around USF.

The planning effort focused on public investment, infrastructure, shared spaces, safety, redevelopment, and opportunities for residents. In 2002, work along North 22nd Street helped support a mixed-use zoning overlay designed to encourage affordable development and a more pedestrian-friendly community. Those plans reflected an important truth: great neighborhoods are not simply built by buildings. They are built by people who care enough to imagine a better future and work together to create it. From North 22nd Street to North 21st Street, from East 109th Avenue to East 111th and East 113th avenues, the streets of University Square carry the evidence of a neighborhood continuing to grow.

Copeland Park and a Legacy of Service

At the heart of the area, Copeland Park offers space for children to play, neighbors to gather, and community pride to shine. The park is named for William Lloyd Copeland, Tampa's 52nd mayor and a public servant remembered as "Mr. Integrity." Before serving in city government, Copeland built his life through hard work in Tampa's produce business. He began by selling produce and later opened markets that served local families for decades.

As a city leader, Copeland pushed for honest government and attention to the real needs of Tampa residents. During his time as acting mayor in 1974, he supported initiatives that included playground improvements, city auditing, sewer treatment planning, and stronger public service. His legacy fits University Square perfectly. This is a community built by people who work hard, show up for one another, and believe their neighborhood deserves investment, care, and opportunity.

From University Square Mall to the Future Ahead

For generations, the University Square Mall area stood as a major center of activity along the Fowler Avenue corridor. When the mall opened in August 1974, it became part of a booming era that brought shoppers, restaurants, entertainment, and familiar Tampa memories to the community. The neighborhood has changed since then, just as Tampa has changed. But University Square continues to be a place where reinvention is possible.

Today, USF remains one of the area's greatest sources of pride. The university is not just a campus nearby. It is a driver of education, research, business, innovation, and opportunity. The growth of the Research Park, including the research facility planned near Spectrum Boulevard and Fowler Avenue, reflects the future-minded energy of this community. University Square is still learning. Still building. Still welcoming.

Celebrating the Fourth, Together

This Fourth of July, let the fireworks remind us of the brightness that comes when a community comes together. Celebrate the students who came here to learn. Celebrate the families who chose this neighborhood to raise their children. Celebrate the small businesses that serve the community, including places like Tampa Klas La Restaurant & Catering, where food and hospitality bring people together. Celebrate the neighbor who has lived here for decades and the new resident still learning the names of the streets.

Celebrate the cultural traditions, the different languages, the front-porch conversations, the late-night study sessions, the family cookouts, and the hopes carried by every person who arrives ready to build a life. University Square is not defined by where people started. It is defined by what they build together. From Fowler Avenue to Linebaugh Avenue, from North 15th Street to North 30th Street, this is a neighborhood of ambition, diversity, and community pride. This Fourth of July, University Square stands tall as a place where the world comes together, and where the future is always welcome. 🇺🇸

Lyrics — University Square, Where the World Comes Together
[Intro – Spoken] From every state. From every country. From every classroom. From every family table. University Square— Where the world comes together! [Verse 1] From Fowler Avenue down toward Linebaugh way, Every block got a story, every neighbor got a name. From Fifteenth Street all the way to Thirtieth, Dreamers keep arriving with a future in their hands. Some came for school, some came looking for a start, Some came with a suitcase and a fire in their heart. Different languages floating through the summer air, But when the fireworks rise, we are University Square. [Pre-Chorus] New faces, old friends, side by side we stand, Building something better in this Tampa land. No matter where you started, no matter how you came, There is room for your dream and a place to make a name. [Hook] University Square, where the world comes together, Students and families, we rise in every weather. From every culture, every country, every prayer, We wave our flags high in University Square! University Square, let the whole block sing, From a suitcase dream to a future with wings. Red, white, and blue, but the colors are everywhere— Proud to call it home in University Square! [Verse 2] Back in the twenties, it was open sky and land, Henderson Air Field where the old test planes ran. Then a new university changed the map for good, USF rising up where the open fields once stood. Classrooms full of knowledge, late-night study lights, Researchers, athletes, artists chasing brighter nights. From the dorm rooms to the apartments, every door, A young generation building something more. [Pre-Chorus] They may call it Suitcase City 'cause the people move around, But every suitcase holds a seed that can grow in this ground. A student becomes a neighbor, a newcomer builds a life, And the whole community gets stronger side by side. [Hook] University Square, where the world comes together, Students and families, we rise in every weather. From every culture, every country, every prayer, We wave our flags high in University Square! University Square, let the whole block sing, From a suitcase dream to a future with wings. Red, white, and blue, but the colors are everywhere— Proud to call it home in University Square! [Verse 3] Copeland Park, hear the children laugh and play, Named for Lloyd Copeland, who served Tampa his way. "Mr. Integrity," he believed in people first, In honest work and strong neighborhoods at their best. From E. 109th to E. 111th Street, E. 113th, where the neighborhood heartbeat beats. Twenty-Second Street, new plans on the rise, Walkable dreams and safer streets under Tampa skies. At Tampa Klas La, bring the plates to the table, Good food, good people, community strong and able. Every small business, every resident who cares, Keeps the light burning bright in University Square. [Bridge] Wave the flag for the student far away from home, Wave the flag for the family making Tampa their own. Wave the flag for the worker on the early shift, For the neighbor who helps when somebody needs a lift. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, every culture in the song, Different roads brought us here, but together we belong. From USF to Copeland Park, let the fireworks declare— There is strength in our differences in University Square! [Final Hook] University Square, where the world comes together, Students and families, we rise in every weather. From every culture, every country, every prayer, We wave our flags high in University Square! University Square, let the whole block sing, From a suitcase dream to a future with wings. Red, white, and blue, but the colors are everywhere— Proud to call it home in University Square! [Outro – Crowd Chant] Students! Families! Newcomers! Neighbors! USF! Copeland Park! University Square— Where the world comes together!