Tampa is an important port on Tampa Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The town’s first economic development came from the mining and shipping of phosphates. In 1885, the Tampa business community convinced Vicente Ybor to move his cigar production operation from Key West to the Tampa area. He constructed a cottage community called Ybor City to house his Cuban workers. Other immigrants followed, and with the rise of Florida as a favored retirement destination for Americans, the whole region prospered. The Bay Area has many popular theme parks and recreational businesses, taking advantage of the subtropical weather and the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches and islands.