Ybor City

The Cigar Era

Unlike most other immigrant communities in the 1800s, Ybor City was a good place to live. Ybor City was founded by Vicente Martinez Ybor, a Spanish-born cigar manufacturer. Ybor sought to move his cigar production operation outside Tampa after being driven from Havana for political reasons and Key West, Florida, because of labor conflicts.

In the 1880s, Tampa was an isolated village. Ybor chose to move his operation nearby Tampa in large part because he desired to create a company town to house workers for his cigar factory. After negotiating a deal with the owners of the land and receiving a substantial subsidy from the city of Tampa, Ybor made an initial purchase of 40 acres; he soon bought more. After purchasing the land, Ybor had hundreds of small houses built and brought in cigar workers from Cuba, Spain, and Italy. In 1887, Tampa annexed Ybor City. Ybor finished a three-story brick building in 1888, which would be the largest cigar factory in the world at the time. However, at this time the rest of Ybor City had yet to be developed.

During this era, neither immigrant enclaves nor company towns were known for a high quality of living. However, Ybor's company town had to be different to entice highly skilled tobacco rollers to settle there. On average, those living in Ybor City enjoyed a high quality of life at a time when most immigrant communities were slums. Good wages in the cigar factories encouraged high levels of economic development. Employees could own their own homes, and private entrepreneurs could buy land. These conditions created a more pleasant environment that was needed to maintain workers with a high degree of choice in their living situation.

The neighborhoods of Ybor City were unique. The ethnic makeup of neighborhoods was mixed, with no single ethnic group exclusively dominating any area. A degree of racism existed in Ybor City, but it was generally better compared with other parts of the Deep South. The degree of harmony within the neighborhoods could be gauged by the many parades and community picnics, along with the widespread practice of sharing communal areas.

The Factory and Employment

Nonmanagerial positions within the factory were generally separated between tabaqueros and support roles. Tabaqueros (literally, tobacco workers) rolled finished cigars. These workers saw themselves as highly skilled artisans. They were paid for each cigar they rolled and were able to set their own hours; thus, they were able to make significantly more money than other workers. Cubans, Spaniards, and men tended to dominate these positions.

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