Coastal counties in the United States have placed a new emphasis on tourism related employment. The shift away from normal maritime work, such as fishing and import/export shipping has ushered in an era of service-oriented economies and communities scattered along the US coast lines. This trend which is associated with the transition from Fordism to post-Fordism can be seen most prevalently in Florida's Tampa Bay region. The counties that make up Tampa Bay include Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota.The lure of sandy beaches and blue seas are the obvious tourist draws to any tropical locale, including the Tampa Bay region. But it is blatantly shortsighted to pinpoint locational attributes as the only factor in creating a tourist economy. This study hopes to make a contribution to the tourism literature in human geography by considering the role of non-locational attributes which are crucial to the growth and development of tourism-driven economies along the coastal US.