Gibsonton, FL

Gibsonton is a south-central Hillsborough County community on the Alafia River, just south of Tampa. It has one of Florida's more unusual local histories: for decades, Gibtown was known as a winter home for carnival and circus performers, a legacy preserved at the International Independent Showmen's Museum. That show-business past gives the place more character than many Tampa Bay suburbs, while the river and nearby highways keep it connected to both working waterfronts and metro growth.