In the years following World War II, Tampa Bay's barrier island beaches were transformed from a sparsely populated strip to a booming vacation destination. Following the war's end, fond memories of beachside training exercises amid sand and sea attracted thousands of former G.I.s and their families to the area for vacation. This sudden outbreak of tourism caught the attention of developers, who quickly converted the lonely stretches of beach into a vacationer's paradise, complete with snazzy motels offering the latest amenities. Once home to fishermen and well-to-do winter vacationers, the area's gulf beaches became a popular getaway for newly prosperous middle-class families, anxious to put war-weary years behind them.