What the heck is a USDA Loan? The United States Department of Agriculture has created several loan programs designed to "improve the economy and quality of life in rural America". The good news is that several areas just outside of Tampa qualify for this program. See the map below: The darker areas of the map are ineligible for USDA loans. You can see this includes The City of Tampa, all of Pinellas County, and parts of Hillsborough. However, Land O Lakes, South Hillsborough