St. Petersburg (often shortened to St. Pete) is a city in Pinellas
County, Florida, United States. The city is known as a vacation destination for
North American and European vacationers, as well as a politically important battleground in U.S. Presidential politics. As of
the 2000 census, the city population was 248,232. As of 2004, the population
recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 249,090 [1], making it
the fourth largest city in the state of Florida and the largest city in Florida that is not a
county seat. St. Petersburg is the second largest city in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan
area, which is composed of roughly 2.7 million residents in the core, making it the second largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the state behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, and the third largest in the southeast.
The city is commonly referred to by locals as "St Pete"; neighboring St. Pete Beach,
Florida formally shortened its name in 1994 after a vote by its residents.
The city is located on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and
the Gulf of Mexico. It is connected to the mainland to the north, connected with the city
of Tampa, Florida to the east by causeways and bridges
across Tampa Bay, and to Bradenton, Florida in the
south by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (Interstate 275), which traverses the mouth of the bay. It is also served by Interstates
175 and 375, which branch off of 275
into the southern and northern areas of downtown respectively. The Gandy Bridge, opened in
1924, is the first causeway to be built across Tampa Bay, connecting St. Petersburg and Tampa cities without a circuitous 43-mile trip around the Bay through Oldsmar.
With a purported average of some 360 days of sunshine each year, it is nicknamed "The
Sunshine City." [1] For that reason, the city is a popular
tourist, and retirement destination, especially for those in the United States
from colder Northern climates particularly New York, Detroit, and Chicago.
History
The city was co-founded by John C. Williams, formerly of Detroit, Michigan, who purchased the land in 1876, and by Peter
Demens, who was instrumental in bringing the terminus of a railroad there in 1888. St. Petersburg was incorporated on
February 29, 1892, when it had a population of only some 300
people.
It was named after Saint Petersburg, Russia, where
Peter Demens had spent half of his youth. A local legend says that John C. Williams and Peter Demens flipped a coin to see who
would have the honor of naming the city. Peter Demens won and named the city after his birthplace, while John C. Williams named
the first hotel after his birthplace, Detroit. The Detroit Hotel still exists downtown, but has been turned into a condominum.
The oldest running hotels are the historic Pier Hotel, built in 1921 The Pier Hotel and The Heritage
Hotel, built in 1926.
The city's first major industry was born in 1899 when Henry W. Hibbs, 1862-1942, a native of Newport, North Carolina,
established his wholesale fish business at the end of the railroad pier, which extended out to the shipping channel. Within a
year, Hibbs Fish Company was shipping more than a thousand pounds (454 kg) of fish each
day.
Dredging of a deeper shipping channel from 1906 to 1908 opened St. Petersburg to larger shipping. Further dredging improved
the port facilities through the 1910s. By then the city's population had quadrupled to 4,127.
In 1914, airplane service across Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg to Tampa and back
was initiated, generally considered the first commercial airline. The company name was the "St.
Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line" and the pilot was Tony Jannus, flying a Benoist XIV flying boat. The Tony Jannus Award is presented annually for outstanding achievement in the airline industry. Jannus Landing, a
local music/entertainment venue on Central Avenue in Downtown, is named after aviation pioneer Tony Jannus.
The city population continued to multiply during the twentieth century through the 1970s as the town became a popular
retirement destination for Americans from midwestern cities, reaching 238,647
in the 1980 census. By the 1980s, however, the population had levelled off, and has grown by only 10,000 since then, primarily as
a result of being "built-out".
Geography and Climate
St. Petersburg is located at 27°46′56″N, 82°40′3″W (27.782254,
-82.667619)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 133.1 square miles (344.7 km²)— 59.6
square miles (154.4 km²) of it is land and 73.4 square miles (190.2 km²) of it (55.19%) is water.
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Rec high °F (°C) |
87 (30) |
86 (30) |
90 (32) |
93 (33) |
96 (35) |
100 (37) |
99 (37) |
97 (36) |
97 (36) |
94 (34) |
90 (32) |
89 (31) |
100 (37) |
| Avg high °F (°C) |
70 (21) |
71 (21) |
76 (24) |
81 (27) |
86 (30) |
89 (31) |
90 (32) |
90 (32) |
89 (31) |
84 (28) |
77 (25) |
72 (22) |
81 (27) |
| Avg low °F (°C) |
53 (11) |
54 (12) |
59 (15) |
64 (17) |
70 (21) |
74 (23) |
76 (24) |
76 (24) |
75 (23) |
68 (20) |
60 (15) |
54 (12) |
65 (18) |
| Rec low °F (°C) |
25 (-3) |
30 (-1) |
32 (0) |
41 (5) |
55 (12) |
54 (12) |
67 (19) |
68 (20) |
61 (16) |
43 (6) |
29 (–1) |
20 (–6) |
20 (–6) |
| Precipitation in. (mm) |
2.3 (58.4) |
2.8 (71.1) |
3.4 (86.4) |
1.6 (40.6) |
2.6 (66.0) |
5.7 (144.8) |
7.0 (177.8) |
7.8 (198.1) |
6.1 (155.0) |
2.5 (63.5) |
1.9 (48.3) |
2.2 (55.9) |
45.8 (1163.3) |
| Source: Weatherbase[2] |
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 248,232 people, 109,663 households, and 61,630 families
residing in the city. The population density was 4,163.1 persons per square mile
(1,607.3/km²). There were 124,618 housing units at an average density of 2,090.0 per square mile (806.9/km²). The racial makeup
of the city was 71.36% White, 22.36% African American, 0.31% Native American, 2.67% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.07% from other races, and 2.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.23% of the population.
There were 109,665 households out of which 23.85% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.295% were
married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no adult living partner
present, and 43.8% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.865.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from
45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.24 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2
males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,597, and the median income for a family was $43,198. Males had a median
income of $30,794 versus $27,860 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$21,107. About 9.2% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Languages
As of 2000, speakers of English as a first
language accounted for 88.53% of all residents, while Spanish comprised of
4.43%. The third most spoken language as a mother tongue was German at 0.78%, and the fourth was French at 0.72%. In total,
11.46% spoke languages other than English at home.[3]
Attractions and points of interest
Downtown waterfront (2005) — the barriers in the foreground mark the border of the
Honda Grand Prix racetrack.
St. Petersburg has a branch of the state university, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, as well as St. Petersburg College and Eckerd College. The
Poynter Institute, a school for journalists, future journalists and teachers of
journalism, is also located in St. Petersburg. The non-profit school is the owner of the St. Petersburg Times, a unique arrangement devised by the founder of both, Nelson Poynter.
The city has a children's museum (Great Explorations), Museum
of Fine Arts, a History Museum (which has a full-size replica of the Benoist seaplane and is located near the approximate
spot by the St. Petersburg Pier where the first flight took place), a
Holocaust Museum, and the Salvador Dalí
Museum, which houses the largest collection of Dalí's outside of Europe, including
a number of famous and large-scale paintings such as The
Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. There are also various other smaller art galleries and entertainment venues,
such as: The Arts Center, Florida Craftsmen, Mahaffey Theater complex, The Coliseum,
and Palladium Theatre, especially in the Downtown area, which has seen a boom in development since the mid 1990s.
The St. Petersburg Pier is a popular tourist attraction. It contains a small
aquarium open to the public, retail shopping, adventure activities, and both casual and fine
dining restaurants. Various sightseeing boat rides are also offered. Frequently docked at The Pier is the replica of the
HMS Bounty used in the 1962 MGM
movie starring Marlon Brando. The Bounty charges a fee for tours, and has recently
returned from filming the sequels to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean.[4] [5] This replica was also used
in the filming of the 2005 adult movie Pirates.
Downtown is the location of the BayWalk shopping complex which contains an
IMAX Muvico 20 screen movie theater, as well as many chain
restaurants and retail shops, catering to more of a middle and upper class audience. Baywalk is also a nightlife destination. North of downtown is Great Explorations, The
Children's Museum, an interactive museum featuring a children's village with giant pretend stores, Fire House and Pet Vet Clinic,
and preschool, science, music, art, and water exhibits. The museum is located next to the Sunken Gardens. Nearby restaurants on 4th Street include local specialties. Every Saturday
morning, from October to May, the downtown area holds a farmers market, of sorts. Local produce farmers can be found selling
their fruits up and down the downtown region, as well as live bands, barbecue vendors, and artists of all kinds. Several
nightlife hotspots include Jannus Landing; the surrounding restaurants and bars; and the Central Avenue district. Several ethnic
and domestic culinary specialties can be found throughout the downtown area.
Boyd Hill Nature Park located on Lake Maggiore is a 245 acre preserve where you can see many of the endangered plants and rare
wildlife of tampa bay. There is a bird exhibit which houses bald eagles, owls, hawks, and other species.
St. Petersburg is well regarded for its beaches. In 2005, Fort Desoto was rated the
number one beach in America by the annual Dr. Beach rankings.[6]
Also noted for its arts community, St. Petersburg regularly places top 25 in the nation among arts destinations[2]
Recently, St. Petersburg has become known and regarded as one of America's most livable cities.[3]
Downtown
Downtown St. Petersburg is the Central Business District, containing high
rises for office use, most notably the Bank of America Tower.
The St. Petersburg Times newspaper is headquartered in the Downtown
area.[4] [5] The Poynter Institute, which owns
the paper, is located on 3rd St. S.
The Wikimedia Foundation has been located in Downtown St. Petersburg since its
founding by Jimmy Wales. On September 25,
2007, the Foundation announced it is moving in late 2007 from St. Petersburg to the
San Francisco Bay Area.[7][8]
On the arts and culture side, many points of interest are located here. The Mahaffey
Theater complex, The Arts Center, dozens of other art galleries, Haslam's used book store, The Coliseum, Palladium
Theatre, and Jannus Landing are among the galleries and cultural venues featured
downtown. Several prominent museums are located in the perimeter. Four of them have received notable accolades: Museum of Fine Arts, Salvador Dalí
Museum, the Florida International Museum, and the Holocaust Museum. The city also plays host to many festivals throughout the year.[6]
Downtown contains the University of South Florida St.
Petersburg, and a downtown branch of St. Petersburg College. The downtown
perimeter also houses several parks, most of which are waterfront or lakefront. Straub Park is nearly a half mile long, boasts a
waterfront location, and is home of the Museum of Fine Arts. The Vinoy Hotel has waterfront
location, a spot on the National Historic Register, and a
AAA Four-Diamond rating. Most of the dining downtown can be found on Central Avenue. Central also contains most of the nightlife, namely
Jannus Landing. However, Baywalk is an
exception. All of these landmarks are connected via the Looper Trolley.
Tropicana Field, home of MLB's
Tampa Bay Devil Rays is located in the western part of downtown. The team plays its
spring training games at Progress Energy Park, right down the road. This setup is
unique, making St. Petersburg the only city that plays host to its baseball team during spring training as well as the regular
season. Also, the Devil Rays are one of only three MLB teams in the South.
Jutting a half mile into the Bay is the St. Petersburg Pier, a major tourist
attraction with various activities. Due to its livability and myriad amenities, St. Petersburg's downtown has been rated among
the best in the South. [7] Also worth noting, the area's ranking beaches are a 10 mile drive away from downtown.
Neighborhoods
St. Petersburg has more than 100 unique neighborhoods, keeping with its original a small town feeling while still offering
residents all the amenities of a big city. St. Petersburg residents identify with the sense of community, cultural diversity and
charm that their neighborhood offers, participating in Home Owners Associations that meet frequently and hosting neighborhood
wide events monthly.
Sports
St. Petersburg is represented by teams in four major professional sports. One, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays of Major League Baseball, plays
in St. Petersburg proper, while the other three play across the bay in Tampa. All of the
teams are considered to represent the entire Tampa Bay metropolitan area. The Devil Rays
began play in 1998, but have yet to be a major contender - finishing last in the American
League's East Division in eight of the nine seasons they have played. The
Tampa Bay Devil Rays play their regular season games at Tropicana Field and their Spring Training Games at
Progress Energy Park, giving them the unique distinction of being the only team in
Major League Baseball that plays its Spring
Training games in their home city.
Tropicana Field, the home venue of the Devil Rays, played host to the 1999
Final Four. St. Petersburg is also home to the
Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the inaugural race was held in
April 2005. The circuit itself is made of downtown streets passing Progress Energy
Park, the marina, and a runway in Albert Whitted Airport, and streets are
temporarily blocked off for the annual Indy Racing League race, which was last held
on April 1, 2007. The race has been confirmed to return from
April 4 - April 6, 2008.
Tropicana Field is also the site of the FMBC marching band championships in the fall, which features marching bands from across
the state, including Newsome and Chamberlain high school.
See the Tampa-St.
Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area page for more details.
St. Petersburg is the home of many past, present, and future sports icons. In the area of hails the WBC and IBF Light
Middleweight Champion Ronald "Winky" Wright and IBF, IBO, and WBO Champion Jeff Lacy. Football is a big interest in the area. Ernest Givins, Stacey Simmons, William Floyd, and Pat Terrell are some of the
famous retired NFL players from the city. Shaun
King, Marquell Blackell, Aveion Cason,
Darren Howard, Tim Carter, Kenny Heatly, and DeAndrew Rubin are some players currently in the
NFL from the city. Sam Smith, Andre Hall,
Pat Watkins, Jason Teague, Chris Davis, Billy Henderson, Chris C. Davis, Omonigho Imeokparia, Jovon
Jackson, Marcello Church, Marton
Church, Deonte Bolden, Pat Carter, Kevon Marion, Jeremy Biandudi, and Ralph "Ricky"
Willams are some players looking to enter the NFL in the next couple of years. Current Devil Rays pitcher Doug Waechter is also from St. Pete, as well as Minnesota Twins
pitcher Boof Bonser. Indy Racing League driver
and 2005 Indianapolis 500 Champion Dan
Wheldon resides in St. Pete as well.
Gallery
View of Downtown St. Petersburg from the top of the Pier.
|
"The Pier" in St. Petersburg.
|
The Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg.
|
|
Skyline view from Tampa Bay.
|
Boats in the city marina, with the USF St Petersburg Campus in the background.
|
Sister cities
- See also: List of sister cities in
Florida
Notable residents
- Mike Alstott, Professional football player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Angela Bassett, actress
- Sébastien Bourdais, Professional racecar
driver
- Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins band
member
- Charlie Crist, current Governor of
Florida
- Linda Crockett aka Christina Crockett, writer
- Michael France, film screenwriter
- Hobart Freeman, Author and charismatic
preacher
- Ernest Givins, former football player
- Dwight Gooden, Baseball player
- Nicole Haislett, Olympic gold medalist in
swimming
- Bob Devin Jones, playwright
- Jack Kerouac, leading figure of the beat
generation
- Casey Kotchman, Major League Baseball
player
- Jeff Lacy, professional boxer
- Tony Little, fitness guru
- John Loftus, former U.S. Justice
Department Nazi war crimes prosecutor, the
president of the Florida Holocaust Museum, and terrorism expert
- Gordon Mackenzie, former Major League Baseball player and minor league
manager.
- Johnny Nee, Baseball scout
- Charles Roser, cookie maker, real estate developer & philanthropist.
- Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia
- Dan Wheldon, race car driver
- Winky Wright, professional boxer
- Omali Yeshitela, civil rights activist
References
External links
Coordinates:
27.782254° N 82.667619°
W
