Pinellas County, Florida

Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 916,542. Its county seat is Clearwater, and its largest city is St. Petersburg.

Pinellas County is included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Pre-European settlement

Prior to European exploration and settlement the Pinellas peninsula, like all of Tampa Bay, was inhabited by the Tocobaga Indians, who built a town and large temple mound overlooking the bay in what is now Safety Harbor. The modern site is protected and can be visited as part of the County's Philippe Park.

Spanish and British Florida

During the early 16th century Spanish explorers discovered and slowly began exploring Florida, including Tampa Bay. In 1528 Panfilo de Narvaez landed in Pinellas, and 10 years later Hernando de Soto is thought to have explored the Tampa Bay Area. By the early 18th century the Tocobaga had been virtually annihilated, having fallen victim to European diseases from which they had no immunity, as well as European conflicts. Later Spanish explorers named the area Punta Piñal (Spanish for "Point of Pines" or "Piney Point"). After trading hands multiple times between the British and the Spanish, Spain finally ceded Florida to the United States in 1821, and in 1823 the U.S. Army established Fort Brooke (later Tampa).

Pinellas

Pinellas is the name of a peninsula located roughly halfway down the west coast of Florida. It forms the western boundary of Tampa Bay and comprises the bulk of Pinellas County. There is a city named Pinellas Park in south Pinellas. The peninsula is bounded on the north by Pasco County, Florida, on the northeast by Hillsborough County, and on the east and south by Tampa Bay. It is bounded on the west by the Intra-Coastal Waterway and Gulf of Mexico. The Pinellas peninsula connects to the south with Manatee County via the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and connects with Hillsborough County on the east via the Courtney Campbell Causeway, the Howard Frankland Bridge, and the Gandy Bridge.

Overview

The name derives from "La Punta de Pinal de Jimenez" (Jimenez's Point of Pines,) the name given the entrance to Tampa Bay by Spanish explorers in 1757. The first settlers in the area include Antonio Maximo Hernandez, the McMullen family and Odette Philippe. Maximo Point is the location of Maximo's fishing camp. McMullen's descendents still live in the area. Philippe Park, a Pinellas County Park, and the Philippe Parkway were named for Dr. Philippe. Now highly urbanized, the Peninsula was once renowned for its wildlife, including Black bear, the Florida panther, and many species of birds.

St. Pete Beach, Florida

St. Pete Beach is a coastal city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, famous for its status as a tourist destination. St. Pete Beach was formed from the towns of Pass-a-Grille, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach and unincorporated Pinellas County. At the time of its incorporation in 1957, its name was St. Petersburg Beach. On March 9, 1994, locals voted to officially change the name to the shorter version of St. Pete Beach, to distinguish it from the city of St. Petersburg a few miles to the east. The population was 9,346 at the 2010 census.

St. Pete Beach's downtown is centered on Corey Avenue. This district contains many bars, restaurants and shopping popular with both tourists and locals. The Pass-a-Grille Historic District and the historic Don CeSar beach resort are located at the southern end of the beach.

Geography

St. Pete Beach is located at 27°43′29″N 82°44′31″W / 27.72472°N 82.74194°W / 27.72472; -82.74194 (27.724587, -82.741850).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.9 square miles (52 km²). 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it is land and 17.6 square miles (46 km²) of it (88.68%) is water.

St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2014 census estimate, the population was 253,693, making St. Petersburg the 5th most populous city in the state of Florida and the largest city in Florida that is not a county seat (the city of Clearwater is the county seat). St. Petersburg is the second largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa, composed of roughly 2.8 million residents, making it the second largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the state. It is also a popular vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. The city is located on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico and is connected to mainland Florida to the north.

St. Petersburg was founded in 1888 by John C. Williams, who purchased the land, and by Peter Demens, who brought the railroad industry into the area. As a part of a coin toss bet, the winner, Peter Demens, named the land after Saint Petersburg, Russia, while Williams opted to name the first hotel built which was named the Detroit Hotel, both named after their home towns respectively. St. Petersburg was incorporated as a town on February 29, 1892 and re-incorporated as a city on June 6, 1903.

Florida

Florida ⁱ/ˈflɒrɪdə/ (Spanish for "flowery land") is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida and the country of Cuba. Florida is the 22nd most extensive, the 3rd most populous, and the 8th most densely populated of the United States. Jacksonville is the most populous city in Florida, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Tallahassee is the state capital.

A peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida, it has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km), and is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Much of the state is at or near sea level and is characterized by sedimentary soil. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. The American alligator, American crocodile, Florida panther, and manatee can be found in the Everglades National Park.