Developers and promoters lured countless settlers and tourists from across the country by touting the city's many virtues and its perpetual sunshine. Petersburg was transformed into a popular tourist mecca with a bustling downtown and waterfront, picturesque residential neighborhoods, lush parks and gardens, and the all the attractions of the day. This fascinating time was documented in both word and image by visitors, new residents, and the energetic players that made St. Images of America Images: Telling the story of St. Petersburg during its glory years, local resident and writer R.
Wayne Ayers has compiled vintage photographs, postcards, maps, and promotional materials that highlight this exciting time in the city's history.
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Drawing on the valuable resources of the Pinellas County and St. Petersburg Historical Societies, as well as an extensive personal collection, Ayers has created an entertaining and educational volume dedicated to the Sunshine City and its singular heritage. More about this book. However, the last time a hurricane directly struck the city was in Many portions of St.
Petersburg, especially along the bay and in south St. Petersburg, have tropical micro-climates. Due to this royal palms and coconut palms , as well as other tropical plants can be found throughout the city. For the winter of —15, the lowest recorded temperature at the St. Petersburg Downtown Airport was 40 degrees Fahrenheit four degrees Celsius , which the city recorded on February Petersburg has not recorded any freezing temperatures in the five-year period dating back to November , which is the oldest data available from the local National Weather Service office page.
According to a census , the city contained , people, making St. Petersburg the largest city in Pinellas County, and , households. The population density was 3, The racial makeup of St. Petersburg was , Hispanic or Latino people of any race numbered 16, 6. With the city having , households, , With , of the population in households, 3, 1. There were , households, out of which 23, There were 9, 3. The average household size was 2. Out of , occupied households, families made up 59, The median age of the city was As of , In , the city's population was spread out with The median age was For every females, there were For every females age 18 and over, there were As of , those who spoke only English at home accounted were Petersburg has the 6th highest rate of violent crime in Florida.
Petersburg and the rest of the city came with the St. Petersburg, Florida riots of According to the City of St. Petersburg, Florida's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report , the largest employers in the city are: One of the first of many major events of the year that takes place is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This located in downtown St. Petersburg and is the first round of the IndyCar Series. Bluesfest, hosted in the Vinoy Park, [] hosts multiple live blues artists, offers views of the Tampa Bay waters from the park, and provides drinks and free food.
One of the many art festivals, called the Mainsail Art Festival, is a free entry art exhibition at the Vinoy Park, which offers art sold by local artists. It also provides live music, awards, and food courts. The downtown triathlon event is hosted by St. Anthony's Hospital and involves a 1. The Green Thumb Festival, which originated in to promote tree beautification and planting in the city of St.
Petersburg, is currently held in Walter Fuller Park. A major event that takes place in June is the St. In July, the 4th of July firework celebration invites the citizens to downtown St. In November, the annual Ribfest is held at Vinoy Park. From the end of November through December are holiday events. A tree lighting ceremony starts the celebrations. The Santa Parade is followed by Snowfest with " glice " skating, toboggan slides, and Kiddyland.
North and South Straub Park are decorated with holiday lights and decorationsm while the Vinoy Park is decorated with large greeting cards created by the recreational centers in St. On December 31, St. Petersburg has the year's last event, First Night St. Petersburg, where people celebrate the arts from venues across the city.
Petersburg hosted the Miss Florida Pageant eleven consecutive years from to , until the pageant was moved to Lakeland. Petersburg Pier where the first scheduled commercial flight departed. Petersburg Pier was a popular tourist attraction which closed in May Petersburg for the winter in the following years before its sinking in Petersburg City Council voted to demolish and rebuild the pier, [] which is set to open in The city had a Madame Tussaud Wax Museum between and The downtown Sundial shopping complex opened in May Pete has nightlife destinations, as does the block surrounding Jannus Live.
Restaurants serving ethnic and domestic culinary specialties can be found throughout the downtown area. Local vendors sell the fruits of their labors whether edible or decorative alongside artists of all kinds including live music. Only three are left, and only the Crislip arcade is still being used as a place for small businesses to set up shop. It is the largest independent bookstore in Florida, with over 30, square feet. It is known for its historic status and eclectic architecture. Petersburg boasts two historic neighborhoods: Both are known for stately architecture, and together comprise the urban core of St.
North of downtown is the Great Explorations 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. It is located next to Sunken Gardens. This area is called the "Garden District", although as of this name is not widely in use. Petersburg is well regarded for its beaches. Petersburg regularly places top 25 in the nation among arts destinations. Petersburg has become known and regarded as one of America's most livable cities.
The area's main shopping mall is Tyrone Square Mall , constructed in and is located in the northwestern part of the city. Petersburg Library System consists of seven branch locations:. The Mirror Lake Library , built in , is one of only two Carnegie libraries still operating in Florida. Petersburg area is represented by teams in four major professional sports soccer, football, baseball, and hockey.
Petersburg proper, while the other two teams play across the bay in Tampa. As their names suggest, all of the teams represent the entire Tampa Bay area and seek to draw fans from both sides of Tampa Bay. The Rays began play in , finishing last in the American League 's East Division in nine of the first ten seasons they played, [] including their last year known as the "Devil Rays": From their inception until , the Rays played their regular season games at Tropicana Field and their spring training games at historic Al Lang Stadium, formerly Progress Energy Park, giving them the unique distinction of being the only team in Major League Baseball that played its spring training games in their home city in more than 70 years.
Beginning in , the Rays have held spring training at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte , ending a year streak of springtime baseball in the city. Petersburg Devil Rays , St. Petersburg is home to Minor League Baseball 's main headquarters. Petersburg is also home to the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg , the inaugural race was held in April The long-time baseball venue is named after Al Lang , a former mayor of St.
Petersburg who was instrumental in bringing spring training to the city in The Rowdies initially shared Al Lang Stadium with various amateur baseball events, but eventually took over operation of the facility and has converted it into a soccer-only facility [] The Rowdies' ownership has expressed interest in moving up to join Major League Soccer MLS and a referendum gave the club permission to build a larger privately funded stadium at the site of Al Lang Stadium if the move takes place.
Petersburg is the home of many past and present sports icons. Petersburg, as well as Minnesota Twins pitcher Boof Bonser. Petersburg prior to his death in October The International Shuffleboard Association was founded in St.
The city of St. Petersburg has been governed under a strong mayor form of government since The Mayor of St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg City Council members are elected for a four-year term and are limited to two consecutive terms. Currently the mayor of St. Petersburg is mayor Rick Kriseman who took office on January 2, with the legislative body consisting of the eight City Council members representing each of their designated city districts.
Public primary and secondary schools in St. Petersburg are administered by Pinellas County Schools. Public high schools within the city limits include:. The non-profit Science Center of Pinellas County educates more than 22, school children annually through field trip classes and offers winter, spring and summer workshops for 2, more.
Petersburg is home to several institutions of higher education. The University of South Florida St.
Petersburg is an autonomous campus in the University of South Florida system. Petersburg serves 6, students. Eckerd College , founded in , is a private four-year liberal arts college. Petersburg College is a state college in the Florida College System. Petersburg is the Poynter Institute, a journalism institute which owns the Tampa Bay Times in a unique arrangement.
Pete between the south beaches. Petersburg Tribune and the free weekly alternative newspaper Creative Loafing. Petersburg is in the Tampa-St. Petersburg television and radio markets. Petersburg, with studios in unincorporated Pinellas County in the Gandy Boulevard area just north of the St. Petersburg, with studios in Tampa. Cable on Channel 15 or Frontier Channel 20 as well as online.
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The city is connected to Tampa by the east by causeways and bridges across Tampa Bay, [] and to Bradenton in the south by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Interstate , [] which traverses the mouth of the bay. It is also served by Interstates and , which branch off I into the southern and northern areas of downtown respectively. Nearby Tampa International Airport provides air transportation for most passengers. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport , with most tenants providing only seasonal services. Mass transit in St. As of March , the portion that ran into downtown St.
Petersburg and the adjacent western industrial areas was abandoned. There is a small rail yard to the northwest of downtown St. Petersburg at the new end of the rail line with several spur lines serving industries in the area. The former Seaboard Air Line branch from the western coastal portion of the county was abandoned in the s and converted to a popular recreational trail called the Pinellas Trail. Notable former stations include the St. Petersburg Seaboard Coast Line station. One of the main sea transportation areas in St.
Peterburg is the Port of St. Petersburg , which is located in downtown St.
St. Petersburg: The Sunshine City
Petersburg's major electricity system is provided by Duke Energy , the city's major gas system is provided by TECO Energy in the industrial and commercial parts of the city, and the city's water services are provided by the city of St. Petersburg, Florida is currently a member in the Sister Cities International group that was created in From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the city in the U. For the city in Russia, see Saint Petersburg. For other uses, see Saint Petersburg disambiguation. Parts of this article those related to history, events, economy, and government need to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
City in Florida, United States. Location in Pinellas County and the state of Florida. Petersburg, Florida and Timeline of St. This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. Climate of the Tampa Bay area. Sports in Tampa Bay.
St. Petersburg, Florida - Wikipedia
Baseball in Tampa Bay. List of mayors of St. List of newspapers in Florida , List of radio stations in Florida , and List of television stations in Florida. List of airports in the Tampa Bay area. List of people from St. List of sister cities in Florida.
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