Florida's
Sunshine City
City Population: 248,232 (4th largest city in Florida)
City Median Age: 39.3 years (2000 census)
Pinellas County Population: 921,482
Metro Area Population: 2,395,997
Median household income: $34,597
Average Home Purchase Price
$239,630 (new homes & condos)
$169,451 (existing homes & condos)
Median Home Purchase Price
$175,100 (new homes & condos)
$125,000 (existing homes & condos)
Source: Florida New Business Report (FNBR) Purchase Price Study, 2003.
City Land Mass: 60.9 square miles
Highest Elevation: 61 feet above sea level
Waterfront
234 miles of shoreline along Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and intracoastal waterways. Largest municipal marina in the southeast with 610 boat slips. Nine boat ramp locations, open year round. Ft. De Soto Park, one of the nation’s top ranked beaches.
Sunshine
Average temperature - 73.7 degrees.
Average days of sunshine per year - 361.
The “Sunshine City” holds a Guinness World Record for logging the most consecutive days of sunshine - a stretch lasting 768 days that began in 1967.
Sister City: Takamatsu, Japan
Twin City: St. Petersburg, Russia
Founded: June 8, 1888
Incorporated: February 29, 1892
Re-Incorporated: June 6, 1903
Form Of Government
St. Petersburg operates under the strong mayor form of government - a system that combines the strong political leadership of a mayor with an elected city council. The mayor is responsible for running the daily affairs of the city, The City Council has a chair and a vice chair and must approve city policies, city budget and the mayor’s choices for city administrator and city attorney.
Number of Employees
3,628 full and part-time employees, including 539 sworn police officers and 303 uniformed fire personnel.
Parks
125 city parks on 2,500 acres, including a seven mile preserved downtown waterfront. Unique parks include the 245-acre Boyd Hill Nature Park preserve, the botanical attraction Sunken Gardens, and the historic Weedon Island Preserve. The Pinellas Trail, a 47-mile hiking/biking trail, connects St. Petersburg with central and north Pinellas County-the longest urban linear trail in the Eastern U.S.
Special City Facilities
City venues include The Pier, Tropicana Field, Bayfront Center Arena and Mahaffey Theater, Coliseum, Albert Whitted Municipal Airport, Port of St. Petersburg, 18 recreation centers, and six public libraries.
Schools
The Pinellas County School System is the 7th largest district in Florida and 22nd largest in the nation. More than 148,000 students are enrolled at 140 public schools, 72 private schools and 5 vocational/technical schools. Universities include St Petersburg College, Eckerd College, University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Pinellas Technical Education Center, and Stetson University College of Law.
Tallest Building
Bank of America tower, 28 floors, 330,000 square feet
Attractions
The Pier, Tropicana Field, Sunken Gardens, Tampa Bay Walk of Fame, Baseball Boulevard, and St. Petersburg Times Walk Through History.
Famous Firsts
St. Petersburg is the birthplace of scheduled aviation with the flight of the Benoist Airboat and the birthplace of Major League Baseball Spring Training, both in 1914.
Records
St. Petersburg’s Water Reclamation System is not only the first to be built in the U.S., it remains one of the largest in the world. The city’s innovative system provides more than 20 million gallons a day (annual average) to 10,483 customers for lawn irrigation. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, at 4.1 miles across, is the largest cable suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, rising 19 stories above Tampa Bay (at midpoint).
Professional Sports
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (MLB), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), Tampa Bay Storm (AFL), Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL), and Derby Lane (greyhound racing).
Sports & Outdoor Recreation
Three award-winning public golf courses, nine public pools including an Olympic-size training facility located on Tampa Bay, 80 lighted tennis courts, three dog parks, two skateboard parks, a BMX bicycle track, and a Maximo Park flying disc golf playing facility.
Major annual events: The St. Anthony’s Triathlon swim/bike/run contest draws ITU (International Triathlon Union) professional triathletes. The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and Regata Del Sol al Sol, a 456-mile yacht race from St. Petersburg to Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
Arts & Culture
World-famous Salvador Dali Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg Museum of History, Great Explorations, Florida International Museum, and Florida Holocaust Museum. The Florida Craftsmen Gallery, American Stage, and Palladium Community Theater.
Event highlights: Festival of States celebration, Mainsail Arts Festival, Shakespeare in the Park, Arts Alive! Museum Week, Florida Orchestra in the Park, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national parade and band festival.
More Information
St. Petersburg Mayor’s Action Center, 727-893-7111,
St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 727-821-4069
St. Petersburg/ Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 727-464-7200
