St. Petersburg and Tampa
St. Petersburg and Tampa are so close together, this author is combining them on a single page.
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2018 census estimate, the population was 265,098,[4] making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the largest in the state that is not a county seat (the city of Clearwater is the seat of Pinellas County).[8]
St. Petersburg is the fifth largest city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. Together with Clearwater, these cities comprise the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, the second-largest in Florida with a population of around 2.8 million.[9] St. Petersburg is located on the Pinellas peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and is connected to mainland Florida to the north.[10]
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.[11][12] 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.[13] St. Petersburg was incorporated as a town on February 29, 1892 and re-incorporated as a city on June 6, 1903.[11][14]
The city is often referred to by locals as St. Pete. Neighboring St. Pete Beach formally shortened its name in 1994 after a vote by its residents. St. Petersburg is governed by a mayor and city council.[15]
With an average of some 361 days of sunshine each year, and a Guinness World Record for logging the most consecutive days of sunshine (768 days between 1967 and 1969),[16][17] it is nicknamed “The Sunshine City”.[16] Due to its good weather and low cost of living, the city has long been a popular retirement destination, although in recent years the population has moved in a much more youthful direction.[18] American Style magazine ranked St. Petersburg its top mid-size city in 2011, citing its “vibrant” arts scene.[
Things to do in St. Petersburg.
Tampa
The modern history of Tampa, Florida can be traced to the founding of Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in today’s downtown in 1824, soon after the United States had taken possession of Florida from Spain. The outpost brought a small population of civilians to the area, and the town of Tampa was first incorporated in 1855.
Growth came slowly as poor transportation links, conflicts with the Seminole tribe, and repeated outbreaks of yellow fever made development difficult. The Civil War and Reconstruction caused the city government to disincorporate for over a decade.
In the 1880s the construction of the first railroad links laid by Henry B. Plant brought the development of thriving cigar and phosphate industries. The founding of the cigar-centered neighborhood of Ybor City in 1885 brought an influx of Cubans, Spaniards, Italians, and other immigrants. Tampa’s population jumped from less than 800 residents in 1880 to over 15,000 in 1900, making it one of the largest cities in Florida.
By the 20th century Tampa emerged as a modern financial, trade, and commercial hub. It saw the start of the Gasparilla Pirate Festival and pioneering aviator Tony Jannus captaining the inaugural flight of the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, the world’s first commercial passenger airline. It also saw the rise of organized crime.
The number of residents exceeded 100,000 during the 1930s, 250,000 during the 1950s, and 300,000 during the 1990s. The land area of Tampa also grew, most notably when the city annexed the neighboring communities of West Tampa in 1925, Sulphur Springs and Palma Ceia in 1953, Port Tampa in 1961, and New Tampa in 1988. Most of the land added to Tampa over the years was unincorporated. Five incorporated municipalities[disputed – discuss] have been consolidated into Tampa: North Tampa, Ybor City, Fort Brooke, West Tampa, and Port Tampa.[
If you are interested in places that are a bit different, a bit historical you might look into traveling a bit north of Tampa to ‘Weeki Wachee Spring“. This is the home of the Weeki Wachee Mermaids.
Long before Disney World and Universal Studios, a major sightseeing venue in Florida were the Mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs.