Saint Petersburg

St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida. It is the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. St. Petersburg was incorporated as a town on February 29, 1892, when it had a population of 300 people. The city was co-founded by John C. Williams, formerly of Detroit, who purchased the land in 1875, and by Peter Demens, who was instrumental in bringing the terminus of the Orange Belt Railway there in 1888. The oldest operating hotels are the Pier Hotel (formally Hotel Cordova), built in 1921, and The Exchange Hotel (Formalley The Heritage Hotel) built in 1926. The average water temperature is typically around 76 °F (24 °C) Due to its good weather, the city has long been a popular retirement destination, although in recent years the population has moved in a much more youthful direction. The first major newspaper to debut in Tampa Bay was the St Petersburg Times which established in 1884. F. A. Davis was instrumental to bringing the first trolley service in 1904. In 1914, Al Lang invited the St. Louis Browns to move their spring training into the city, then worked tirelessly to make the Grapefruit League the destination for baseball teams. In 1920, the first airplane flight took place across Tampa Bay from St Petersburg to Tampa and back.

History

Saint Petersburg is the primary city name, but also Gulfport, S Pasadena, South Pasadena, St Pete Beach, St Petersburg are acceptable city names or spellings, Pasadena on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. Pánfilo de Narváez expedition landed on the shores of Boca Ciega Bay at the Jungle Prada Site on April 14, 1528. The city was co-founded by John C. Williams, formerly of Detroit, who purchased the land in 1875, and by Peter Demens, who was instrumental in bringing the terminus of the Orange Belt Railway there in 1888. St. Petersburg was incorporated as a town on February 29, 1892, when it had a population of 300 people. The oldest operating hotels are the Pier Hotel, built in 1921, and The Exchange Hotel (formalley The Heritage Hotel), built in 1926. The first major newspaper to debut in Tampa Bay was the St Petersburg Times which established in 1884. In 1914, Al Lang invited the St. Louis Browns to move their spring training into the city, then worked tirelessly to make Grapefruit League training in and around St Petersburg the destination for baseball teams and their fans by the 1920s. The St. Peter's Riverboat Club was created in 1927 and featured a local radio station along with other fine hotels, restaurants, and public parks. The opening of the Million Dollar Pier in 1926 marked the peak of the tourism boom, adding an attraction that brought tourists and townspeople together to enjoy fishing, amusements, trolley access and even a local TV station. In the 1990s, the city was the principal Gulf Coast destination for long distance trains of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Southland (from Chicago and Cincinnati) and Gulf Coast Limited.

Geography

St. Petersburg has a total area of 137.6 square miles (356.4 km²) The city is bordered by Tampa Bay's three sections, Old, Middle and Lower Tampa Bay. St. Petersburg's downtown has been rated among the best in the South. The city's beaches are a 10-mile (16 km) drive from downtown. It has the third-largest dedicated park system in North America, with a waterfront system that stretches 7 miles (11 km) The Trust for Public Land ranks the city 1st in Florida and 15th out of 100 of the largest cities in the U.S. in terms of number of public parks. The Tampa Bay Times newspaper is headquartered in the downtown area, as is the University of South Florida St Petersburg and a downtown branch of St Petersburg College. The Vinoy Park Hotel has a bayfront location, a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, and an AAA Four-Diamond rating. In 2010, the city council voted to extend bar hours until 3 A.M., identical to cross-bay "rival" Tampa. The Rays play their spring training games at Tropicana Field, which is located in the western part of downtown. Until 2008, the team played its spring and regular season games at nearby Progress Energy Park. The new Pier District opened on July 6, 2020, and contains green space, the Marketplace, playground, splash pad, and several public art installations, including Janet Echelman's aerial net sculpture, Bending Art.

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, the city contained 244,769 people, making St. Petersburg the largest city in Pinellas County, and 129,401 households. The city's 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. As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $34,597, and the median Income for a family was $43,198. In 2010, 17.8% of the population was under age 18 and 10% of those age 65 or over was the poverty line. It is the 58th most violent city in the United States when it comes to violent crime. It ranks the tenth in the Florida cities for social unrest among the top 10 cities in the U.S. for the number of people who have committed a crime in the past year. It has the highest murder rate in the state, followed by Tampa, Tampa Bay, and Tallahassee. The highest crime rate is in Tampa, where it is the top city for violent crime among the Top 10 cities for the past 10 years. The lowest crime rate in Florida is in Tallahasee, which is the second-highest city for crime after Tampa, and is the third-lowest in Florida for violent crimes.

Economy

The median household income is $55,134. Health care, retail and professional services are the largest industries. The city of St. Petersburg has an operating budget of about $514.1 million. The largest private-sector (non-government, non-school) employers in the city are (with trends since 2010): The Miss Florida Pageant was held for eleven consecutive years from 2004 to 2015, until the pageant was moved to Lakeland, Florida. The Miss St. Pete pageant was held in Lakeland until 2015, when the pageant moved to St Petersburg. The annual Women's March in the Park takes place in Williams Park where thousands of individuals gather to raise awareness of racism and demand social justice. The St Petersburg Art Festival takes place every February and the annual Ribfest is held at Vinoy Park in November. In mid-December, the city hosts an annual NCAA football game in Tropicana Field entitled the St Petersburg Bowl. 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. In January, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, in January, hosts a Battle of the Bands, and drum line extravaganzas that have been duplicated in other cities. In June, the LGBT community and supporters celebrate in the streets with festivals, the 27/82 concert, and an LGBT pride parade. In July, the 4th of July firework celebration invites the citizens to downtown St Petersburg for a fireworks celebration.

Sports

The Tampa-St. Petersburg area is home to four major professional sports teams. Two teams, the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball and Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League, play in St. Petersburg proper. The other two teams play across the bay in Tampa. 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 1998, 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": 2007. The Rowdies' ownership has expressed interest in moving up to join Major League Soccer (MLS) and a 2016 referendum gave the club permission to build a larger privately funded stadium at the site of Al Lang Stadium if the move takes place. The Bay Area Pelicans Rugby Football Club has made their home in St Petersburg since 1977. Despite not having a team in the city since 2000 (with the St Petersburg Devil Rays), St Petersburg is the home to Minor League Baseball's main headquarters. The Grand Prix of St Petersburg, the inaugural race was held in April 2005. The race was postponed in 2020 due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and was rescheduled as the final race of the season, rather than the first race. In 2012, the road intersecting Turn 10 was renamed Dan Wheldon Way in memory of DanWheldon, who won the 2005 race thanks to a move made on that turn.

Government

St. Petersburg is in Florida's 13th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Democrat Charlie Crist. The city of St. Petersburg has been governed under a strong mayor form of government since 1993. In 2020, 49.58 percent of Pinellas County voters cast ballots for Democratic candidate and the 46th President Joe Biden. The legislative body consists of eight City Council members representing each of their designated city districts. The mayor is elected to a four-year term, limited to two consecutive terms. Currently the mayor of St Petersburg is Ken Welch who took office on January 6, 2022. He is the son of former Mayor William Welch and the grandson of William Welch, a former Mayor of Tampa and mayor of Tampa Bay and St. Mary's County, Florida. The City Council is made up of eight members, each of whom is elected for a four year term, and is limited to a two-term term. The council is elected by a vote of the residents of the city, with the mayor serving a three-year terms of up to five years. It is currently composed of seven Democrats and one Republican. The current City Council member for St. Pete-St. Doral is Maria Cardona, who was elected in 2008 and served as mayor from 2010 to 2012. The Council is currently comprised of seven members, including two Democrats and two Republicans. The Mayor is elected on a non-partisan basis by the city's residents, and can only serve a three year term if he is re-elected.

Education

Public primary and secondary schools in St. Petersburg are administered by Pinellas County Schools. Public high schools within the city limits include: St Petersburg High School, Lakewood High School and Northeast High School. Stetson Law School is located in Gulfport, which is adjacent to St Petersburg between the south beaches. Other colleges and universities in the wider Tampa Bay Area include University of South Florida and the University of Tampa located in Tampa and Hillsborough Community College, with campuses across Hillsborough County. The Poynter Institute, a journalism institute which owns the Tampa Bay Times in a unique arrangement, is also located in the city. The city is home to several institutions of higher education, including St Petersburg College, Eckerd College, and St Petersburg Collegiate High School in the private private high school district of St. Pete Beach. The U.S. Air Force Academy is based in Tampa, Florida, which has a base in St Petersburg and an academy in the nearby city of Port St. Lucie, Florida. The University of Florida at Tampa is a public university with an average of 65,000 students spread across 11 campuses and centers in the Bay area, four of which are in the St Petersburg area. It is a member of the University System of Florida, a state college in the Florida College System, and a private four-year liberal arts college. St. Peter's University is an autonomous campus in the University system, serving 6,500 students. It was founded in 1927 and is a state university with 11 campuses.

Infrastructure

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. Tampa International Airport provides air transportation for most passengers. CSX Transportation operates a former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad branch line which sees daily rail traffic from north Tampa though Safety Harbor, Clearwater, and Largo. A sightseeing trolley, called The Looper, also travels to key downtown destinations daily such as USFSP, Sundial, Vinoy Hotel, and the multiple museums around the city. One of the main sea transportation areas in St. Peterburg is the Port of St. Petersburg, which is located in downtown. Boat marinas in downtown St. Pete are also available such as the Municipal Marina which located in the Southern and Central Yacht Basins, and Harborage Marina located in Bayboro Harbor. The city's major electricity system is provided by Duke Energy, the city'sMajor gas system are provided by TECO Energy in the industrial and commercial parts of the city, andThe city's water services are provide by the city of St Petersburg. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) provides mass transit in the city and operates a trolley system. Short-term bike sharing is also offered. The former Seaboard Air Line branch from the western coastal portion of the county was abandoned in the 1980s and converted to a popular recreational trail called the Pinell as Trail. As of March 2008, the portion that ran into downtown St Petersburg and adjacent western industrial areas was abandoned.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Saint Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida = 55.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 50. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 50. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Saint Petersburg = 6.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 258,308 individuals with a median age of 41.5 age the population grows by 0.30% in Saint Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,175.08 residents per square mile of area (1,612.01/km²). There are average 2.23 people per household in the 108,625 households with an average household income of $42,534 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is of the available work force and has dropped -5.96% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 16.78%. The number of physicians in Saint Petersburg per 100,000 population = 272.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Saint Petersburg = 52.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 97. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 248. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 53.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 28, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Saint Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 54.33%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 43 years with median home cost = $130,680 and home appreciation of -14.52%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.27 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,523 per student. There are 17.1 students for each teacher in the school, 705 students for each Librarian and 447 students for each Counselor. 8.04% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 14.98% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.05% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).