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75-777: Times Publishing Company is based in St. Petersburg, Florida , and is owned by the Poynter Institute , a nonprofit journalism school in St. Petersburg. The current chairman and CEO of Times Publishing Company is Paul Tash , who also serves as editor of the Tampa Bay Times . On January 1, 2012, the St. Petersburg Times was renamed the Tampa Bay Times , with tbt* (which was an acronym for "Tampa Bay Times") only referred to by that name. The Times Publishing Company owns several other publications, most of which are co-branded with

150-584: A condominium . The oldest operating hotels are the Pier Hotel (formally Hotel Cordova), built in 1921, and The Exchange Hotel (formally The Heritage Hotel), built in 1926. The first major newspaper to debut in Tampa Bay was the St. Petersburg Times which established in 1884. Philadelphia publisher F. A. Davis turned on St. Petersburg's first electrical service in 1897. The city's first major industry

225-497: A humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ) with some characteristics of a tropical monsoon climate ( Am ), with a defined rainy season from June through September. Many portions of St. Petersburg, especially along the bay and in south St. Petersburg, have tropical microclimates due to the maritime influence of the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay . As a result, tropical flora like coconut palms and royal palms can be found throughout

300-582: A citywide election during the summer of 2013. Following this, the "Pier Park" was chosen out of the 16 new design teams that submitted work in late 2014 and in 2015 the Pier Park was set for construction in early 2017. 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 . Downtown also contains

375-566: A demand of an additional 50,000 acres (200 km ) but Disston refused, mistakenly believing that Disston City would thrive if the railroad merely came close to the area. Disston City never met Disston's expectations, and it became the small city of Gulfport . Around the same time, John Constantine Williams negotiated with Demens and offered part of his land holdings in exchange for a southern terminus near what Demens named St. Petersburg , after his childhood home in Russia. On January 13, 1888,

450-506: A full-scale flying replica of the Benoist XIV flying boat was constructed by Florida Aviation Historical Society for the 70th anniversary of the flight. This aircraft is now on loan to the St. Petersburg Museum of History in St. Petersburg, Florida. Development of the first Major League Baseball team to be located in the Tampa Bay area began in St. Petersburg throughout the 1970s. The city tried to encourage numerous teams through

525-515: A half-interest in 200 acres to encourage Demens to bring the railroad line to Oakland. Demens agreed to move the headquarters and train maintenance shop of his Orange Belt Improvement Co. to Oakland from Longwood. Soon after the first train reached Oakland in November 1886, Demens decided to extend the line 110 miles to the Gulf of Mexico . The Armour meat packing family in Chicago helped fund

600-480: A local passenger train and a local freight train after the merger. The Silver Star was also rerouted on to the line from just south of Clearwater (where it joined from the former Seaboard Air Line track) to St. Petersburg. Passenger service north of Clearwater was discontinued in 1971 after the Seaboard Coast Line's passenger service was taken over by Amtrak . Though, Amtrak would continue to run

675-508: Is headquartered in the downtown area. The Poynter Institute , which owns the paper, is located on 3rd Street South. The Mahaffey Theater complex, the Morean Arts Center , dozens of other art galleries, The Coliseum, Palladium Theatre , and Jannus Live are among the galleries and cultural venues featured downtown. Several prominent museums are located in the perimeter. Many of them have received notable accolades, including

750-480: Is home to more than 100 neighborhoods, with most of the historic districts located near the bay. On the central Eastern edge of the city is Downtown St. Petersburg , which includes the city's residential and commercial skyscrapers, art galleries, museums, and parks. The downtown area is home to the central business district and to many start-up companies , corporate branches, banks, law firms, and restaurants. Apart from downtown's business and cultural offerings,

825-774: Is nicknamed "The Sunshine City." Located on the Gulf of Mexico, 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. When the Spanish first arrived in the area of Tampa Bay, they encountered people of the Safety Harbor culture . About 20 sites with temple mounds have been found around Tampa Bay, with several in Pinellas County. Best known of

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900-497: Is rapidly growing as development spreads down Central Avenue. North of downtown lie the Historic Old Northeast and Snell Isle , which both have Mediterranean style historic and waterfront homes, parks, and recreational areas. Old Northeast is home to a shopping district , city landmarks, beaches, and small shops as well as small residential high rises. Snell Isle was founded by C. Perry Snell who bought up

975-821: The West Coast Champion ), and Seaboard Air Line Railroad trains such as the Southern States Special (from New York, succeeded by the Silver Meteor ). Travel time from across the bay was cut due to the Gandy Bridge 's opening in 1924, allowing direct access to Tampa and the rest of central Florida. The city took on a Mediterranean flair, with Old Spanish Trail style architecture promoted by Snell Isle founder Perry Snell, whose new country club island homes adopted many elements of Moorish design. Those same elements were echoed in

1050-477: The Army Air Force chose the city as their technical service training station. The hotels filled for the first time in years, as up to 100,000 troops came to St. Petersburg. After the war, many of those troops who were stationed in St. Petersburg returned as residents or tourists. In the 1950s, St. Petersburg experienced another population boom, with the return of retiree resettlement to the city. In 1954

1125-650: The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. By this time, seven miles of the line had been removed between Sanford and Sylvan Lake with the former Sanford and Lake Eustis Railway (another Plant System/Atlantic Coast Line route) providing that connection as it was more direct. Under the Atlantic Coast Line's ownership, the line was designated as the Trilby Branch (T Branch) from Sylvan Lake to Trilby , and from Trilby west it

1200-725: The Chihuly Collection presented by the Morean Arts Center, the Museum of Fine Arts , the Salvador Dalí Museum , the now-closed Florida International Museum , the St. Petersburg Museum of History , Florida Holocaust Museum , and the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art . The city hosts many outdoor festivals throughout the year. St. Petersburg's downtown has been rated among the best in

1275-666: The Great Freeze of 1894–95 , the railroad was put up for sale. It was purchased by Henry B. Plant in 1895, who converted it to standard gauge, and made it part of the Plant System . Plant would build a hotel along the line, the Belleview-Biltmore Hotel near Clearwater, in 1897. The Plant System became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad system in 1902. The Orange Belt Railway line brought settlers to towns along its route and fostered development in

1350-434: The Gulf of Mexico , and is connected to mainland Florida to the north. Locals often refer to the city 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. With an average of 361 days of sunshine annually, and a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive days of sunshine (768 days between 1967 and 1969), it

1425-615: The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway at Lake Monroe , and the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad at Lacoochee . The railway changed hands several times in its early years due to debt run up during various phases of construction and a citrus freeze that affected freight cargo. Demens lost the railroad to financier Edward Stotesbury , who reorganized it as the Sanford & St. Petersburg Railroad in 1893. After

1500-610: The Mirror Lake Library . The city and its tourism industry burgeoned in the 1920s, with up to a quarter million visitors annually coming from Canada, the North and the Midwest by automobile, yacht, and railroad. 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 (from New York, succeeded by

1575-639: The Sanford & St. Petersburg Railroad ) was a 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge railroad established in 1885 by Russian exile Peter Demens in Florida . It was one of the longest narrow gauge railroads in the United States at the time of its completion in 1888, with a mainline 152 miles (245 km) in length between Sanford and St. Petersburg . It carried citrus, vegetables, and passengers; and it interchanged with two standard gauge lines:

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1650-589: The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , in 1967 to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). The line remained mostly intact after the merger, though its importance to the combined SCL was diminished. By then, track east of Trilby was freight-only. The section from Trilby to St. Petersburg was then known as the St. Petersburg Subdivision . The Champion continued to run the line from Trilby to St. Petersburg along with

1725-579: The Silver Star, the Floridian , and the Champion (which was replaced by the Silver Meteor in 1979) from Clearwater to St. Petersburg until 1984, when all passenger service to Pinellas County was discontinued. By 1972, freight service was discontinued on much of the line, and by 1978, tracks were removed between Tarpon Springs and Groveland . Remaining track from Belleair to Tarpon Springs

1800-629: The St. Johns River ) to Lake Apopka in Florida. They purchased $ 9,400 worth of crossties from Russian immigrant Peter Demens ' sawmill in Longwood , and had to turn over their railroad when they were unable to pay. Demens formed the Orange Belt Investment Co., borrowed money from friends, and launched a $ 50,000 bond issue to complete the rail line to Oakland , east of Clermont . Oakland pioneer James Gamble Speer gave Demens

1875-744: The Tampa Bay Times . The Times owned and published an evening newspaper, the Evening Independent , from 1962 until its closure in 1986. Issues of the Evening Independent are available for viewing on Google News Archive . On May 3, 2016, the Times Publishing Company announced the purchase of the Times' competing newspaper, The Tampa Tribune , from Revolution Capital Group, saying it intends to create one financially secure, locally owned daily newspaper in

1950-599: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 137.6 square miles (356.4 km ). 61.7 square miles (159.9 km ) of it is land, and 75.9 square miles (196.5 km ) of it (55.13%) is water. St. Petersburg is bordered by Tampa Bay's three sections, Old, Middle and Lower Tampa Bay. Downtown St. Petersburg is the Central Business District, containing high rises for office use. The Tampa Bay Times newspaper

2025-515: The University of South Florida St. Petersburg and a downtown branch of St. Petersburg College . The downtown perimeter includes several parks, most of which are waterfront or lakefront. Straub Park is nearly a half mile long, boasts a waterfront location, and is home of the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts. Because of the number of parks in the downtown area, The Trust for Public Land ranks St. Petersburg 1st in Florida and 15th out of 100 of

2100-541: The fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the state that is not a county seat (the city of Clearwater is the seat of Pinellas County). It is the second-most populous city in the Tampa Bay area , which is the second-largest metropolitan area in Florida with an estimated population of about 3.29 million in 2022. St. Petersburg is located on the Pinellas peninsula between Tampa Bay and

2175-576: The 1960s with the completion of the Howard Frankland Bridge in 1960, creating another connection between St. Petersburg and Tampa. St. Petersburg also received its first stadium named the Bayfront Center which hosted the first professional hockey league in Tampa Bay. A new municipal marina and the Museum of Fine Arts were also built downtown. St. Petersburg is home to one of the world's largest reclaimed water systems that

2250-483: The 1980 census. Racial tensions persisted, and the city was rocked by the 1996 riots , sparked by the shooting of a black teenager by a white St. Pete police officer. Growth stagnated in the subsequent decade and a half, but since the Great Recession , renewed interest in urban living by family aged residents and the expansion of the downtown university and related services has renewed its growth. According to

2325-567: The Grand Central District. South of downtown is Historic Roser Park , which houses historic Mediterranean and Eclectic style housing, parks, and museums. The neighborhood is divided by Booker Creek which flows into Bayboro Harbor. In far western St. Petersburg, north of the separate city of South Pasadena, Florida , is the neighborhood of Pasadena, which includes the intersection of State Road 693 (Pasadena Avenue) and County Road 150 (Central Avenue). St. Petersburg has

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2400-509: The Orange Belt Railway reached Tarpon Springs ; on May 1, 1888, it was completed to St. Petersburg. The rail line played a major role in the development of several towns along its route including San Antonio, Sutherland (now Palm Harbor), Ozona , Dunedin , Clearwater , and Largo . A lot of debt was run up in order to get the line completed and it was sold by Demens in 1889. The railroad entered receivership in 1893 and

2475-599: The Safety Harbor people was the chiefdom of Tocobaga , which was likely located at the Safety Harbor site in Philippe Park in northern Pinellas County. The Pánfilo de Narváez expedition landed on the shores of Boca Ciega Bay at the Jungle Prada Site on April 14, 1528. It was the first inland exploration of North America. Of 300 men on the expedition only four survived. One of the survivors of

2550-497: The Sanford and St. Petersburg Railway at Trilby, making Trilby a major junction for the Plant System. Once in control of the line, the Plant System immediately converted the most profitable section of track, from Trilby to St. Petersburg, to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge . The section of the line from Trilby to Sanford remained 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge for

2625-699: The South, with many waterfront parks and attractions. The area's gulf beaches are a 10-mile (16 km) drive from downtown, and are connected with downtown by the SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit line. Jutting a half mile into the bay is the St. Petersburg Pier , a major tourist attraction that offers various activities. "The Lens" design which was chosen by the International Design Competition Jury and accepted by City Council later had its contract terminated by

2700-538: The Tampa Bay region. The Times ended publication of the Tribune on that day. The Times' acquisition of the Tribune also includes the following publications, which will continue publishing: Highlands Today was sold and closed later in 2016. St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida , United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it

2775-533: The United States to make St. Petersburg their new home. Designs for a ballpark were first presented in 1983 and construction for a permanent dome stadium began in 1986. This process controversially required the demolition of the mostly-Black Gas Plant neighborhood. The stadium opened in 1990 as the Florida Suncoast Dome, renamed the Thunderdome in 1993. After many attempts to attract tenants to

2850-428: The age of 18 living in them, 37,847 (34.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 16,425 (15.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 4,849 (4.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 9,453 (3.9%) unmarried partnerships. 39,397 households (36.2%) were made up of individuals, and 28,267 (26.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

2925-610: The area also includes a branch of St. Petersburg College and the campus of the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg. The downtown district is home to two professional sports teams, the Tampa Bay Rays, which play in the western part of downtown at Tropicana Field, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, which play along the downtown waterfront at Al Lang Stadium. The emerging Edge district on the western edge of downtown

3000-503: The beach repeatedly and arresting protesters. This continued up to & after the Alsup v. St. Petersburg ruling in April 1957 that St. Petersburg could not segregate the beach or pool. After continued pressure from residents through swim-in's, on January 6, 1959, the government officially reopened them as an integrated beach and pool. The development of major transportation continued into

3075-536: The city's new Vinoy, Jungle Country Club, Don Cesar and other fine hotels, as well as in Snell's new skyscraper office building downtown. The 1926 opening of the Million Dollar Pier marked the peak of the boom, adding an attraction that brought both tourists and townspeople together to enjoy fishing, amusements, trolley access and even a local radio station. The St. Petersburg flag was created in 1927 and

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3150-508: The city, 5,272 (2.2%) were Puerto Rican , 2,855 (1.2%) were Mexican , 2,835 (1.2%) were Cuban , and other Hispanic or Latino residents made up 5,252 (2.1%) of the population. According to the 2010 census , the city population density was 3,964.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,530.7/km ). 84.1% of households were occupied while 15.9% were not occupied. 3,888 (1.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group-quarters and 2,719 (1.1%) were institutionalized. As of 2010, 23,304 (21.4%) had children under

3225-578: The city, and the city is home to the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum, a 2-acre (0.81 ha) park which houses over 500 palms and cycads, including a pair of large Jamaican Tall coconut palms which predate the freeze of 1989. St. Petersburg, like the rest of the Tampa Bay area, is occasionally affected by tropical storms and hurricanes . There were 2 hurricanes in 2024 that hit St. Petersburg within 2 weeks of each other: Hurricane Helene followed by Hurricane Milton. Prior to this,

3300-406: 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. Lang eventually became mayor and ambassador for the city, and helped its permanent population grow tenfold in just a decade. In 1914 an airplane service across Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg to Tampa and back was initiated, generally considered

3375-450: The downtown waterfront had dredging of a deeper shipping channel from 1906 to 1908 which opened St. Petersburg to larger shipping. Further dredging improved the port facilities through the 1910s. By then the city's population had quadrupled to a population of 4,127 citizens. 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

3450-545: The expedition, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca , wrote the first book describing the peoples, wildlife, flora and fauna of inland North America in his Relacion , published in Spain in 1542. 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

3525-424: The first scheduled commercial airline flight. The flight took former mayor Abe Pheil to Tampa. The company name was the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line , and the pilot was Tony Jannus flying a Benoist XIV flying boat . The Tony Jannus Award is presented annually for outstanding achievement in the airline industry. St. Petersburg's first library opened on December 1, 1915, which still operates to this day as

3600-524: The land to develop upscale properties in the 1900s, and helped create some of St. Petersburg's resorts such as the Vinoy Park Hotel and the St. Petersburg Woman's Club , both of which are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The far north consists of the Gateway area which overlaps part of Pinellas Park, home to major employers such as Home Shopping Network and currently

3675-687: The largest cities in the U.S. The Vinoy Park Hotel has a bayfront location, a spot on the National Register of Historic Places , and an AAA Four-Diamond rating. It fronts Vinoy Park , which holds music festivals, including the Warped Tour . Nearby is the historic Tramor Cafeteria building, now part of the Tampa Bay Times . The city is connected via the Looper Trolley. Many dining and nightlife locations can be found downtown on or near Central Avenue extending to 34th Street in

3750-580: The last time a hurricane directly struck the city was in 1946 . As of the 2020 United States census , there were 258,308 people, 111,957 households, and 59,448 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 244,769 people, 106,755 households, and 58,353 families residing in the city. In 2010, of all Asian residents, 0.8% were Vietnamese , 0.5% were Filipino , 0.5% were Indian , 0.3% were Chinese , 0.1% were Korean , 0.1% were Japanese , and 1.0% were other Asians. Also in 2010, of all Hispanic or Latino people within

3825-414: The line to Dunedin to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Tarpon Springs as a city, an event which immediately sold out. The tracks were removed immediately afterwards, 99 years after their installation. Today, there are segments of the Orange Belt Railway that are still active. Most notably, a section of the line running from Clearwater southeast to St. Petersburg remains active and

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3900-561: The line's extension from Trilby to San Antonio (Florida) . The first train carried construction materials and arrived in San Antonio on November 27, 1887. The first passenger train arrived in San Antonio on February 13, 1888. While Demens was building the Orange Belt Railway in the 1880s with a planned western terminus in the Tampa Bay area, Hamilton Disston offered Demens approximately 60,000 acres (240 km ) of land to stretch his railroad to Disston City . Demens countered with

3975-561: The line's remaining years under Plant System stewardship and was run in conjunction with the connecting line of the Florida Midland Railway (also taken over by the Plant System), which was converted from 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge to 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge to allow the sharing of equipment on the two lines. The Plant System became part of

4050-437: The new stadium, Major League Baseball gave St. Petersburg a franchise in 1995. In 1996, the dome was renamed a third time to Tropicana Field after naming rights were established with Tropicana Dole Beverages . The Tampa Bay Devil Rays was then established in 1998 after the stadium's renovation and the new team played their first game on March 31, 1998, giving the Tampa Bay area their first professional baseball team. I-275

4125-423: The original Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened its first span to link St. Petersburg with Manatee County , connecting the next year to U.S. Route 19 in the city. With a large influx of car traffic, it was decided to remove the city's streetcar lines. From 1955 to 1959, Black residents led concerted swim-ins of the segregated Spa Beach & Spa pool. The St. Petersburg government continually fought this, closing

4200-497: The other side advocating for a long-term commitment to parks and public access to the waterfront. The public access and park contingent won the debate when, on Christmas Eve 1909, the city announced the acquisition of the waterfront land that is encompassed by the waterfront park system. The city is also becoming one of the largest destinations in Florida for kiteboarding with locations such as Fort De Soto Park , Pass-a-Grille , and Ten-Cent. The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club

4275-460: The region. Sections are now part of rail to trails programs. A 2012 musical titled "Orange Belt Railroad" and based on the railroad line's history was created by Richard J. Budin, a member of West Coast Players in Clearwater, Florida . The original Orange Belt Railway was chartered in 1885 by men seeking to build a 35-mile 3 ft ( 914 mm ) gauge line from Lake Monroe (part of

4350-541: The site of much construction of residential and business buildings and of new toll roads. The central portion of St. Petersburg includes the Grand Central District and Historic Kenwood . The Grand Central District houses many of the city's cafes, art galleries, restaurants, and bars all owing to the Craftsman style architecture. Historic Kenwood is filled with art studios and galleries similarly to

4425-409: The stadium was planned for 2012; however, the proposal was tabled indefinitely while a community-based organization investigates all alternatives for new stadium construction. In 2022, the Rays organization and the city came to an agreement over redevelopment; the Trop will be demolished by 2027, to be replaced by a new stadium and a restored Gas Plant neighborhood surrounding it. St. Petersburg has

4500-513: The team played its spring training games at nearby Progress Energy Park . This setup was unique, making St. Petersburg the first city that played host to its baseball team during spring training as well as the regular season since the 1919 Philadelphia Athletics . At the end of 2007, there was a debate over a new stadium to be built on the downtown waterfront at the current Progress Energy Park site. Tropicana Field would be demolished and replaced with prime residential and retail space. Completion of

4575-441: The third-largest dedicated public waterfront park system in North America, with a waterfront park system that stretches 7 miles (11 km) and is used year-round for public events, festivals and other activities. In the early 20th century, citizens and city leaders engaged in a long and boisterous debate over the future of the young city's waterfront space, with one side advocating for commercial, port and industrial development and

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4650-451: The transition into CSX, the company sought to abandon many redundant routes and sell others to shortlines . In 1986, the company announced its intention to abandon more of the remaining Orange Belt line between Tarpon Springs and Clearwater, which had not seen any rail traffic since the early part of the decade. Before the abandonment, the city of Tarpon Springs was granted permission by CSX in 1987 to run six final round-trip passenger runs on

4725-419: The west or Beach Drive along the waterfront. Venues include Jannus Live and the State Theatre . The active nightlife scene is credited to recent demographic and regulatory changes. In 2010, the city council voted to extend bar hours until 3 A.M., identical to cross-bay "rival" Tampa. Tropicana Field , home of Major League Baseball 's Tampa Bay Rays , is located in the western part of downtown. Until 2008,

4800-421: The winter months. Tourism declined by the late 1920s and early 1930s due to the Great Depression . The city recovered later in the 1930s with the help of the Public Works Administration , including a $ 10 million investment plan in 1939 which helped build the St. Petersburg City Hall. The second World War brought renewed growth, as the city's Bayboro Harbor became a training base for the U.S. Coast Guard and

4875-477: Was 2.19. In 2010, families made up 54.3% while non-families made up 45.7%; the average family size was 2.88. The median age of the city was 41.6 years. As of 2000, 23.85% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.295% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no adult living partner present, and 43.8% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who

4950-505: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.865. In 2000, 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. The median age was 39.24 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. Orange Belt Railway The Orange Belt Railway (later known as

5025-408: Was born in 1899 when Henry W. Hibbs (1862–1942), a native of Newport, North Carolina , established his wholesale fish business at the end of the railroad pier, which extended out to the shipping channel. Within a year, Hibbs Fish Company was shipping more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of fish each day. St. Petersburg was incorporated as a city in June 1903. With this transition, the development of

5100-404: Was built in the 1970s which flows 37 million gallons of water per day to provide for customers located throughout the city. From May to August 1968, 211 city's sanitation workers struck in the city for higher wages. The strike began approximately one month after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee while supporting that city's sanitation workers strike. In 1984 ,

5175-486: Was designated as the Trilby–St. Petersburg Line (RE Line). The line from Trilby to St. Petersburg would become the route of the St. Petersburg section of the Atlantic Coast Line's West Coast Champion . By 1949, this segment was served daily by the West Coast Champion, the Southland , an additional local passenger train, and a local freight train. At the same time, a daily mixed train operated from Sanford to Trilby. The Atlantic Coast Line merged with its rival,

5250-401: Was designed by Mayor C.J. Maurer along with a committee of other public officials. It featured an array of colors symbolic of St. Pete's culture including the sunshine, water and land. The idea came after officials called for a new logo which later became the design for the flag. The pelican featured in the center became a symbol for the "Feed the Pelican Fund" which has supported the birds during

5325-499: Was established in 1924 and gained attention as the "World's Largest Shuffleboard Club" with 110 courts and over 5,000 members in the 1950s and 1960s. Northshore Aquatic Complex is a public pool and small water park located downtown on the St. Petersburg waterfront. Northshore contains a 50-meter pool with diving board, 25 meter training pool with zero depth entry, a play pool, and is home to both Saint Petersburg Aquatics swim club and Saint Petersburg Masters swim club. St. Petersburg

5400-416: Was expanded across the bay from Tampa through St. Petersburg in the 1970s. Additional spurs I-175 and I-375 were built afterward, extending from the main highway to the northern and southern edges of the downtown area. The city population continued to multiply during the 20th century, booming through the 1970s as a popular retirement destination for Americans from midwestern cities, reaching 238,647 in

5475-532: Was incorporated as a town on February 29, 1892, when it had a population of 300 people. Local lore claims John C. Williams and Peter Demens flipped a coin to see who would have the honor of naming the city. When Demens won the coin toss, the city was named after Saint Petersburg, Russia , where Peter Demens had spent half of his youth, while John C. Williams named the first hotel after his birthplace, Detroit (a hotel built by Demens). The Detroit Hotel still exists downtown on Central Ave, but has been turned into

5550-488: Was sold by the court right back to its owners, who reorganized it as the Sanford and St. Petersburg Railroad. The Great Freeze of 1894–95 damaged citrus trees and hurt the citrus trade's freight business, causing the line to be sold to Henry B. Plant in 1895. The railway then became part of the Plant System . The Plant System also owned the South Florida Railroad , whose Pemberton Ferry Branch crossed

5625-772: Was then designated the Dunedin Subdivision while track south to St. Petersburg became part of the Yeoman Subdivision (which included the ex-SAL line from Clearwater to Tampa). In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System , creating the CSX Corporation . The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation . During

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