For aging baby boomers, deciding where to retire is made difficult by the many beautiful places in North America. Historically, many have chosen to purchase property in Florida, particularly in the Florida market of Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg due to the warm weather, beautiful beaches, friendly people, excellent health care, income tax exemption personal and a variety of other reasons.
Yes, the city of St. Petersburg has experienced periods of glory, decline, and now, revitalization. In 1875, Detroit resident General John Williams purchased 2,500 acres of land in Tampa Bay. The General had visions of a great and vibrant city with elegant parks and wide streets, which today are the trademark of the urban landscape of St. Petersburg.
Within a dozen years, Russian aristocrat Peter Demens brought the Orange Belt Railroad to St. Petersburg. The first train arrived on June 8, 1888. Soon after, Demens named the city after his birthplace, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Florida’s love affair with baseball soon brought professional baseball spring training to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1914. Al Lang, the city’s former mayor, convinced Branch Rickey to move his St. Louis Browns to Sunshine City for spring training.
The state’s first major growth boom in the 1920s resulted in an influx of tourists arriving by car, rail, and yacht. The Gandy Bridge opened in 1924, cutting travel time to Tampa by more than half and positioning St. Petersburg to become the largest city in Pinellas County. The 1920s also brought beautiful architecture to downtown St. Petersburg and the surrounding neighborhoods. The city’s architecture reflected a Mediterranean Revival motif. Snell Isle, a 275-acre subdivision was the result of Perry Snell’s love for the Tampa Bay area. Snell Isle owes its existence to the fact that Snell first visited St. Petersburg on his honeymoon in 1898. Returning the following year, his first purchase was the waterfront property located at First Street and Fourth Avenue North, now known as North Shore Park.
St. Petersburg’s makeover is evident in several Mediterranean-style buildings, including The Vinoy Hotel, Princess Martha, Snell Arcade, and Jungle Country Club Hotel. Others can be seen in the Spanish castles and houses along Coffee Pot Bayou and in the Jungle Prada neighborhood.
St. Petersburg continued to have strong tourist years throughout the 1920s. Like many other areas of the state, the real estate boom collapsed during the Great Depression. But St. Petersburg recovered, with the help of major Public Works Administration projects in the 1930s, bringing in $10 million in new investment. Petersburg City Hall was built with federal New Deal funds in 1939.
The city experienced phenomenal growth throughout the 1940s. St. Pete was home to the US Coast Guard Station in Bayboro Harbor as a training base for World War II troops. World. Anti-submarine air patrols were conducted over the Gulf of Mexico during World War II. The War Department later selected Saint Petersburg as a major training center for the Army Air Corps. More than 100,000 pilots and trainees occupied all the hotels in the city. As a result, the population grew rapidly and created a housing shortage with military families looking for a place to live. After the war, many of the soldiers stationed in the Tampa Bay area returned to live with their families or visit as tourists until their retirement.
The 1950s and 1960s were noted for the widespread use of air conditioning, resulting in a considerable amount of retirement housing. Mirroring national trends, the Central Plaza and Tyrone Gardens shopping malls attracted local businesses to relocate from the city center. The population grew beyond 200,000. As the automobile became the primary mode of transportation, streetcar tracks were removed to make way for better roads. The 1960s saw the construction of the municipal marina, the main library, the Bayfront Center, and the Museum of Fine Arts.
St. Petersburg’s search for a Major League Baseball franchise began in the 1970s. It wasn’t until 20 years later that the arrival of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998 caused the team to move its permanent home to Downtown Tropicana Field.
Today, downtown is undergoing a period of revitalization with city projects that include retail stores, restaurants, and movie theaters. More than 900 community events draw millions of people each year to experience yacht racing, triathlons, baseball, basketball, cycling, cultural exhibits, auto racing and music. Seven museums in the downtown district attract tourists. A state university, 10 marine institutes and more than two dozen galleries attest to the city’s commitment to education and health. Much of the movement toward historic neighborhoods continues as residents invest in their communities with a great source of pride.