St. Petersburg (also spelled as Saint 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 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 the Gulf of Mexico, and is connected to mainland Florida to the north. Locals often refer to the city as "St. Pete" or, more colloquially, "the Burg". 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 is nicknamed "The Sunshine City." Located on the Gulf of Mexico, the average water temperature is typically around . 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.
History
Early Spanish exploration 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 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 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., 3 vols.
19th century 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.
Local lore claims John C. Williams and Peter Demens flipped a coin to see who would have the honor of naming the city.A founding grandfather lives in lore. Monica Davey. St. Petersburg Times (Florida). Largo-Seminole Times; Pg. 6. May 23, 1994. 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 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 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 of fish each day.
A historic marker on the 2nd Avenue side of St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral, facing Williams Park, notes that the cathedral and several adjacent churches played a central role in St. Petersburg being known as the "City of Churches." Among the oldest remaining structures downtown, St. Peter's was built in the Gothic Revival style in 1899, funded by philanthropist Edwin H. Tomlinson in honor of his father. The area surrounding Williams Park also features other historic congregations—including First Baptist, First Congregational, and First United Methodist—all established within a few decades of the city's founding in 1892. Architectural records indicate that of fewer than ten Gothic Revival buildings remaining citywide, seven churches were built between 1887 and 1925, most clustered around Williams Park and Central Avenue. Earlier still, the first Episcopal church in the area was established at Pinellas Point in 1887, prior to the city's own founding. This pattern of early church building by multiple denominations reflects how religious institutions served as foundational anchors in St. Petersburg's civic and cultural development—even before the city's official incorporation.
The Episcopalians had the opportunity of establishing the first church in the southernmost part of St. Petersburg, Florida at Pinellas Point. There was a meeting held at the home of Robert Staunton on April 20, 1887, and it was planned to construct a church named St. Bartholomew's, on Lakeview Avenue. This church was completed late in 1887 and services were held there until 1895 when the property was given to the owners of the St. Peter's Church in St. Petersburg and were used for burial purposes. Hence another first Episcopalian church in St. Petersburg was created at the lot at Eleventh street and Second avenue north and was completed late in 1889. Edwin H. Tomlinson was one of the earliest supporters of St. Petersburg, Florida, benefiting and blessing the city in many ways. In one such case, Edwin paid the price in full for the St. Peter's Church and construction of the church was completed early in 1899. In the context of St. Petersburg being nicknamed "The City of Churches," it is imperative to note how the first church and in fact many more churches were founded before even the city itself was (founded in 1888 and became a city in 1892). The various denominations of Christianity at the time practiced and planted their own churches in St. Petersburg. The order being the Episcopalian Church in 1887 then again in 1889, the Congregational Church in 1890 between Ninth and Tenth streets near the present Central avenue (the Presbyterians of the town joined forces with the Congregationalists to work together to accomplish it), the First Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church 1892 at Central avenue and First street, the First Baptist Church which began congregation in 1893 and built their church in 1896 at the southeast corner of Sixth street and Central avenue (the congregation worshipped in the First Methodist Church while the new church was being built), the Catholic Church in 1908 at Sixth street south between Fifth and Sixth avenues (the mass attended Point Pinellas beginning in 1892 and raised money to build this church in the meantime), the First Methodist Church built in 1892 at Central avenue and Seventh street, the First Christian Church built in 1909 at the corner of Second avenue and Fourth street south, the Grace Baptist Church built in 1909 at the railroad tracks on Fourth street south, the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church built in 1911 at Fifth street and Second avenue south, and First Church of Christ – Scientist (Christian Science Society) met in 1900 with fifteen people in the old Strowger building on the southeast corner of Central avenue and Fourth street – once the organization gathered more than sixteen members they had enough to be known as a church and an advertised practitioner – in 1913 the church bought a building at Second avenue north near Second street. In total 11 different denominations in these early founding days of the city planted their roots which were vital in helping guide these pioneers, were often a light for them, these churches were a beating heart for them – hence why these locations were built in such central locations in the city and cases of denominations crossing the aisle while their churches were being constructed to give them a place to worship and congregate in the meantime such as with the First Baptist Church which shared congregation space with the First Methodist in 1893 as their church was being built. Ultimately it shows that even if that had subtle differences in their interpretations or perspectives on their faith, they all had the same goals in who they were serving – their community, the Lord, and continuing to build and maintain their relationship with Christ and the Lord at the end of the day.
The decision by these early settlers to establish houses of worship near the civic center underscored the role of faith communities as central pillars in the formation of the city. Each denomination "planted" its roots—both symbolically and physically—around Central Avenue, creating a religious and architectural landscape that led directly to the city's lasting nickname: the "City of Churches." Today, that tradition continues, with dozens of active congregations across the city and new faith communities still being established, reflecting the ongoing importance of religious life in St. Petersburg's civic identity. Perhaps the largest growing church in the local Tampa Bay area which includes St. Petersburg, is Radiant Church, which was founded in 2013, it is a fast-growing, non-denominational church currently with 11 locations all across the bay area with a 12th location that was just announced. Radiant Church drew fewer than 200 guests in the early days, and it averaged nearly 8,000 members from their nine church locations at the time in 2024. In terms of this tradition continuing of churches being planted in this city, as recently as this year, NewSpring plans to plant Artisan City Church in St. Petersburg in 2025.
20th century St. Petersburg was incorporated as a city in June 1903. With this transition, the development of 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 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 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 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 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.