[9] 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.

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.

[11][12][13] 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.

[15][16][page needed] Local lore claims John C. Williams and Peter Demens flipped a coin to see who would have the honor of naming the city.

[25] 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.

[14][33] 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.

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.

Those same elements[14] were echoed in 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.

[36] 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.

In 1954 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.

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.

[citation needed] Jutting a half mile into the bay is the St. Petersburg Pier, a major tourist attraction that offers various activities.

[73] Many dining and nightlife locations can be found downtown on or near Central Avenue extending to 34th Street in the west or Beach Drive along the waterfront.

[76][77] Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays, is located in the western part of downtown.

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.

[79][80][81] 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.

[91] The downtown area is home to the central business district and to many start-up companies, corporate branches, banks, law firms, and restaurants.

The Grand Central District houses many of the city's cafes, art galleries, restaurants, and bars all owing to the Craftsman style architecture.

As of 2000, those who spoke only English as a first language at home accounted were 88.53% of residents, while Spanish was spoken by 4.43%, German by 0.78%, French by 0.72% of speakers, Vietnamese by 0.67%, Serbo-Croatian by 0.52%, and Laotian by 0.51% of the population.

[138] The downtown triathlon event is hosted by St. Anthony's Hospital and involves a 1.5k swim through Tampa Bay, a 40k bike along the waterways, and a 10k run through the neighborhoods.

[139][140] The Green Thumb Festival, which originated in 1986 to promote tree beautification and planting in the city of St. Petersburg, is currently held in Walter Fuller Park.

Local vendors sell the fruits of their labors (whether edible or decorative) alongside artists of all kinds including live music.

[196] Boyd Hill Nature Park, located on Lake Maggiore, is a 245-acre (0.99 km2) preserve where one can see many of the endangered plants and rare wildlife of Tampa Bay.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg area hosted the Super Bowl LV, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium on February 7, 2021.

The long-time baseball venue is named after Al Lang, a former mayor of St. Petersburg who was instrumental in bringing spring training to the city in 1914.

The city is much more left-leaning than the surrounding county- in 2020, 62.3% percent of voters in St. Pete cast their ballots for Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

[234][235] The Deuces Live District is home to the city of St. Petersburg's African American cultural heritage, and includes locally owned art galleries and other specialty businesses,[236] as well as historic buildings such as the Royal Theater.

[246] Cable television service is provided by Spectrum (previously Bright House Networks) and Wide Open West (abbreviated "WOW!

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.

The SunRunner is the first bus rapid transit line in the Tampa Bay Area and is expected to spur economic development along the Central Avenue corridor in Pinellas County.