St. Petersburg takes up a big chunk of southern Pinellas County, Florida. Today, there are roughly a quarter-million people who call St. Petersburg...or "St. Pete" as some call it... their home. Another moniker for St. Petersburg is "The Sunshine City", bestowed by tourism boosters back in the city's early days. Indeed, St. Petersburg's now defunct "Evening Independent" newspaper once promised to give away their daily newspaper free on any day when the sun did not make an appearance all day long. They didn't have to give away many newspapers. Today, St. Petersburg is served by The St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune daily newspapers, plus a few local weeklies and shopper publications.

Interesting things to see and do in St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg is home to several landmarks you may have heard about or seen on travel programs. If there's an icon that best represents St. Petersburg, it is probably the St. Petersburg Pier, well-known for its unique upside-down-pyramid construction and magnificent view of Tampa Bay. St. Petersburg is also home to the Tropicana Field baseball stadium which is home to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. And Sunken Gardens, a memento of St. Petersburg's kitschy past, continues in operation today just north of "downtown" on Fourth Street. The downtown area itself is site for the St. Petersburg Grand Prix. And St. Petersburg's historic Spa Beach is just north of The St. Petersburg Pier approach.

St. Petersburg has lots of great shopping and dining. Baywalk, a new upscale mall in downtown is a key feature of St. Petersburg's recent downtown revival. But this new addition wasn't at the expense of old downtown charm. Central avenue is still jumpin'.The Coney Island Grill is still serving up chili dogs and real hard-ice-cream shakes like they have for decades. And at Chattaway's in southern St. Petersburg, you can still enjoy a Chattaburger and a beer at grand picnic tables in a quaint garden setting.

St. Petersburg schools

St. Petersburg has been in the news of late for their special efforts being put forth on behalf of public education. The city is home to many primary and secondary schools, both public and private. I won't try to list them all here. For information on public schools in St. Petersburg, see the Pinellas County Schools web site at www.pinellas.k12.fl.us/. St. Petersburg is also home to institutions of higher learning, including St. Petersburg College and The University of South Florida (St. Petersburg Bayfront Campus)

St. Petersburg outdoor fun

With St. Petersburg's long Tampa Bay shoreline, you can walk or bike for miles along the Bay. There's also sailing, powerboating, swimming, fishing, sunbathing. St. Petersburg has it all. And the outdoor activities don't stop there. There are several wonderful parks with fantastic walking trails such as those at Boyd Hill and Sawgrass Park where you may even see an alligator up close and personal!

Homes in St. Petersburg

You will find almost every type of home imagineable in St. Petersburg, from luxury waterfront condos to historic neighborhood houses to mobile homes. St. Petersburg also has a good selection of rental properties, from high end to low income. And check the pages of this web site for references to many St. Petersburg homes that have been advertised as "for sale by owner."

For additional information on St. Petersburg, you may want to check their web site at www.stpete.org.