St Petersburg FL - "The Sunshine City" - Booms and Busts and Booms Again

Peter Demens1875- General John Williams purchased 2,500 acres of real estate on Tampa Bay

1888- Peter Demens, a wealthy Russian, purchased the Orange Belt Railway to St. Petersburg, FL. He named the city for his hometown, St. Petersburg, Russia.

1914-  St. Louis Browns baseball team moved to the St. Petersburg for spring training. Eventually followed by Babe Ruth and the Yankees.

1914- Tony Jannus flew his Benoist airplane across Tampa Bay

1920s- Perry Snell, developed a 275-acre real estate subdivision and named it Snell Isle

1924- The Gandy Bridge opened, cutting travel time from St Petersburg to Tampa by half

Late 1920s- Depression, the real estate boom crashed, many homes in Tampa Bay halted construction and the real estate boom over

1930s- Economic recovery began with $10 million in new investment in the St Petersburg, its industry and St Petersburg real estate

1939- St. Petersburg’s City Hall is built

old image1940s- Major growth and the addition of several military outposts established in St. Petersburg

1950s-  Air conditioning brought a considerable number of senior citizens to the area and made St Petersburg real estate popular among retirees and returning war veterans

1960s-  The municipal marina, central library and the Museum of Fine Arts are built in Downtown St Petersburg

1970s-  Developed an innovative reclaimed water system used for irrigation of St Petersburg homes and businesses

1980s- What is now known as Tropicana Field is built in Downtown St Petersburg, the future home of the Tampa Bay Rays

1990s- Major League Baseball awards a franchise to Saint Petersburg

2000s- Sundial (formerly Baywalk) revitalizes the downtown core of St Petersburg, FL bringing amenities and shopping and encouraging a new downtown St Petersburg condo boom

Now- downtown projects that include retail shopping, restaurants, and movie theaters. University of South Florida, St. Petersburg a major state university has experienced constant growth in the student population