Saint Petersburg, Florida

Saint Petersburg is a city that is located within the Pinellas County, Florida. The city is famous for being a popular tourist holiday destination for foreign tourists but also for residents of other parts of the country. The population of the city of St. Petersburg amounts about 245 000 people.

The city is often called by locals St. Pete. St. Petersburg is the fourth largest city in the territory of Florida.

The town is situated on a peninsula near Tampa Bay. St. Petersburg has wonderful weather three hundred and sixty days a year and is also known as Sun City. American tourists come here mainly from the north.

The town was founded by John Williams, who bought land here in 1876, and Peter Demense, a Russian, whose real name was Peter Dementiev. He built a railway station in 1888. St. Petersburg was officially registered as a town in 1892, when here lived three hundred people.

The town was named after St. Petersburg , the capital of the homeland of Dementiev - Russia. There is a legend about how the name was chosen for the city. Williams demanded a coin flip to decide how to call the city. Peter Demense won and the town was called St. Petersburg, the American pronunciation of the Russian city of Sankt Petersburg. On behalf of the birthplace of Williams - Detroit was the name of the first hotel built in the city. This hotel still exists today.

The main industry of the city came in 1899 when wholesale fish was launched. Every day, local companies sold approximately five hundred kilograms of fish.

The channel for vessels was increased in 1908 and it opened new opportunities for the city. At that time, the city's population had reached over four thousand. In 1914, the first flight by plane from St. Petersburg to Tampa took place. This event lays the foundation of the first commercial airline. It is called Abirboat Line.

Flights were cancelled in 1924, with the opening of the bridge across Tampa Bay, thanks to which, it was possible to travel by car to Tampa.

The population continued to grow rapidly as the city became a popular place for retirees from the Midwest states. In 1980, the population reached over 238, 000 people. Then the expansion of the city dropped to a slower pace.

The city has the museum for children- Great Explorations. This presents a very unique complex of exposures, including children and a whole town with great shops, fire sation and veterinary clinic.

The city has a museum of history and the museum of Salvador Dali. It contains the largest collection of works by famous artists, which is located outside of Europe.

The city has an aquarium, where you can see different species of the ocean. With a special boat you can see dolphins close to Tampa Bay.

From October to April in the a city farm fair is held. It is open every Saturday and there you can buy vegetables and fruit from local farmers.