Clearwater is a city in Florida, United States. It is the main city of Pinellas County. Clearwater is located west of Tampa and north of St. Petersburg. To its west is the Gulf of Mexico, and to its southeast is Tampa Bay.

In 2020, Clearwater had a population of 117,292 people. It is the smallest of the three main cities in the Tampa Bay area. Clearwater Beach is part of the city, but it is separated by the Intracoastal Waterway. The city is also home to BayCare Ballpark and Coachman Park.

History of Clearwater

Clearwater at daybreak, as seen from Clearwater Beach

The land where Clearwater is today was first home to the Tocobaga people. Around 1835, the United States Army built Fort Harrison here. This fort was an outpost during the Seminole Wars. It was on a bluff overlooking Clearwater Harbor.

More people moved to the area after 1842. The government offered land to anyone who would farm it and help protect it. Early families like the Stevens and McMullens settled here. Before 1906, the area was called Clear Water Harbor. The name "Clear Water" likely came from a fresh water spring. This spring flowed near where the City Hall is now.

View north from Sand Key toward Clearwater Beach

Clearwater was originally part of Hillsborough County. In 1849, the first road connecting Clearwater and Tampa was built. This made travel between the two cities much faster.

During the American Civil War, Union gunboats sometimes raided the community. Most of the men were away fighting for the Confederate Army. The town started to grow more in the late 1800s. This happened after Peter Demens completed the first passenger railroad line in 1888.

Clearwater became an official town in 1891. James E. Crane was its first mayor. The area became popular for vacations after Henry B. Plant built a large hotel. This hotel, called Belleview Biltmore, opened in 1897.

Pinellas County Courthouse in Clearwater

By the early 1900s, Clearwater's population grew to about 400. In winter, it would reach nearly 1,000 people. The Clearwater Sun, the city's oldest newspaper, started in 1914. Clearwater became a city on May 27, 1915. It was also chosen as the county seat for Pinellas County. Pinellas County had separated from Hillsborough County in 1912.

In 1915, a bridge was built across Clearwater Harbor. This bridge connected the city with Clearwater Beach to the west. Clearwater Beach is on a separate island but is part of Clearwater. Today, a new, taller bridge called Clearwater Memorial Causeway connects them.

During World War II, Clearwater became a training base for US troops. Many hotels, like the Belleview Biltmore, were used as barracks. Soldiers marched through downtown regularly. Nighttime blackouts were common to hide from enemy bombers.

Clearwater's Geography

Clearwater is located at 27°58′25″N 82°45′51″W / 27.973644°N 82.764271°W / 27.973644; -82.764271.

The city covers about 39.2 square miles (101.6 km2). About 25.6 square miles (66.2 km2) is land. The rest, about 13.7 square miles (35.4 km2), is water.

Downtown Clearwater

Clearwater's downtown area has been changing a lot recently. It has been made more beautiful with new high-rise condos and a large marina. New shops and restaurants are opening in the "Cleveland Street District." The Royalty Theatre is also being updated. Coachman Park is another important spot that hosts events all year. Downtown is about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Clearwater Beach. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) from downtown Dunedin. Many parts of downtown offer great views of the water.

Clearwater's Climate

Clearwater has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and mild, dry winters.

Climate data for Clearwater
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	86 (30)	87 (31)	89 (32)	92 (33)	97 (36)	97 (36)	96 (36)	96 (36)	95 (35)	94 (34)	89 (32)	87 (31)	97 (36)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	71.4 (21.9)	71.4 (21.9)	76.1 (24.5)	81.2 (27.3)	86.2 (30.1)	89.1 (31.7)	89.9 (32.2)	90 (32)	88.5 (31.4)	83.6 (28.7)	76.4 (24.7)	71.9 (22.2)	81.3 (27.4)
Daily mean °F (°C)	62.3 (16.8)	62.3 (16.8)	66.9 (19.4)	71.9 (22.2)	77.2 (25.1)	80.9 (27.2)	82.1 (27.8)	82.1 (27.8)	80.7 (27.1)	75.1 (23.9)	67.2 (19.6)	62.8 (17.1)	72.6 (22.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	52.9 (11.6)	53.2 (11.8)	57.8 (14.3)	62.7 (17.1)	68.2 (20.1)	72.6 (22.6)	74.2 (23.4)	74.2 (23.4)	72.9 (22.7)	66.5 (19.2)	58.1 (14.5)	53.7 (12.1)	63.9 (17.7)
Record low °F (°C)	24 (−4)	27 (−3)	29 (−2)	41 (5)	53 (12)	60 (16)	62 (17)	65 (18)	61 (16)	45 (7)	27 (−3)	19 (−7)	19 (−7)
Average precipitation inches (cm)	2 (5.1)	3.5 (8.9)	3.5 (8.9)	2 (5.1)	2.1 (5.3)	6.2 (16)	9.5 (24)	9.5 (24)	7.2 (18)	2.8 (7.1)	1.8 (4.6)	2.5 (6.4)	52.6 (134)
Source: Weatherbase

Clearwater's People and Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	383	—
1910	1,171	205.7%
1920	2,427	107.3%
1930	7,607	213.4%
1940	10,136	33.2%
1950	15,581	53.7%
1960	34,653	122.4%
1970	52,074	50.3%
1980	85,170	63.6%
1990	98,669	15.8%
2000	108,787	10.3%
2010	107,685	−1.0%
2020	117,292	8.9%
Source:1900-2010

2020 Census Information

**Clearwater, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	85,015	76,536	75,773	78.15%	71.07%	64.60%
Black or African American (NH)	10,361	11,267	11,806	9.52%	10.46%	10.07%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	220	234	214	0.20%	0.22%	0.18%
Asian (NH)	1,757	2,255	3,355	1.62%	2.09%	2.86%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)	68	124	152	0.06%	0.12%	0.13%
Some other race (NH)	168	219	609	0.15%	0.20%	0.52%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1,444	1,805	4,942	1.33%	1.68%	4.21%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	9,754	15,245	20,441	8.97%	14.16%	17.43%
Total	108,787	107,685	117,292	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

In 2020, there were 117,292 people living in Clearwater. There were 48,211 households and 27,233 families.

In 2019, about 18.7% of the people were under 18 years old. About 59.4% were between 18 and 64. About 21.9% were 65 years or older.

Between 2014 and 2018, the average household income was $47,070. The average family income was $46,228. About 15.9% of the people lived below the poverty line.

Languages Spoken

As of 2000, most residents (84.43%) spoke English as their first language. Other languages spoken included:

Spanish (8.55%)
Greek (1.15%)
French (1.00%)
German (0.97%)
Italian (0.85%)

Clearwater's Economy

Clearwater's economy employs almost 50,400 people. Some of the biggest employers are Morton Plant Hospital, Tech Data, and Honeywell. From 2015 to 2016, the number of jobs in Clearwater grew by 1.84%.

The most common jobs are in service, sales and office work, science, and business. In 2020, the average household income in Clearwater was $50,335. This is lower than the average for the United States and Florida.

Art and Culture in Clearwater

Clearwater Beach, looking south from Pier 60

Pier 60 in Clearwater Beach, April 2013

In 2012, CBS Money Watch named Clearwater one of the 10 best places to retire in the U.S.

Tourism in Clearwater

Clearwater is a popular place for tourists.

Clearwater Public Art and Design Program

The city has a program for public art and design. It started in 2005. This program uses 1% of the money from city building projects over $500,000. It helps create 2-3 new art projects each year.

Capitol and Royalty Theatre

Before the Capitol Theatre was built, a bandstand stood at 405 Cleveland Street. People gathered there to listen to music. The names of local people who served in World War I were carved on a nearby building.

Pinellas County Courthouse in Clearwater

The Capitol Theatre first opened on March 21, 1921. It was built by Senator-elect John Stansel Taylor. The architect was Lester Avery, and the builder was John D. Phillipoff.

The theatre was damaged in a storm in October 1921. In 1922, a theatre organ was added to play music for silent films. The theatre showed the newest movies and also had vaudeville shows in the 1930s. Famous performers like Sally Rand appeared there. The theatre was updated in 1962. It closed in 1980.

In 1981, the Royalty Theater Company took over the building. It was renamed the Royalty Theater. The building was renovated again.

In 2009, the City of Clearwater and Ruth Eckerd Hall bought the theatre. They renamed it the Capitol Theatre again. A $10 million renovation and expansion began in 2012 and finished in 2013. In 2019, it was renamed the Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre after a large donation.

Clearwater Public Library System

In 1911, Clearwater's population grew a lot. The Clearwater Library Association opened a library. It was on the second floor of the local People's Bank. Because it was so popular, the city asked the Carnegie Foundation for $10,000 to build a public library. The new building opened and quickly became very popular.

During the Great Depression, the library faced money problems. But it still had many visitors. In the 1940s, the library staff grew from three to five assistants. The book collection also grew a lot.

For many years, the Clearwater Public Library was only for White visitors. In 1950, the city built the North Greenwood library. This new library allowed African American people in the city to access books and information. This library was updated in 1984. The main library was rebuilt starting in 2000 and opened in May 2004.

As the city grew, the library system also grew. Today, the Clearwater Public Library System has five locations:

Clearwater Main
Countryside
North Greenwood
Beach
East

The library system has become more digital. It offers computers, online databases, and an online catalog. The Greater Clearwater Public Library Foundation, Inc. helped make this possible. The libraries are also adding "makerspaces" where people can do creative arts projects.

The Clearwater Public Library System helps with the Pinellas Memory Project. This project collects and shares local history. The libraries are part of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative. This group works to give people access to information and programs.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a small non-profit aquarium. It opened in 1972 on Clearwater Beach. The aquarium is famous for Winter the dolphin. Winter was rescued in 2005. She was one of the first dolphins to get a special prosthetic tail. She lost her tail after getting caught in a crab trap.

The aquarium is also home to other dolphins, otters, pelicans, nurse sharks, and turtles. They also have many kinds of fish and other sea animals. The aquarium helps rescue animals that are stranded or in danger. They help these animals get better. If possible, they release them back into the wild. The aquarium was the main setting for the family movie series Dolphin Tale.

Sports in Clearwater

BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater is where the Major League Baseball team Philadelphia Phillies train in the spring. It is also the home field for their minor league team, the Clearwater Threshers.

Parks and Recreation

Moccasin Lake Nature Park is a 51-acre (21 ha) nature preserve. It has a 5-acre (2.0 ha) lake. The city owns and runs this park. It also has the Moccasin Lake Environmental Education Center. This center offers classes, programs, and camps about nature. It has live rehabilitated birds of prey, reptiles, and other wildlife. It opened in 1982.

The City of Clearwater has five swimming pools:

Ross Norton
North Greenwood
Morningside
The Long Center
Clearwater Beach

They offer swim lessons all year. The pools also have a summer recreation pool league and the Clearwater Aquatics Team.

Education in Clearwater

St. Petersburg College
Everest University
Clearwater High School
Clearwater Central Catholic High School
Ultimate Medical Academy
Clearwater Academy International
Nova Southeastern University

Transportation in Clearwater

Airports

Tampa International Airport is the main airport for Clearwater and the Tampa Bay Area. St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport is also used more often now. The city also owns Clearwater Air Park.

Public Transportation

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) bus service is the only public transportation in Pinellas County. It has about 35 local bus routes. It also has two express routes that cross Tampa Bay. A beach trolley runs along the county's 25-mile (40 km) long chain of barrier islands.

Clearwater used to have Amtrak train service at Clearwater station.

Notable People from Clearwater

Many well-known people have lived in Clearwater, including:

Kirstie Alley, actress
Austin Aries, professional wrestler
Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, Inc.
Ricky Carmichael, supercross/motocross racer
Chick Corea, jazz pianist
Tom Cruise, actor and film producer
Hulk Hogan, professional wrestler
Howard Johnson, baseball player
Evel Knievel, stuntman
Nigel Mansell, Formula One World Champion
Clark Mills, creator of the Optimist dinghy boat
Kirstjen Nielsen, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
Lisa Marie Presley, former resident
Melanie Safka, singer-songwriter
Keith Thurman, professional boxer

Church of Scientology in Clearwater

The Church of Scientology has its "spiritual headquarters" in downtown Clearwater. The Church calls Clearwater its "Flag Land Base."

The Church of Scientology's Clearwater headquarters, the Super Power Building

The Church of Scientology owns several historic buildings in Clearwater. These include the Fort Harrison Hotel and the Clearwater Bank Building. By 2019, the Church of Scientology, its members, and related companies owned many commercial buildings in downtown Clearwater. Many of these properties are tax-exempt for religious reasons. By 2024, the Church and related groups had purchased over 210 properties since 2017.

Sister Cities

Clearwater has partnerships with these cities around the world:

Nagano, Japan
Kalamaria, Greece
Wyong, New South Wales, Australia

Clearwater, Florida facts for kids

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