Crystal Beach, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Crystal Beach
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Post office
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 Crystal Beach
Location in Florida
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| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Pinellas |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
34681
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| Area code(s) | 727 |
Crystal Beach is a small community in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It's an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city does. Instead, it's part of the larger census-designated place of Palm Harbor. Crystal Beach is known for its beautiful waterfront and friendly atmosphere.
About Crystal Beach
Crystal Beach is one of the oldest communities in Pinellas County. The first people to settle here arrived around 1850. They started building homes and farms. The area was first called Seaside.
Early History
In 1888, a railway called the Orange Belt Railway was finished. This railway connected Seaside to other towns. It went north to Tarpon Springs and south to Dunedin, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg.
Later, land developers Dr. J.D. Hanby and A.D. Powers became involved. They took over a beach development company. The original founders, Mr. Avery and Mr. Rebstock, had named Crystal Beach, Florida, after an amusement park they owned in Canada. That park was called Crystal Beach Park in Ontario. They even called the Florida location "Little Crystal Beach."
Before the Great Depression, the Crystal Beach Development Company planned the community. They laid out streets in a grid pattern. They also included a special park along the Gulf of Mexico.
Gulf Shore Park
This park was named Gulf Shore Park. In 1927, the developers described it as a "narrow strip of land" along Gulf Drive. It has a shell path and paved parts of Gulf Drive.
Powers and Hanby wanted this park to always be open to the public. They wrote that it was "for all the people all the time." They saw it as the "front yard of Crystal Beach." They believed it was important for everyone to enjoy the sunsets and cool breezes from the waterfront. This park was a key part of what made Crystal Beach special.
In 1911, Pinellas County became separate from Hillsborough County. A map from 1925 showed the town of Seaside. It also showed a Crystal Beach along the shore and a Crystal Beach Avenue leading to Live Oak Park. After 1925, when Hanby and Powers started marketing their development, the community became known as Crystal Beach. The name became official when the U.S. Post Office gave it a unique ZIP code, 34681.
The Post Office
The United States Postal Service has a post office in Crystal Beach. It's located at 420 Crystal Beach Avenue. Interestingly, people who live in Crystal Beach don't get mail delivered to their homes. They go to the post office to pick up and send their mail.
