History of St. Petersburg, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History of Florida |
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The seal of Florida reflects the state's Native American ancestry
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| Historical Periods | |
| Pre-history | until 1497 |
| Spanish Rule | 1513–1763 |
| British Rule | 1763–1783 |
| Spanish Rule | 1783–1821 |
| U.S. Territorial Period | 1822–1845 |
| Statehood | 1845–present |
| Major Events | |
| American Revolutionary War | 1775–1783 |
| War of 1812 | 1811–1814 |
| First Seminole War | 1817–1818 |
| Capitol moved to Tallahassee |
1824 |
| Second Seminole War | 1835–1842 |
| Constitutional convention | 1838 |
| Third Seminole War | 1855–1858 |
| Ordinance of Secession | 1861 |
| Civil War | 1861–1865 |
| 3rd Constitution | 1865 |
| Reconstruction | 1865–1868 |
| 4th Constitution | 1868 |
| 5th Constitution | 1885 |
| Great Migration | 1910–1930 |
| Land Boom | 1925–1929 |
| 6th Constitution | 1968 |
| Gore v. Harris 2000 Presidential Election |
2000 |
| Timeline | |
St. Petersburg is a city in Florida, USA. It is located in Pinellas County. People first settled in this area in the 1830s and 1840s. Early settlers included Odet Phillippe, the McMullen Family, and the British Richard Booth family. They grew citrus fruits and raised cattle.
After the Civil War, the city of St. Petersburg was officially started. This happened during a time called the Reconstruction era. John C. Williams from Detroit bought land here in 1876. Then, Peter Demens helped bring the Orange Belt Railway train line to the area in 1888. St. Petersburg became an official city on February 29, 1892. At that time, only about 300 people lived there.
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How Did St. Petersburg Get Its Name?
The city was named after Saint Petersburg, Russia. Peter Demens had lived there for half of his youth. A story says that John C. Williams and Peter Demens flipped a coin. They wanted to see who would get to name the new city. Peter Demens won the coin toss. He named the city after his home in Russia.
John C. Williams then named the first hotel after his hometown, Detroit. Peter Demens actually built this hotel. The Detroit Hotel is still in downtown St. Petersburg today. It has been changed into apartments. The oldest hotels still operating are the Cordova Inn, built in 1921, and The Heritage Hotel, built in 1926.
Early Growth and New Services
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In 1897, a publisher from Philadelphia named F. A. Davis brought the first electricity to St. Petersburg. Then, in 1904, the city got its first trolley service. This made it easier for people to get around.
The city's first big industry started in 1899. Henry W. Hibbs began his wholesale fish business. It was at the end of the railroad pier, which went out to the shipping channel. Within one year, Hibbs Fish Company was sending out over 1,000 pounds of fish every day.
Improving the Port for Ships
From 1906 to 1908, workers made the shipping channel deeper. This allowed bigger ships to come into St. Petersburg. More work was done to improve the port through the 1910s. By then, the city's population had grown a lot. It had quadrupled to 4,127 people.
The First Commercial Airline Flight
A very important event happened in 1914. The first scheduled commercial airplane flight took off from St. Petersburg. It flew across Tampa Bay to Tampa and back. This was the first time people could buy a ticket to fly on a regular schedule.
The company was called the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line. The pilot was Tony Jannus. He flew a special plane called a Benoist XIV flying boat. Today, the Tony Jannus Award is given each year for great achievements in the airline industry. A local music place in downtown St. Petersburg, called Jannus Live, is also named after him.
St. Petersburg's Population and Tourism
The city's population kept growing throughout the 20th century. It grew very fast in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1970s. St. Petersburg became a popular place for people from the Midwest to retire. By 1980, the population reached 238,647 people.
After 1980, the population growth slowed down. It has only grown by about 10,000 people since then. From 2000 to 2010, the city's population actually dropped by about 4,000 residents. But during the same time, Florida's population grew by over two and a half million.
In 2014, The New York Times newspaper said St. Petersburg was "one of the top places to go" in the world. Since then, the city has hosted many events. These events have brought millions of tourists to all parts of the city.
