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Pinellas [1] is the name of a peninsula located roughly halfway down the west coast of Florida. It forms the western boundary of Tampa Bay and comprises the bulk of Pinellas County. There is a city named Pinellas Park in south Pinellas. The peninsula is bounded on the north by Pasco County, Florida, on the northeast by Hillsborough County, and on the east and south by Tampa Bay. It is bounded on the west by the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico. The Pinellas peninsula connects to the south with Manatee County via the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and connects with Hillsborough County on the east via the Courtney Campbell Causeway, the Howard Frankland Bridge, and the Gandy Bridge.
The name derives from La Punta de Pinal de Jimenez ("Jimenez's Point of Pines"), the name given the entrance to Tampa Bay by Spanish explorers in 1757. The first settlers in the area include Antonio Maximo Hernandez, the McMullen family and Odet Philippe. Maximo Point is the location of Maximo's fishing camp. McMullen's descendants still live in the area. Philippe Park, a Pinellas County park, and the Philippe Parkway were named for Philippe. Now highly urbanized, the peninsula was once renowned for its wildlife, including the American black bear, the Florida panther, and many species of birds.
Pinellas County is the most densely populated county in Florida. Its population is greater than that of the individual populations of the states of Wyoming, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, or Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
There are 3,347 inhabitants per square mile (1,292/km2) in Pinellas County. The next closest county with a highly concentrated population is Broward with 1,445 inhabitants per square mile (558/km2).
Hillsborough County is located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. In the 2020 census, the population was 1,459,762, making it the fourth-most populous county in Florida and the most populous county outside the Miami metropolitan area. A 2021 estimate has the population of Hillsborough County at 1,512,070 people with a yearly growth rate of 1.34%, which itself is greater than the populations of 12 states according to their 2019 population estimates. Its county seat and largest city is Tampa. Hillsborough County is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Pinellas County is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most densely populated county in Florida, with 3,491 residents per square mile. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area. Clearwater is the county seat. St. Petersburg is the largest city in the county, as well as the largest city in Florida that is not a county seat.
East Lake-Orient Park is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 22,753 at the 2010 census, up from 5,703 at the 2000 census following an expansion of its borders. The area is the home of the Florida State Fairgrounds, which hosts the Florida State Fair in mid-February of each year. It was previously home to East Lake Square Mall. The ZIP code for East Lake-Orient Park is 33610 and 33619.
Keystone is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The Keystone area was first settled in the middle 1800s by the W.M. Mobley Family who migrated from Savannah, Georgia. The region has evolved from citrus and farming into a rural retreat of many lake homes and ranches. The population was 24,039 at the 2010 census, up from 14,627 at the 2000 census. The ZIP Codes encompassing the CDP area are 33556 and 33558.
Town 'n' Country is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 85,951 at the 2020 census.
University is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 41,163 at the 2010 census, up from 30,736 at the 2000 census. The University of South Florida is located just southeast of the community, within the Tampa city limits.
Westchase is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,747 at the 2010 census, up from 11,116 at the 2000 census. The census area encompasses most of the 33626 ZIP code area.
Trinity is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,907 in 2010, according to the most recent census. The Trinity Community is named after Trinity College of Florida, a Bible college founded in 1932, when it relocated to the first occupied site in the communities developed by James Gills in the late 1980s. The main plaza is found near the high school, known as Mitchell Ranch Plaza. Trinity is located at the junction where Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties meet. The community of Longleaf is located in Trinity and it is believed that the “Welcome Plank” originated in Longleaf.
Gandy is an unincorporated community and former census-designated place (CDP) in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,031 at the 2000 census. It is named after George Gandy and the Gandy Bridge which connects the area to Tampa across Old Tampa Bay.
Gulfport is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, bordering St. Petersburg, South Pasadena, and Boca Ciega Bay. The population of Gulfport was 11,783 at the 2020 census. Gulfport is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metropolitan statistical area.
Largo is the third largest city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, as well as the fourth largest in the Tampa Bay area. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 82,485, up from 77,648 in 2010.
South Pasadena is a city in southern Pinellas County, Florida, United States, near St. Pete Beach and Gulfport. The city is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metropolitan statistical area. The population was 5,353 at the 2020 census.
St. Pete Beach is a coastal city in Pinellas County, Florida. Known as a tourist destination, St. Pete Beach was formed from the towns of Pass-a-Grille, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach, and unincorporated Pinellas County. It is part of the Tampa Bay area. The population was 8,879 at the 2020 census.
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater inflow into the bay is the Hillsborough River, which flows into Hillsborough Bay in downtown Tampa. Many other smaller rivers and streams also flow into Tampa Bay, resulting in a large watershed area.
The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the 17th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with a population of 3,175,275 as of the 2020 U.S. census.
This is a timeline of history of the city of Largo, Florida, United States.
Timeline of Pinellas County, Florida history.
New Tampa is a region in Florida that encompasses both a 24-square-mile (62 km2) area within the corporate limits of the City of Tampa, as well as a larger land area that is in unincorporated Hillsborough, but retains a Tampa mailing address. The incorporated portion of "New Tampa" that lies within the city limits of Tampa is one of the largest city neighborhoods. The population has grown rapidly since being annexed by the city of Tampa in 1988. As of the 2000 census, the district had a population of 22,466. Many new master planned residential communities are planned or already under construction. Big-box stores are following the boom in population and are transforming this once rural area.
The 1848 Tampa Bay hurricane was the strongest known hurricane to impact the Tampa Bay area of the U.S. state of Florida. Along with the 1921 Tampa Bay hurricane and Hurricane Milton in 2024, it is one of only three major hurricanes to make landfall along Central Florida's west coast since Florida became a United States territory in 1821.
Odet Philippe was the first permanent, non-native settler on the Pinellas peninsula in what is now the state of Florida, acquiring 160 acres (0.65 km2) of land in what is today Safety Harbor in 1842. He was a successful businessman who introduced cigar making and citrus to the Tampa Bay region. His descendants, including the McMullen and Booth families, are among the county’s most well known pioneer clans.