Community Overview

Community Overview

Welcome to Pinellas County!  You have your choice of 24 different cities and towns, ranging in size from a few blocks long, to one with over a quarter million residents.

St. Petersburg, the “Sunshine City” was once home to a newspaper that would give its street editions free if the sun didn’t shine for 24 hours straight – the paper hardly ever had to honor its promise.

Sparkling Clearwater lives up to its nickname- in fact, the entire county is surrounded on three sides by the beautiful blue Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay.  As hard as it is to believe, even the small amount of water separating Pinellas County from its neighbor to the east has a slight moderating effect on temperatures here, with sometimes as much as 5 degrees’ difference.

Like to golf?  You can’t drive more than a few miles in any direction in the county without being near a golf course or driving range (or a putt-putt course!).

If fishing, or swimming, or sailing, or motorboating is your thing, go east, south, or west till your hat floats, and your wish comes true.  Miles of white sand public beaches are available for you to enjoy, sun bathe, watch the tourists, or take a sunset stroll.  All those beaches are lined with hotels ranging from the world-class Vinoy and Don Cesar hotels to little mom & pop motor-hotels (or motels) right out of the 1950’s.

The Pinellas Trail is an award winning bikeway almost completely encircling the County, converted from an old railroad right-of-way.

Pinellas County Parks are nationally recognized for their beauty and welcoming leisure activities – walking, biking, barbecuing, or just enjoying a rest on a bench!

The Tampa Bay area is home to the Rays pro baseball team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pro football team, and for those who actually miss the snow, the Tampa Bay Lightning pro ice hockey team. (We even have ice skating rinks!)

Museums, live theatre, and live performances fill your leisure hours.

Want to travel?   We’re a couple hours away from Worlds of entertainment – Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, medieval jousting, water parks, and other entertainments beckon.  Visit St. Augustine, founded 60 years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth rock, and home to Florida’s Spanish heritage.

At the other end of the state is Key West, with its perilous history of wreckers, and laid back life style.  It almost tried to secede from Florida in the 80’s as the Conch Republic!

 Go to the state’s East coast, visit the Kennedy Space Center, and go to the moon! (figuratively, anyway)

Medical care abounds in the area’s hospitals, including the huge Bay Pines Veterans’ complex.  PX facilities are just across the Bay at MacDill Air Force Base, and international air travel begins at Tampa’s unique, passenger-friendly airport.

Looking for work?  Service industry and government jobs are here, and Pinellas is at the western end of the I-4 corridor, home to a burgeoning computer/electronics industry.

All in all, Pinellas County is a wonderful place to live, work and play!