Saint Petersburg city (1990 pop. 238,629), Pinellas co., W Fla., on Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico at the southern end of the Pinellas peninsula; settled in the mid-1800s, inc. 1892. A port with a large harbor, it is one of the state's most popular winter resorts and year-round residential communities. It is also one of Florida's largest retirement centers. Because of its annual average of 360 sunny days, St. Petersburg is called the Sunshine City. Manufactures include boats, trailers and campers, air conditioners, and electronic equipment. The city also has citrus-fruit and commercial-fishing industries. Among places of interest are the yacht basin, the municipal pier, historical and fine arts museums, and the Bayfront Center, all on the waterfront; the Sunken Gardens; and the Florida International Museum. Eckerd College, the Stetson Univ. College of Law, a campus of the Univ. of South Florida, and a military academy are there, as well as an international airport and a U.S. Coast Guard base. Bridges cross the bay to Tampa and the Sunshine Skyway links the peninsula with the mainland near Bradenton. The chain of narrow islands and resort beaches to the west of St. Petersburg on the Gulf are connected by several causeways.

St. Petersburg

The City in Brief

Founded: 1887 (incorporated 1893)

Head Official: Mayor Rick Baker (since 2001)

City Population

1980: 238,647

1990: 240,318

2000: 248,232

2003 estimate: 247,610

Percent change, 1990–2000: 3.2%

U.S. rank in 1980: 58th

U.S. rank in 1990: 65th (State rank: 4th)

U.S. rank in 2000: 79th (State rank: 4th)

Metropolitan Area Population

1980: 1,614,000

1990: 2,067,959

2000: 2,395,997

Percent change, 1990–2000: 15.8%

U.S. rank in 1980: 22nd

U.S. rank in 1990: 21st

U.S. rank in 2000: 20th

Area: 60 square miles (2000)

Elevation: Ranges from sea level to 60 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 73.1° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 44.77 inches

Major Economic Sectors: tourism, financial services, manufacturing, medical technology, information technology, marine sciences

Unemployment rate: 3.5% (December 2004)

Per Capita Income: $21,107 (1999)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 20,914

Major Colleges and Universities: University of South Florida, St. Petersburg College, Eckerd College, Stetson University College of Law

Daily Newspapers: St. Petersburg Times; Tampa Tribune, Pinellas Edition

Saint Petersburg (Sankt Peterburg), Russia, USA 1. Russia: the first fortress built where the River Okhta flows into the River Neva in 1300 was Swedish and called Landskrona ‘Land's Crown’. Soon destroyed, a Russian settlement arose around the ruins. It came to be called Neva Town. When back in Swedish hands the fortress of Nienschants (called by the Russians Kanets or Kantsy) was built in 1611 on the site of Neva Town. The settlement around the castle grew and came to be known as Nien. In 1703 the Russians successfully stormed the fortress. The fall of Nienschants marked the founding of the modern city. It was named Sankt Piter Burkh (St Petersburg) that year by Peter I the Great^† after his patron saint, St Peter (and conveniently, himself). When Russia entered the First World War in 1914 against Germany its German‐sounding name was changed to the Russian‐style Petrograd ‘Peter's Town’. The cradle of the Russian Revolution, in 1905 and 1917, it was renamed Leningrad in 1924 after the death of Vladimir Lenin^†. The name reverted to St Petersburg in 1991. The city was the capital of the Russian Empire in 1712–1917 and of the Soviet state between November 1917 and March 1918 when the capital was transferred to Moscow.2. USA (Florida): settled in 1876, one of the settlers being Peter A. Demens. The city was named after his birthplace in Russia.