Water, Water Everywhere

PINELLAS COUNTY AT A GLANCE

LAND AREA (SQUARE MILES): 280
PERSONS PER SQUARE MILE (2000): 3,292
POPULATION (2004 ESTIMATE): 926,146
POPULATION INCREASE (1990-2000): 8.2 percent
COLLEGE GRADUATES: 22.9 percent
MEAN TRAVEL TIME TO WORK (MINUTES): 23.6
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME (1999): $37,111

BEACHES

Some of the region's best beaches lie on the west side of Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County, stretching 35 miles from Fort De Soto on the southern tip of the peninsula and stretching north to Fred H. Howard Park in Tarpon Springs. There are 12 beachfront communities from Dunedin south, each with its own government and its own idiosyncrasies. Here are some beach community highlights.

Fort De Soto, a county park, was chosen the best beach in the United States again in 2005 by "Dr. Beach," a.k.a. Dr. Stephen Leatherman, a coastal scientist who comes up with a Top 10 list of beaches each year. A visit to Fort De Soto will easily prove the wisdom of his choice; think generous drifts of sugar-soft sand combined with incredible views. There's also a beachfront campground where even dogs are welcome.

For those seeking more luxurious beachfront accommodations, head a little south to the historic Don CeSar Beach Resort, a pink confection of a structure opened in 1928.

Then, for a less formal drink and stroll, Pass-A-Grille's Hurricane Restaurant is a perfect stop-off point. Climb to the top of this landmark eatery for a panoramic beach view.

There are three other substantial beach parks in Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County. Sand Key Park, on the tip of the Sand Key barrier island, overlooks Clearwater Pass as well as the Gulf of Mexico. Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area, just across the causeway from Dunedin, was originally marketed in the 1940s as a getaway for newlyweds, who were invited to ensconce themselves in quaint thatched huts.

If you're looking to get even farther away, head to Caladesi Island. Accessible only by private boat or a ferry from Honeymoon Island, Caladesi is one of the few completely unspoiled islands left along Florida's Gulf Cost. You can loll by the seashore or hike the three-mile nature trail through the island's interior. Serious beach aficionados consider Caladesi's shoreline to be pretty much unsurpassed.

If you're looking for a single-family home along the Pinellas beaches, you'll find little new construction. Condominiums, however, are popping up in many areas.

Madeira Bay, a new waterfront development located across from the John's Pass Village shopping area, will include townhomes, condos, two restaurants and a 2,000-square-foot conference center. Across the street, construction of a 325-space parking garage and retail complex at John's Pass is proceeding.

In St. Pete Beach, the TradeWinds Resorts is converting 288 of the 585 units at Island Grand to condominiums following extensive renovations in 2004.

CENTRAL PINELLAS

While Pinellas residents play at the beaches, many live, work and shop in Central Pinellas. The cities of Seminole, Largo and Pinellas Park all seem to blend together, but their location in the middle of the Pinellas peninsula certainly make them convenient.

Much of the county's industrial heart is in the central region as well. While tourism remains Pinellas' biggest industry, manufacturing is making inroads. In fact, the county is second in the state in number of manufacturing employees.

Location has made condominiums near the west side of the Gandy Bridge popular for buyers who need to commute to Tampa, yet want to remain close to Pinellas' beaches and other amenities.

This densely populated area began booming in the late 19th century, when the Orange Belt Railroad made it a vital center of the Florida citrus industry.

Heritage Village in Largo is a testament to that era, where a park encompasses a village made up of 22 structures, some dating back to the mid-19th century. There's a log house, said to be the oldest existing structure in the county, and the Victorian-era Seven Gables House. You can even visit an old school, church, railroad depot and store.

CLEARWATER

When Scott Daniels met his future wife in Clearwater more than 20 years ago, he asked her to move up north with him and start their lives together. The idea received a less-than-enthusiastic response.

"I would never leave paradise!" Marcy Daniels emphatically told her husband-to-be.

Taking stock of the situation, Scott saw what his future bride saw and needed no further convincing. Today, Scott and Marcy are realtors for Coldwell Banker, selling Clearwater as their personal vision of the Garden of Eden.

The area's charms were spotted early. Spanish explorers discovered freshwater springs burbling from tall bluffs overlooking the harbor, and named the area "Clear Water." The springs are now gone, but the name lives on.

Fort Harrison occupied the bluffs during the Seminole Indian War. The fort was built as a recuperation center for soldiers, and offered views of Clearwater Harbor and the barrier island that is Cleawater Beach. Indeed, it's hard to imagine a nicer place to heal. These days, that same harbor view is accessible to everyone at Clearwater's Coachman Park, home to the annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday Weekend, held every October, as well as other musical and athletic events year round.

Clearwater became the county seat when Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County separated from Tampa" target="_blank">Hillsborough County in 1912. It's now the county's second-largest municipality, behind St. Petersburg.

Tourism also arrived early in Clearwater. When Henry Plant brought the railroad to town in 1897, he also built the Belleview Biltmore Hotel on a bluff just south of Clearwater proper in Belleair. The 247-room wooden structure, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, remains in business under the name Belleview Biltmore Resort.

While Clearwater is most famous as a winter tourist destination, it has also evolved into a bustling year-round community. The housing selection varies, but a popular address remains Countryside, a master-planned country-club community started by US Home in the late 1970s. Although it's now completely built-out, the average price for resale homes is approaching $300,000, with million-dollar sales around the golf course becoming more common.

"The library, the mall and the schools are nearby, so it's a very convenient location," says Joyce Lower, a RE/MAX Mutual realtor. "When I bought my house in Countryside from a retiree, the people next door were retirees and everybody on the street had gray hair. But now we have plenty of families. It's much more mixed than it used to be. It's a very pleasant place. I love it here."

With land ever more scarce, new residential development in Clearwater tends to be multifamily. Condominiums planned along the city's waterfront and in its downtown will continue to alter the skyline. The $40 million Station Square, with 126 units, is the first major new residential development downtown in 40 years.

But it's the beaches, across the newly built Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge from downtown, that are seeing the most activity as mom-and-pop motels are replaced with high-rises. Many of these projects are selling out long before the first earth is turned. The new fixed-span bridge to Clearwater Beach, which replaced the old drawbridge, makes access to these hot new communities even easier.

DUNEDIN

Dunedin's small but robust downtown should be the envy of many other cities that have tried but failed to breathe new life into their city centers.

The catalyst for this downtown's renaissance was the Pinellas Trail, an abandoned railroad corridor that now delivers gaggles of thirsty skaters and bicyclists directly to Dunedin's Main Street. There are plenty of restaurants to accommodate the crowds, some featuring outdoor seating. Popular choices include Casa Tina's, Kelly's for Just About Everything, Flanagan's Hunt Irish Pub, Dunedin Brewery and the Black Pearl.

Lucky Dunedin residents also have quick access to nationally ranked beaches across a causeway to Honeymoon Island State Park and via a ferry to Caladesi Island State Park.

Dunedin is the oldest city in Florida south of Cedar Key. It became a major seaport in the mid-1800s after a dock was built large enough to accommodate schooners and sloops. Originally called "Jonesboro," after a general store owner, it got its present name in 1882 when two Scottish merchants circulated a petition calling for the post office to be named Dunedin, after the city in Scotland.

Still proud of its Scottish heritage, modern-day Dunedin hosts a Highland Games each spring. In addition, art lovers flock to the Dunedin Art Harvest each fall while the Toronto Blue Jays come to town each year for spring training.

Waterfront properties, both single-family homes and condos, are extremely desirable in Dunedin but inventory is tight.

Susan Littlejohn, owner and broker of Susan Littlejohn Realty, has lived in Dunedin since 1952. "Through all the development, the downtown has stayed very charming," says Littlejohn, who's also president of the Dunedin Historical Society. "We went into a slump in the early '90s, and the Dunedin Merchants Association remade its image as cute and artsy. We lured new restaurants and we succeeded."

Most homes in the immediate vicinity of downtown are older. Of special interest are the vintage charmers lining Victoria Drive, many of which were built in the 1880s. "It's a wonderful, shell-crunched drive that hasn't changed in all this time, and nobody wants it to change," Littlejohn says. "If you were visiting downtown you would never know this drive was there. When I'm showing clients our city, I save it for last."

And what would a town with ties to Scotland be without a golf course? Donald Ross designed the original Dunedin Country Club course in 1927. The Dunedin Isles Country Club was privately held until the course was deeded to the city in 1938. Seven years later, the PGA leased the course and changed its name to the PGA National Golf Club, where it was headquartered during the 1950s.

In the 1970s, retirement condominium complexes such as Patrician Oaks, Heather Lakes, Douglas Arms and Heather Hills were built.

"Very few condos there are not intended for seniors," Littlejohn says. "There are hundreds of these units; you're lucky if there's one on the market on any given day."

But there are some luxurious new condominium projects under way that aren't age-restricted. The Dunedin Grand, for example, has just 18 units, and prices range from $950,000 to $2.7 million.

EAST LAKE/PALM HARBOR

East Lake and Palm Harbor sit side-by-side in northern Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County, divided by huge Lake Tarpon. Both communities are unincorporated, although Palm Harbor boasts a charming downtown with a number of historic buildings. Thousands come there for its many festivals during the year, including the Palm Harbor Chamber Arts, Crafts and Musical Festival in December.

While most of Palm Harbor is built-out, two quaint villages with eclectic housing remain. Ozona, west of Alternate U.S. 19, is older than Palm Harbor and boasts its own post office as well as a popular circa-1900 recreation center, which was financed largely by bake-sale proceeds. The community, which began as a fishing village, was originally called "Yellow Bluff" because it sat on a high mound of yellow sand visible from the bay. The name was discarded because boosters feared it would bring to mind Yellow Fever.

The current, less-frightening moniker may have been suggested by two doctors from Chicago and St. Louis who brought asthmatic patients to the area for treatment. Although "ozone" doesn't have entirely favorable connotations today, at the time it was thought to suggest invigorating breezes.

A little north of Ozona-and decidedly off the beaten track-is Crystal Beach, a tiny, Key West-style community with an eclectic assortment of homes.

"Somebody local has to take you by the hand to show you where it is," says Lori Polin, a realtor with RE/MAX Mutual. "It's definitely worth the trip."

Until about 20 years ago, there were more cows than people in East Lake, which was home to sprawling Boot Ranch. Today, the only vestige of the community's ranching heritage is the "Boot Ranch" name on a subdivision and an Albertsons/Target complex. A huge orange concrete cowboy boot that once marked the edge of Boot Ranch now welcomes grocery shoppers.

Most homes here are newer and built on larger lots or in master-planned communities. However, the county managed to keep one piece of land in the area pristine, to remind residents what the area looked like before development. The 8,000-acre Brooker Creek Preserve, located on the Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County border with Tampa" target="_blank">Pasco County, is truly a wilderness oasis in the midst of suburbia.

While most people call the area East Lake, residents typically have either Palm Harbor, Oldsmar or Tarpon Springs addresses.

Unsurprisingly, the residential home market is hot, hot, hot in both East Lake and Palm Harbor.

"Homes sell within one week, if not one hour," says Polin. "I recently had a new listing in East Lake and within three hours, I had three contracts, the highest one $15,000 over the asking price. A lot of these listings don't even get on the MLS anymore. They put an ad in the paper and just sell them."

Another reason for the area's popularity is the presence of nationally ranked Palm Harbor University High School.

OLDSMAR

Maybe it makes sense that a city founded by Ransom E. Olds, of Oldsmobile automobile fame, was until recently mostly thought of as a place you had to drive through to get somewhere else.

Indeed, for decades Oldsmar was best known for its huge flea market and the nearby Tampa Bay Downs horse track. But local boosters wised up in recent years, recognizing that the city's strategic location at the top of Tampa Bay and on Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County's border with Tampa" target="_blank">Hillsborough County made it a desirable relocation destination for business, manufacturing and industry.

And even as road widening made the trip through the center of Oldsmar faster, motorists started finding more reasons to slow down and stop. One of the region's largest movie houses, AMC Woodlands 20, is located here. A variety of retailers put down roots. And, in a business recruiting coup, A.C. Nielsen, the research firm that measures television viewership, relocated its international headquarters here from Dunedin in 2004.

North and south of Tampa Road, Oldsmar is two distinct communities in many ways. The southern part, tucked between Tampa Road and Old Tampa Bay, is the portion founded by R.E. Olds. But many of the modest older homes that sit on the city's long shoreline on the top of Tampa Bay are being torn down and replaced with million-dollar-plus mansions.

"There's not a lot of undeveloped land in the old part of Oldsmar," says Kevin Gartland, president and CEO of the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce. "But we still see new signs popping up all the time."

North of Tampa Road, in The Estuary at Mobbly Bay, Hannah Bartoletta Homes is building about 80 custom homes with prices starting at $650,000. And two mixed-use projects with residential elements will break ground soon.

The Oldsmar Galleria, with shops, offices and condominiums, will be in the redeveloped Town Center area along State Street. And the city is negotiating with the same developer for Olds Square, an office and retail project with 100 to 125 residential units.

SAFETY HARBOR

It was the springs, bubbling up on the shores overlooking Tampa Bay, that first brought people to Safety Harbor. The Timucua Indians, who called the area "Tocobaga," were here when the Spanish explorers Panfilo de Navarez and Hernando de Soto dropped by. De Soto, who was looking for the legendary Fountain of Youth, was particularly interested in the springs, which he named "Espiritu Santo."

The springs continue to lure those seeking to stem the ravages of age. The world-famous Safety Harbor Spa and Resort, which attracts visitors from across the country, is built over the springs and still uses its healthful waters for some spa treatments.

But mostly, Safety Harbor remains a bedroom community for Tampa.

"Its close proximity to Tampa is a real attraction for Safety Harbor," says Coldwell Banker's Marcy Daniels. "Each neighborhood offers a variety of different housing styles. There are brick streets lined with century-old shade trees, and many bayfront homes have a view of Tampa's skyline."

Safety Harbor also has the distinction of being the home of the first non-native settler on the Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County peninsula. Count Odet Philippe, who claimed to be a friend and personal physician of Napoleon Bonaparte, acquired 160 acres of land in Safety Harbor in 1842.

Philippe is credited with introducing citrus growing and cigar making to the area. The 122-acre Philippe Park, overlooking the bay, was part of the original Philippe plantation. Moderately hilly and shaded by large oaks, the park provides a cool respite on a sunny day.

ST. PETERSBURG

St. Petersburg has undergone a complete personality change in the past 15 years. The once-sleepy city, nicknamed "Heaven's Waiting Room" for the plethora of senior citizens who spent their final winters here, is now bursting at the seams with new energy, new residents and new architecture.

In other words, this isn't your grandfather's St. Petersburg anymore.

In fact, the burgeoning city is a leader in urban redevelopment, channeling a series of bold new projects into its downtown waterfront district. A slew of hotels, condominium towers, museums, restaurants and retail shops are either under way or on the drawing board.

Downtown St. Pete is already a vibrant place. There's the BayWalk entertainment complex, which includes restaurants, shopping and a 20-screen movie theater. Baseball lovers can cheer on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays playing at Tropicana Field. And the city becomes an urban racetrack once a year when the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg comes to town.

Add to that plenty of good restaurants, antique shops, a historic pier and a series of waterfront parks along Tampa Bay and you get a community that ranks high on any quality-of-life index.

"St. Petersburg is undergoing a classic urban revitalization," says Mary Potter, a sales associate with Tourtelot Brothers. "I was once told that you truly know that a downtown is revitalized when it has a grocery store and a gas station. We have Publix now, and I'll bet someone is getting ready to put a gas station in."

Realtors are seeing another interesting phenomenon: families buying condominiums in town so the youngsters can be closer to their grandparents.

"For a long time, we couldn't find any children here," says Potter. "That's changing by the hour."

St. Petersburg proper got its start in 1875, when developer John Williams of Detroit bought 2,500 acres of land on Tampa Bay. He planned a city with parks and broad streets, features still there today.

But while Williams had a vision for a city, it was a Russian aristocrat who helped him make the vision a reality. Williams made a deal with Piotr Alexeitch Dementieff, an exile of noble birth, offering him an interest in the land if Dementieff would build a railroad into the territory. In 1888 the enterprising Russian, who had simplified his name to Peter Demens, made good on his part of the deal when the first train on the Orange Belt Line chugged into town carrying empty freight cars and a shoe salesman from Savannah.

But the rail line was costly, and Demens fell into debt. The situation became so dire that laborers and creditors were constantly threatening to lynch him for nonpayment.

But Demens did get something in return for his effort. The story goes that Williams and Demens tossed a coin to decide a new name for the town. Demens won, and the city was dubbed "St. Petersburg," after the majestic Russian city from which he hailed. As a consolation prize, Williams named the city's first hotel, dubbing it The Detroit after his own hometown.

Downtown St. Petersburg is surrounded by a variety of neighborhoods, generally boasting plenty of trees, wide streets and sidewalks ideal for taking evening strolls. Old Northeast, for example, is a shady historic district dating back to the early part of the 20th century. There you'll find an array of architectural styles, including Bungalow, Colonial, Mediterranean and even Prairie-style homes.

All that, plus residents enjoy a waterfront city park that offers an Olympic-size pool, tennis courts, baseball fields, walking/biking trails and a dog park. The area is also convenient to numerous community shindigs. Vinoy Park, adjacent to the restored Vinoy Hotel, is the site of art festivals, concerts and other happenings held several weekends each month.

"The Old Northeast is attractive to young, upper-income couples and families with children who enjoy the big neighborhood trick-or-treating Halloween events," Potter says. "I also find that retired couples who enjoy early-morning and evening walks in the park are drawn to the Old Northeast." Other Old Northeast neighborhoods include Coffee Pot Bayou, Snell Isle, Placido Bayou and Mirror Lake.

The Old Southeast, a rapidly evolving community that starts where the University of South Florida, Salvador Dali Museum and Poynter Institute for Media Studies end, is equally dynamic and desirable-but somewhat more affordable.

This area offers its own assortment of distinctive historic homes, many either on Tampa Bay or just a short walk away. And prices are about 70 percent of what comparable homes in the Old Northeast might cost.

"A bay view is a bay view," Potter says. "People want water, water, water. Water is liquid gold. With entrepreneurs pouring in from the Northeast looking for waterfront opportunities, the prices are unheard of."

Also surrounding the Old Southeast are other alluring older neighborhoods, including Roser Park and Bayboro.

TARPON SPRINGS

More than 100 years ago, Greek sponge fishermen left Key West for Tarpon Springs when plentiful beds of the squishy sea creatures were discovered off the coast.

The impact of the fishermen and their families was both immediate and lasting. To this day, Tarpon Springs remains steeped in Greek culture. The Chamber of Commerce uses Greek alphabet characters along with traditional lettering on its Web site. The honey-laced baklava pastry is a common dessert at restaurants. And St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, a replica of St. Sophia in Constantinople, remains a focal point of the community.

"Tarpon Springs' connection to its Greek community is enviable and special," says realtor Marcy Daniels of Coldwell Banker. "The flavor of this city is a blend of Mediterranean and modern Florida."

The annual Jan. 6 celebration of Epiphany, the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, is still Tarpon Springs' biggest event. Indeed, it's thought to be the biggest Epiphany celebration in the Western Hemisphere, attended by tens of thousands.

But there's plenty to see and do in Tarpon Springs all year round. Tourists flock to the historic sponge docks on the Anclote River, where there are a variety of small shops and educational exhibits showing the cumbersome diving suits once worn by sponge divers.

Not surprisingly, new residential construction in Tarpon Springs has reached unprecedented levels. High-end town homes are rising on the scenic Anclote River for the first time.

City and county government recognized in recent years that the world was discovering Tarpon Springs and set about prettying things up; the biggest Florida Department of Transportation road project in Tarpon Springs' history started this year. Two miles of Alternate U.S. 19 and one mile of Tarpon Avenue, mostly in the city's redevelopment area, will be resurfaced, and new sidewalks, landscaping, historic street lighting, benches and bicycle racks will be added as part of the $12 million project.