In the early 1900s, St. Petersburg, located on Florida's sunny Gulf Coast, was a place where dreams came true, where fortunes were won, and where thousands came to bask in the city's golden glow. "The Sunshine City" became its nickname and the advertising mantra that helped catapult St. Petersburg from a sleepy backwater of Tampa and a struggling rail stop to one of the nation's most popular tourist destinations. By the 1920s--often referred to as Florida's boom era--St. Petersburg saw fast and furious growth as the city's most significant institutions, buildings, and attractions came into being. Developers and promoters lured countless settlers and tourists from across the country by touting the city's many virtues and its perpetual sunshine. Almost overnight, St. Petersburg was transformed into a popular tourist mecca with a bustling downtown and waterfront, picturesque residential neighborhoods, lush parks and gardens, and the all the attractions of the day. This fascinating time was documented in both word and image by visitors, new residents, and the energetic players that made St. Petersburg boom.

Annotation. Based on our much larger guide to Tampa Bay even driving directions are included. Following are reviews of the full guide: This new edition of Walton's comprehensive guide is a must for visitors. --Bon Voyage. It was very knowledgeable. Told about most of the activities going on in Tampa and St. Petersburg. -- Beverly McChesney. Chelle Koster Walton's third edition of Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coast is out, and it updates all the basics on accommodations, restaurants, natural areas and historic sites alike. This adventure-oriented guide outlines the best in inland and water trips, includes museums and shopping, and provides an outdoor focus and budget-minded focus which will appeal to trip planners. -- Midwest Book Review. A full update of this popular guidebook, previously called the Adventure Guide to Florida's West Coast. This book takes in all the cities, towns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and sandy beaches that grace the Sunshine State's western shore. Covers Tampa Bay to Naples and Everglades National Park to Sanibel Island. Canoeing the Everglades, hiking on Gasparilla Island, exploring the history of Tampa's Ybor City - it's all here! -- Amazon reviewer. A full update of this guidebook, previously called the Adventure Guide to Florida's West Coast. This book takes in all the cities, towns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and sandy beaches that grace the Sunshine State's western shore. Covers Tampa Bay to Naples and Everglades National Park to Sanibel Island. Canoeing the Everglades, hiking on Gasparilla Island, exploring the history of Tampa's Ybor City - it's all here! -- Lissa.

Known as the "Sunshine City," St. Petersburg gained notoriety as a popular destination for seasonal residents during the Florida real estate boom of the 1920s. However, the history of footprints along with shoreline spans thousands of years. Long before the first contact with Spanish conquistadors during the sixteenth century, indigenous cultures flourished along the abundant estuaries and left shell mounds and pottery as evidence of their settlements. After these original inhabitants disappeared, occasional fishing parties from Cuba and the Caribbean visited a largely uninhabited peninsula along Florida's west coast. Indeed, fewer than 500 people resided along the entire Pinellas peninsula on the eve of the Civil War. Throughout the twentieth century, waves of settlers, tourists, and residents encountered a colorful array of speculators and developers. Sometimes known as a winter wonderland for "snowbird" retirees, St. Petersburg tried to reinvent itself after pundits referred to the city as "God's waiting room" by the early 1960s. Fifty years later, much has changed. This book offers a visual portrait of St. Petersburg since the early 1900s. Historical and contemporary photographs in four chapters illustrate St. Petersburg's waterfront heritage, the transformation of its downtown, the establishment of neighborhoods near downtown, and the city's expansion in more recent years. Rather than offering an academic narrative, St. Petersburg Through Time introduces the reader to important moments in the city's vibrant history and encourages further exploration.