St. Petersburg:: The Sunshine City

By R. Wayne Ayers

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781439627822

R. Wayne Ayers

Today, the area is a fascinating blend of old and new, full of history, scenery, and recreational opportunities. As this engaging new postcard history by R. Wayne Ayers attests, Ohio�s Lake Erie Vacationland has managed to preserve and enhance the best of its vintage charm, while gracefully adapting to our ever-changing world. Join us for a truly remarkable journey through the past that lingers on Ohio�s sandy Lake Erie shores.

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Petersburg.

One

PROMOTING THE SUNSHINE CITY

This card says it was Great to be in St. Petersburg in the early 1900s. The scene captures some of the major attractions St. Petersburg held for the tourists: sailing, boating, fishing, a Million-Dollar Pier, lavish hotels, and a magnificent climate allowing year-round enjoyment of it all.

St. Petersburg was aptly termed a Golfer’s Paradise, offering the ideal climate for year-round play. This 1924 promotional brochure boasts courses and surroundings that are refreshingly different from northern links. Many of the golf greats of the day—Walter Hagen, Gene Sarasen, and Bobby Jones—regularly played St. Petersburg courses.

Attracted by the multitudes of fish in the area, Spaniards established fishing ranchos along the Pinellas Coast long before the white settlers arrived. In fact, Pinellas Point was shown as Fisherman’s Point on early maps. Fishing provided a good livelihood to Spanish fishermen who carried on a lucrative business with the fish markets in Cuba.

Sun bathing was a prime attraction in the Sunshine City. The warm, hospitable climate was especially appealing to Northerners during the frozen winter months, and St. Petersburg could offer more than thirty-three miles of shoreline featuring water attractions extraordinaire.