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 and Salvador Dalí museums. Eckerd College, St. Petersburg College, the Stetson Univ. College of Law, and a campus of the Univ. of South Florida 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.
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