Clearwater, Florida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| 1st incorporation date | 1891 |
| 2nd Incorporation date | 1915 |
| Zip Codes | 33755-65 |
| County | Pinellas (county seat) |
| Mayor | Frank Hibbard |
| Population - City (2005) - Tampa Bay Metro |
108,687 2,600,000 (estimate) |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5 |
| Latitude Longitude |
27°58' N 82°46' W |
| City of Clearwater's Official Website | |
Clearwater is a city located in central Pinellas County, Florida, USA, nearly due west of Tampa. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787; however, according to the 2005 U.S. Census Bureau's estimates, the city's population fell slightly to 108,687. [1] It is the county seat of Pinellas County.GR6 It is the smallest of the three large cities that constitute the Tampa Bay area.
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[edit] History
Present-day Clearwater was originally the home of the Tocobagan Indian tribe. Around 1835, the U.S. Army began construction of Fort Harrison as an outpost during the Seminole wars. The fort was located on a bluff overlooking Clearwater Harbor in an area known today as Harbor Oaks. University of South Florida archeologists excavated the site in 1977 after Alfred C. Wyllie discovered an underground ammunition bunker while digging a swimming pool on his estate.
The area's population grew in 1842, after the Federal Armed Occupation Act of 1842 offered 160 acres to anyone who would bear arms and cultivate the land. Early settlers included the Stevens, Stevenson and McMullen families, who claimed and farmed large tracts of land. Prior to 1906, the area was known as Clear Water Harbor. The name "Clear Water" is thought to have come from a fresh water spring flowing from near where the City Hall building is located today. There were many other freshwater springs that dotted the bayfront, many in the bay itself, which were the reason for the crystal clear water found there.
Originally part of Hillsborough County, the first road joining Clearwater and Tampa was built in 1849, which dramatically reduced the prior day-long commute between the cities. The first US Post Office for Pinellas County was built on the site of the present Turner Street Dock Park, circa 1859.
During the civil war, Union gunboats repeatedly raided the city's supplies as most of the able-bodied men were away fighting for the Confederate States of America army. The city began booming in late 19th century, prompted by Henry B. Plant building the first passenger railroad line into the city 1888. Clearwater was incorporated as a town in 1891 and James E. Crane became the town's first mayor [2]. The town's reputation as a tourist destination grew in popularity when Plant built the Belleview Biltmore in 1897.
By the early 1900s, Clearwater's population had grown to around 400, ballooning to nearly 1,000 in the winter. Clearwater was reincorporated, this time as a city, on May 27, 1915, and made the county seat for Pinellas County, which broke from Hillsborough County in 1912. Also in 1915, a bridge was built across Clearwater Harbor, joining the city with modern-day Clearwater Beach. Remnants of the original bridge still remain as boating hazards in the harbor's shallows.
During World War II, Clearwater became a major training base for U.S. troops destined for Europe and the Pacific. Virtually every hotel in the area, including the historic Belleview Biltmore and Fort Harrison Hotel, became luxury barracks for new recruits. Vehicle traffic regularly stopped for companies of soldiers marching through downtown, and nighttime blackouts to confuse potential enemy bombers were common practice. The remote and isolated Dan's Island, now Sand Key, was used as a target for US Army Air Corps fighter-bombers for straffing and bombing practice.
[edit] Geography
Clearwater is located at (27.973644, -82.764271).GR1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 97.7 km² (37.7 mi²). 65.5 km² (25.3 mi²) of it is land and 32.2 km² (12.4 mi²) of it (32.98%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 108,787 people, 48,449 households, and 27,422 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,660.8/km² (4,302.1/mi²). There were 56,802 housing units at an average density of 867.2/km² (2,246.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.85% White, 9.79% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.48% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.97% of the population. Although the hispanic population (mostly Mexican Americans) is very small, they had made significant contributions to the city [3], [4].
There were 48,449 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,494, and the median income for a family was $46,228. Males had a median income of $31,067 versus $25,066 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,786. About 8.4% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Population History of Clearwater from the U.S. Census Bureau
- 1900 343
- 1910 1,171
- 1920 2,427
- 1930 7,607
- 1940 10,136
- 1950 15,581
- 1960 34,653
- 1970 52,074
- 1980 85,170
- 1990 98,669
- 2000 108,787
Source: United States Census Bureau
[edit] Government
The City of Clearwater is administered by a Council-Manager form of government, and the City Manager serves as the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the City.
The Clearwater City Council comprises the Mayor and four Council members each of whom serves a three year term. The Council is responsible for setting policies and making decisions on local government issues including tax rates, annexations, property code variances and large contract awards. The Council strives to maintain Clearwater's reputation as an innovative leader in the delivery of municipal services while developing programmes, practices, policies and procedures that work within a conservative budget and strives to achieve a high level of citizen satisfaction.
The City Manager and City Council are supported by the various City Departments, each of which provides valuable public services to the successful operation and improvement of the City of Clearwater, its residents, businesses, and visitors.
See also: List of Mayors of Clearwater, Florida.
[edit] Colleges
- Clearwater Christian College
- St. Petersburg College
- Florida Metropolitan University
- Pinellas Technical Education Center
[edit] Scientology
The worldwide spiritual headquarters of the Church of Scientology is the Flag Land Base a.k.a. the Flag Service Organization, located in downtown Clearwater. It was opened in 1975 when operations of several high level Scientology orgs were moved ashore from the several ships on which they were formerly located. These ships themselves were known as Flag.
Clearwater is considered the Mecca of Scientology, as some of the highest-level services available in the church are offered here, and the church's most highly trained specialists in their respective fields are stationed at Flag. Only members of the church's elite Sea Organization man the base. Delivery of the church's services, many of which are entrusted exclusively to Flag, takes place in a complex of over 40 buildings. It is because of Flag that Clearwater boasts the world's largest community of Scientologists outside of Los Angeles.
The largest building in the campus is currently the Fort Harrison Hotel. However, the church is currently putting the finishing touches on its newest and largest property which will be connected to the Fort Harrison. Known as the Super Power Building, or Flag Mecca, this will become Pinellas County's largest complex of buildings. Construction is currently at a stand-still for unknown reasons, but the complex is slated to open in late 2007.
Due to the growth of the church in the area, and particularly the economic boom due to its construction and takeovers in the city, area residents have slowly begun to tolerate the church's presence. The topic has nevertheless remained a 'hot-button' issue, particularly when and if the Super Power Building is finally opened after several years of unexplained delays. However, the shroud of secrecy widely associated with Scientology's day-to-day operations as well as its numerous ongoing controversies have resulted in many Clearwater residents retaining their skepticism towards the church.
[edit] Trivia
- In 1964, one of the last episodes of the TV series Route 66 was filmed on Oak and Turner streets near the present-day Pinellas County Courthouse.
- In 1965, the cast of the TV series Flipper came to the Lagoon Hotel on Clearwater Beach to film an episode.
- In 1965, the Rolling Stones played to an audience of 3000 fans at Jack Russell Baseball Stadium. The opening act was a singer, little-known at the time, by the name of Glen Campbell.
- In 1996, a 60-foot-tall, oily image resembling the Virgin Mary appeared on the side of a glass office building in Clearwater. The site has drawn a steady audience of believers and onlookers ever since its discovery. The building was formerly a bank but is now used as a shrine after the building's purchase by the Shepherds of Christ ministry. On March 1, 2004, a vandal used a slingshot to destroy the uppermost three glass panels that made up the image. Driven by guilt, 18-year old Kyle Maskell confessed to the vandalism and was jailed for 10 days and ordered to pay the ministry $1,200 for the damage. (This was not the first act of vandalism on the image: Previously, someone had thrown acid on the windows, but the image re-appeared.) See Marian apparitions.
- The original Hooters Restaurant was begun on October 4, 1983 in Clearwater. It now has over 350 franchises.
- Tech Data was founded in Clearwater in 1974. Tech Data Corporation is a leading distributor of IT products, with more than 90,000 customers in over 100 countries.
- Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies hold spring training in Clearwater and play exhibition games at Clearwater's Bright House Networks Field.
- The town is home to the Clearwater Threshers baseball club of the Florida State League.
- The Eckerd drugstore (now owned by Jean Coutu) chain headquarters were located in Pinellas Park, Florida, founded by Jack Eckerd a long-time resident of Clearwater, now deceased. Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater was named to thank the Eckerds for their donations, which were used to build the facility in 1983.
- The Belleview Biltmore Hotel (now in adjoining Belleair) built in 1897, is one of the largest wooden hotel structures in the United States. Once a posh resort for movie stars and socialites during the early and mid-1900s, as of 2006, the hotel is in disrepair and will be demolished for condominiums unless "Save the Biltmore" a local preservation group can find a sponsor and funds to bring it back to its full glory. This task is still underway.
- NASCAR driver Michael Dokken is from the city.
- The very first Saturn automobile was sold by Saturn of Clearwater. The blue 1991 SL sedan is currently displayed in their showroom.
- Clearwater, Florida and Nagano, Japan have enjoyed a Sister City relationship since 1959, when the Mayor of Nagano, Itaru Kurashima, came to the U.S. in search of a Sister City with a similar economic and community situation.
[edit] Annual events
- Imagine International Film Festival
- Clearwater Jazz Festival
[edit] Art and Culture
[edit] External links
- City of Clearwater
- The History of Clearwater - By CSI
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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