| Pinellas County, Florida | ||
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Location in the state of Florida |
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Florida's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | May 23, 1911 | |
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| Named for | Punta Piñal | |
| Seat | Clearwater | |
| Largest city | St. Petersburg | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
607.67 sq mi (1,574 km²) 279.92 sq mi (725 km²) 327.75 sq mi (849 km²), 53.94% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
916,542 3,274/sq mi (1,264.19/km²) |
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| Website | www.pinellascounty.org/ | |
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida,[1] and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813. Pinellas County, together with Hillsborough County, Hernando County, and Pasco County, comprise the Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan area, which along with Manatee County and Sarasota County, is often referred to as the Tampa Bay Area.
The county's government website won a "Sunny Award" in 2010 for its proactive disclosure of government data from Sunshine Review.[2]
Contents |
Pinellas County seceded from Hillsborough County in 1912, and was named for the Spanish Punta Piñal ("Point of Pines" or "Piney Point"). The Pinellas Peninsula, dividing Tampa Bay from the Gulf of Mexico, and a small part of the mainland were incorporated into the county.
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 607.67 square miles (1,573.9 km2), of which 279.92 square miles (725.0 km2) (46.06%) is land and 327.75 square miles (848.9 km2) (53.94%) is water.[3]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 28,265 |
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| 1930 | 62,149 | 119.9% | |
| 1940 | 91,852 | 47.8% | |
| 1950 | 159,249 | 73.4% | |
| 1960 | 374,665 | 135.3% | |
| 1970 | 522,329 | 39.4% | |
| 1980 | 728,531 | 39.5% | |
| 1990 | 851,659 | 16.9% | |
| 2000 | 921,482 | 8.2% | |
| 2010 | 916,542 | −0.5% | |
| [4][5] | |||
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 921,482 people, 414,968 households, and 243,171 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,271/km² (3,292/sq mi), making it the most densely populated county in Florida. There were 481,573 housing units at an average density of 1,720 per square mile (664/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.85% White, 8.96% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.06% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. 4.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 414,968 households out of which 22.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.80% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.40% were non-families. 34.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% 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 2.77.
In the county the population was spread out with 19.30% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 22.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,111, and the median income for a family was $46,925. Males had a median income of $32,264 versus $26,281 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,497. About 6.70% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.90% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.
Pinellas County population is greater than that of the individual population of the states of Wyoming, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, or Vermont. The population is also greater than the District of Columbia.
Pinellas County cast the majority of its votes for Barack Obama. He won 248,299 votes and 53% of the vote. John McCain won 45% of the vote and 210,066 votes. In 2004, Pinellas County voted the other way and George W. Bush won the pluarity of votes in the county. Bush won 50% of the vote and 225,686 votes. John F. Kerry came in a very close second, winning 225,460 votes and 49.51% of the vote. Pinellas County is a closely divided county with its conservative north and Democratic St. Petersburg.[7]
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 53.6% 248,299 | 45.3% 210,066 |
| 2004 | 49.5% 225,460 | 49.6% 225,686 |
| 2000 | 50.3% 200,657 | 46.4% 184,849 |
| 1996 | 49.1% 184,748 | 40.4% 152,155 |
| 1992 | 38% 160,528 | 37.6% 159,121 |
| 1988 | 41.7% 152,420 | 57.8% 211,049 |
| 1984 | 34.8% 128,574 | 65.2% 240,612 |
| 1980 | 40.1% 138,428 | 53.8% 185,728 |
| 1976 | 48.0% 141,879 | 50.8% 150,003 |
| 1972 | 30.0% 77,197 | 69.8% 179,541 |
| 1968 | 32.3% 68,209 | 51.7% 109,235 |
| 1964 | 55.0% 98,381 | 45.0% 80,414 |
| 1960 | 36.31% 58,054 | 63.7% 101,779 |
Pinellas County has the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) as the public transit provider, with major stops at all local malls and employment centers. There are 197 buses and trolleys that serve 43 routes, in addition to the 2 express routes to downtown Tampa via the Howard Frankland and Gandy Bridges, connecting with HartLine. In addition, PSTA connects with PCPT in Tarpon Springs to continue service to western Pasco County. The 2 main bus terminals are located in downtown Clearwater and downtown St. Petersburg, with routes bisecting and crossing the entire county. During fiscal year 2005-06, PSTA transported 11,400,484 passengers.
The CSX railroad company operates branch lines of the former Seaboard Air Line and Atlantic Coast Line railroads. It has daily rail traffic from north Tampa though Safety Harbor, Clearwater, Largo, and into downtown St. Petersburg and the adjacent industrial areas. As of March 2008, the portion of the railroad in downtown St. Petersburg and the adjacent western industrial areas is abandoned and being dismantled. There is a small rail yard north of downtown St. Petersburg.
The county is served by the Pinellas County Schools district, Eckerd College, the multi-campus St. Petersburg College, and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.
The main campus of Schiller International University is in Largo.[9] Previously it was in Dunedin.[10]
Oldsmar, in Pinellas County, hosts an office of Nielsen Media Research. Most of the employees of Nielsen Media Research work in Oldsmar, and the company's media measurement work originates from the office. The Associated Press said that the Oldsmar building, with a cost figure of $80 million, was "its so-called nerve center." In 2003 the company moved into its Oldsmar complex and consolidated its employees there, with workers from Dunedin and other areas in Pinellas County moving into the Oldsmar building.[11]
SeaCoast Airlines is headquartered in its private terminal on the grounds of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, located in an unincorporated area in the county.[12] Jet America, a proposed airline, was headquartered in an unincorporated area in the county.[13]
Pinellas County has had 911 since 1978. Over the years, the system has evolved many times. Originally, the Sheriffs Office handled north county areas and the City of St. Petersburg the south. In 1987 the Pinellas County Emergency Communications Center was formed and assumed the role of 911 center for the central and northern portions of the County. A year later, "Enhanced 911" was installed countywide. The most recent change to the system occurred in December 1991. The Pinellas County Emergency Communications Center became the primary answering point for all 911 calls within the county.
| Pasco County | ||||
| Gulf of Mexico | Hillsborough County | |||
| Pinellas County, Florida | ||||
| Manatee County |
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