Pinellas County Florida   Located in West Florida

Pinellas County Cities

Land area (rank): 280 square miles (66)
Population 1993 (rank): 864,953 (5)
Population density 1993 (rank): 3,089 persons per square mile (1)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 16.9% (55)

Physical Characteristics

Pinellas County is bordered by Tampa Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and Pasco and Hillsborough counties. The county has 71 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 62.1 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 82.7 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 54.53 inches.

History

Pinellas County was established in 1911 from a portion of Hillsborough County. The name is derived from Spanish "Punto Pinal," meaning "point of pines."

Population

In 1993, 70% of Pinellas County's population was in incorporated areas. The county has 24 incorporated places ranging in size from St. Petersburg, with a 1993 population of 239,701, to Belleair Shore with a 1993 population of 60. Clearwater has the second greatest population (100,768), followed by Largo (66,369). In 1990 the most populous unincorporated area was Palm Harbor, with a population of 50,256. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Pinellas County (with Hernando, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties) as the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 1993, 91% of Pinellas County's population was white and 9% was nonwhite. In 1990, 2.3% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 100.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 11.2 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 14.0 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 9.1 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 70.0% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 3.3%. In 1990, 78.1% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 18.5% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Florida Beacon Bible College, Largo; Schiller International University-Fl. Campus, Dunedin; Clearwater Christian College, Tampa College-Pinellas, Clearwater; Eckerd College, St. Petersburg Junior College, St. Petersburg; University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus.

Economy

The per capita income for 1993 was $24,470 (7th highest in the state). The median household income was $26,296 in 1989. In 1989, 6.2% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 18.6% of personal income was derived from transfer payments. Employers of the greatest numbers of persons in the services sector were medical and other health services and business services. In the retail trade sector the leading employers were eating and drinking establishments and general merchandise stores. Electrical equipment and supplies and printing and publishing firms accounted for the greatest employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1992 there were 124 farms in Pinellas County, totalling 4,123 acres (2% of land in the county). In 1991, 6,565,411 pounds of fish and 1,195,613 pounds of shellfish were landed in Pinellas County.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $73,800
Median monthly rent 1990: $393
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 11.4
Housing starts 1992: 3,325
Housing starts 1993: 3,160

In 1992 the price level index for Pinellas County was 101.16 (9th highest in the state).

Local Government

Pinellas County is a charter county. For the year ending September 30, 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 6.3010, and the total taxable value of property was $29,851,287,674. Taxable sales totalled $7598.10 million in 1992 and $7969.70 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $126,447 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Pinellas County's revenues totalled $776,974 thousand ($907.9 per capita) and its expenditures $846,550 thousand ($989.2 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 71.5% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 41.5% were registered Democrat and 47.4% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election, 38.0% of the votes were cast for Clinton, 37.6% for Bush, and 23.9% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Festival of the Epiphany, Tarpon Springs, January; Dunedin Highland Games and Scottish Festival, April; Pirate Days Celebration, Treasure Island, July; Beachfest, St. Petersburg Beach, September; Southland Regatta, St. Petersburg, October; Annual Seminole Bluegrass and Arts Festival, Clearwater; Country Jubilee, Largo, October; Museum of Fines Arts, Pier, Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg; Spongeorama Exhibit Center, Tarpon Springs, Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, Indian Shores.