Clearwater, Florida

Introduction to Clearwater, Florida

First incorporated as a town in 1891, and then reincorporated as a city in 1915, Clearwater is located on the Florida's central Gulf coast in Pinellas County. It is the county seat of Pinellas county. Clearwater is thirty-five minutes west of Tampa, and thirty minutes northwest of St Petersburg.

The original inhabitants of what is now Clearwater were the Tocobagan Indian tribe. The first settlement of the area was around 1835 when the US Army built Fort Harrison as an outpost during the Seminole wars. During the civil war, Clearwater was repeatedly raided by Union gunboats after Clearwater's supplies.

Clearwater is conveniently located near two major airports: Tampa International Airport and St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport. It is also near several major highways.

Clearwater was a "finalist community" for the coveted National Civic League "All-America City Award" in 2004. Clearwater is home to the worldwide "spiritual headquarters" of the Church of Scientology, also known as "Flag Land Base". Clearwater was also home to the first Hooters Restaurant. One Fortune 500 company, Tech Data, is headquartered in Clearwater. Many more are headquartered in nearby Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Clearwater High School has received the "Five Star School Award" from the Florida Department of Education as a school that has shown evidence of exemplary community involvement.

Clearwater Arts and Culture

Clearwater provides easy access to all of the fun and leisure attractions of nearby Tampa and St. Petersburg. Some attractions of note in and around Clearwater include:

• Clearwater's magnificent beaches
• The Clearwater Fine Arts Show
• The Clearwater Pier 60 Make A Difference Children’s Fishing Tournament
• The Clearwater Marine Aquarium
• The Dunedin Fine Art Center/ David L. Mason Children's Art Museum
• The Florida Botanical Gardens
• The Gulf Coast Museum Of Art
• Heritage Village
• The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
• The Medieval Brass Rubbing Center and Museum
• Moccasin Lake Nature Park
• Sunsets at Pier 60, Pier 60, Clearwater Beach
• The Pinewood Cultural Park

For sports fans, Clearwater is home to the Philadelphia Phillies for spring training. The Phillies play their spring exhibition games at Clearwater's Bright House Networks Field. Clearwater is also home to a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team, the Clearwater Threshers of the Florida State League. The Threshers are a Class A Advanced affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

There are many other sports attractions in nearby Tampa, including:

• The Arena Football League's (AFL) Tampa Bay Storm
• Major League Baseball's (MLB) Tampa Bay Devil Rays
• The National Hockey League's (NHL) Tampa Bay Lightning
• The National Football League's (NFL) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

For college sports fans, nearby Tampa is also home to college football's Outback Bowl.

Nearby Cities and Towns

High Points

Clearwater strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Florida):

Category	Trophy
Public Transportation Use (vs. State)	Top 9%
Walking and Biking to Work (vs. Peers)	Top 14%