St Petersburg
ST Pete is located just south of Tampa on Tampa Bay. It is 245 miles northwest of Miami, 96 miles southwest of Orlando and 250 miles south of Tallahassee. Like Clearwater, any location in the state is less than a days drive.

St Pete, is the state's fourth largest city. It’s a fast growing center of commerce and is aligned with the fast-growing Tampa Bay metropolitan area, which is currently (2005) the largest market in the state.
St. Petersburg has changed from being primarily a retirement center to Hi tech. This change has brought the median age down to 38 and is reflected in the new revitalized downtown areas both in the architecture and the restaurants and shopping facilities. It still does retain historic quality however.
St Pete is still a great to raise a family.
Some stats:

• It has 35 miles of pristine beaches (with 360 days of sunshine),
• 345 miles of coastline,
• 102 municipal parks,
• 37 miles of dedicated trails
• (Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area includes the counties of Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas)
• Population: 2.6 million
• The population is over 250,000
• The median age is 38.
• The St Pete and Tampa bay area enjoys an average of 361 days of sunshine a year.
• Two of the top ten rated beaches in the nation are located here

Employment by industry (Pinellas County)

• Construction 5.0%       
• Education & Health Services   19.1%       
• Financial Activities 7.4%
• Information 2.5%        
• Leisure & Hospitality 9.9%    
• Manufacturing      8.6%
• Natural Resources & Mining    0.1%
• Other Services 3.2%    
• Professional & Business Services 21.4%   
• Public administration     4.9% 6.1%
• Trade, Transportation and Utilities 17.8%

As of Sept 2005, per an MLS search, the least expensive 2/2 was $72,000 in St Pete for a manufactured home. In St Pete Beach, the least expensive home was $374,000

Average Annual Wage (2003)

• All Industries $35,000

 Cost of Living as of 2004(Pinellas county)

• Total  103.74

See comparable Florida statewide CGI’s below:

• Monroe  112.43
• Dade 106.28
• Broward 15.80
• Pinellas 103.74
• Sarasota 102.90
• Palm Beach 102.69
• Collier 100.99
• Hillsborough 100.86
• Seminole 99.48
• Manatee 99.22
• St. Johns 99.18
• Orange 99.04
• Brevard 97.92
• Lee 97.80

(Population Weighted-State Average=100 National comparisons Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)

• New York, NY       364
• Long Beach, NY    340
• Palo Alto, CA        268
• Menlo Park, CA     265
• Los Altos, CA        261
• Saratoga, CA        261
• Boston, MA          240
• Malibu, CA            233
• San Francisco, CA 217
• Greenwich, CT      215
• Cambridge, MA     211
• Santa Monica, CA 197
• Keystone, CO       194
• San Rafael, CA     192
• Weston, CT          192
• Darien, CT            192
• Wellesley, MA       192
• Fort Lee, NJ         189
• Arlington, VA        184
• Honolulu, HI        184
• Washington, DC   181
• Princeton, NJ        180
• Vail, CO                178
• Chicago, IL           166
• Sunnyvale, CA     164
• San Mateo, CA     163
• Marathon, FL       161
• Ridgewood, NJ      159
• Mystic, CT           159

For a complete list go to http://verticals.yahoo.com/cities/categories/costofliving.html
Business and employment outlook

St. Petersburg is located at the heart of the most desirable business location in the country. It is ranked second overall among the fastest growing high tech areas in the country.

Employment-search St Pete jobs:http://www.nationjob.com/stpete/
Transportation

• Interstate 75 leads from points both north and south in Florida to the Tampa Bay area. From Orlando, I-4 connects in Tampa with I-275 southbound to St. Petersburg.  
• Tampa International Airport is only 30 minutes from St. Petersburg and the beaches. It is served by all major airlines. The St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport provides additional passenger service and Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Petersburg is a base for private aviation.  
• Amtrak offers passenger train service into Tampa, with bus connections to St. Petersburg, and the Greyhound bus system also links us to many northern cities.
• St. Petersburg is also served by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority which provides public transportation throughout the entire county, including the beaches

 The areas health and education resources are also first class. Plus you also have the facilities in nearby Tampa.

In conclusion, St Pete and Tampa sometimes see themselves as rivals as St Pete wants to retain its identity. In that it succeeds. There are quiet neighborhoods and also downtown living. The area enjoys a good quality of life with lots of recreational opportunities.

IF you like the outdoors but yet still want big city metro opportunities, this could be the perfect place.

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