Tampa Bay City Named As One Of The Happiest In The U.S.
A Tampa Bay city has been named one of the happiest cities in the U.S. The list comes from Outside Magazine. The magazine released its 2023 Best Towns: Happiest Edition. Of the 15 happiest places to live in the U.S. the Tampa Bay city that is in the top 15 is St. Pete.
Here is what Outside Magazine said about St. Pete, “Set on the southern end of the Pinellas Peninsula, Saint Petersburg is a paradise for those who love beaches, sports, arts, and getting outdoors year-round. The Sunshine City boasts 244 miles of shoreline. Downtown’s urban waterfront is regularly filled with paddleboarders, Rollerbladers, and volleyball players. Just south of the city, the world’s longest fishing pier runs over four miles along the iconic Sunshine Skyway Bridge.”
Below are the cities that are in the top 15. They are in no particular order.
- Reno, Nevada
- Wilmington, Delaware
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Charlottesville, Virginia
- Hood River, Oregon
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Glenwood Springs, Colorado
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Plano, Texas
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Frederick, Maryland
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Tacoma, Washington
The Origin Of The St. Pete Name
Firstly, St. Pete is home to around 260,000 people. It is the fifth most populous city in Florida. Additionally, between 1967 and 1969 it had 768 days of consecutive sunshine. That is a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive days of sunshine. Also, it is nicknamed the Sunshine City. The city is actually named after St. Petersburg, Russia. Peter Demens, who was instrumental in bringing the Orange Belt Railway to St. Pete in 1888 is from Russia. Demens Landing is actually named after him. There is a local legend that says there was a coin flip between the two men who founded the city to see who would name the city. Peter Demens won and St. Petersburg was born.
Finally, John C. Williams, the man who lost the coin flip, would’ve named the city Detroit. Detroit was his birthplace. The Detroit Hotel still exists in downtown St. Pete, but is now been turned into condominiums. There is also Detroit Liquors on 1st Ave. N.
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