Clearwater, Florida. City and Business guide.

Welcome to Clearwater, Florida.

Clearwater is a city located in central Pinellas County, Florida, USA, nearly due west of Tampa. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of Pinellas County. It is one of the three large cities that constitute the Tampa Bay area.

Fort Harrisson Hotel on left. New Super Power Building on right. Taken from a couple of blocks south on Fort Harrison Avenue.
Present-day Clearwater was originally the home of the Tocobagan Indian tribe. Around 1835, the U.S. Army began construction of Fort Harrison as an outpost during the Seminole wars. The fort was located on a bluff overlooking Clearwater Harbor in an area known today as Harbor Oaks. University of South Florida archeologists excavated the site in 1977 after Alfred C. Wyllie discovered an underground ammunition bunker while digging a swimming pool on his estate.

During World War II, Clearwater became a major training base for U.S. troops destined for Europe and the Pacific. Virtually every hotel in the area, including the historic Belleview Biltmore and Fort Harrison Hotel, became luxury barracks for new recruits. Vehicle traffic regularly stopped for companies of soldiers marching through downtown, and nighttime blackouts to confuse potential enemy bombers were common practice. The remote and isolated Dan's Island, now Sand Key, was used as a target for US Army Air Corps fighter-bombers for straffing and bombing practice.

The IAFF collaborated with the Giffoni International Film Festival of Italy to create the Imagine International Film Festival, which was held April 18-20, 2005 at the historic Royalty Theatre in Clearwater, Florida. The festival showed some 11 foreign children's movies, which had been juried by a panel of children aged 6-19 at the Giffoni Festival.

Clearwater is very proud to be designated a Blue Wave Beach. This certification program, overseen by the Clean Beaches Council, promotes beaches which are managed to protect their natural assets. This designation assists the public in identifying the nation's cleanest and safest beaches. Caladesi Island, Honeymoon Island and Sand Key Park beaches also received the Blue Wave Designation.

Home to the largest fishing fleet on the West Coast of Florida, the Clearwater Marina is a major component of the recreational core. Berthed in the marina are boats that offer a myriad of activities: fishing, sightseeing, sailing, speed, "hands on" marine life adventure, dining and dancing, parasailing and more. Dolphin watching is very popular.

Clearwater and its island beaches are fortunate to offer something for everybody. Our attractions can include arts and museums, the natural environment, historical buildings, special events and more traditional "attractions" such as theme parks. The sampling of attractions below offers a little bit of everything.

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