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St. Petersburg Florida Homes

What would you call a city with 361 days of sunshine a year? A city with an average temperature of 73 degrees throughout the year?

A city surrounded by bays, lakes, and the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico? A city with one of the lowest unemployment rates, at 2.8 percent, in the country?

The locals call it paradise! The maps call it
St. Petersburg, Florida.

Buy Your Home In St. Pete

This 60-square-mile city of 251,000 people attracts some 10 million visitors each year, and is the economic hub of Pinellas County, the peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. With 244 miles of shoreline along Tampa Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and The Intracoastal waterway, St. Petersburg is a hub for recreational fisherman and has the largest municipal marina in the region.

A city of libraries, museums and waterfront parks, St. Petersburg is the place to live if you’re a businessman seeking to relocate or a family man looking for better future.

A January ’06 economic scorecard, comparing Charlotte, Dallas, Raleigh, Atlanta and Jacksonville, named the St Petersburg region at or near the top of the list for:

• Job creation, employment and labor force growth (it’s the number one metro area in the U.S. for job growth, with a rate of growth twice that of the national average)
• Income and productivity
• Education

The city of St. Petersburg was founded in 1888 and incorporated in 1892. It is now the fourth largest city in Florida, and has been judged America’s most livable community by the Partners for Livable Communities, a non-profit organization that assesses quality of life in cities around the country.

Forbes Magazine says St. Petersburg is the best place for business and career opportunities in Florida. It has been rated in survey after survey as one of the top places to run a small business. And Southern Business and Development calls the downtown area “the best in the South.”

Business and Industry

The economic strength of the area is based on a diversity of industry segments making for an incredibly resilient economy. Five major industry groups have flourished here in St. Petersburg—medical technology, financial services, electronic manufacturing, marine science and information technologies.

The over 9,000 businesses located in the St. Petersburg region are supported by proactive industry groups, training programs and business-friendly legislators.

New home prices now average $239,000. Existing homes average $169,000. These prices reflect the strong growth of the market over the last five years.

We know the St. Petersburg market here at Rigler Realty. We’ve been helping clients buy homes in the region for over 15 years. If you’re looking to buy in the area, we can save you money and help you to get the home that’s right for your family.

BUY A ST. PETERSBURG HOME

The Dynamic Downtown Area

Many of the world’s great cities have waterfront locales, and St. Petersburg has one of the best.

The half-mile Pier has been a landmark of Downtown St. Petersburg since 1899. The Orange Belt Railroad started bringing produce to the wharf in the early 1900’s, for transport to the Northern states. Today, The Pier is a center for recreation and events.

Take a cruise from the Pier on the Dolphin Queen for a guaranteed sighting of bottlenose dolphins in the bay, or rent an electric boat at the Electric Marina and drive yourself and up to 10 friends around to see the city from a different perspective.

Or go on an evening sailing cruise and watch the sunset paint the city in hues of gold, crimson and purple.

The Pinellas County School District, with over 13,000 teachers and support staff, is the largest employer in the county. The St. Petersburg schools attract some of the finest teachers in the country, and that makes sense, because of the salaries, quality schools and the area’s quality of life. It’s an area where professionals want to live and work. Whether your child is just entering preschool or seeking a degree from a first-class high school, there’s a St. Petersburg school for your family. And when it comes to higher education, there are numerous small colleges and universities that will cover every learning discipline. The University of South Florida offers degrees in medicine, law, business and engineering as well as boasting one of the finest marine science schools in the world.

If you are looking for a home, if you are considering relocating to the Tampa Bay area, then consider St Petersburg. I have been finding homes for clients in this region for over fifteen years.

So call me, Tracy Rigler at Rigler Realty and let me help you find a the home that “fits” your lifestyle and budget.

And I’ll save you money. You have my word on it.

Photography provided courtesy of Pinellas County Communications Department