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Present-day Clearwater was originally the home
of the Timucuan, Calusa and Apalachee tribes. 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.
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The area's
population grew in 1842, after the Federal Armed Occupation
Act of 1842 offered 160 acres to anyone who would bear arms
and cultivate the land. Early settlers included the Stevens,
Stevenson and McMullen families, who claimed and farmed large
tracts of land. Prior to 1906, the area was known as Clear
Water Harbor. The name "Clear Water" is thought
to have come from a fresh water spring flowing from near where
the City Hall building is located today. There were many other
freshwater springs that dotted the bayfront, many in the bay
itself, which were the reason the crystal clear water found
there.
Originally part
of Hillsborough County, the first road joining Clearwater
and Tampa was built in 1849, which dramatically reduced the
prior day-long commute between the cities. The first US Post
Office for Pinellas County was built on the site of the present
Turner Steet Dock Park, circa 1859.
During the civil
war, Union gunboats repeatedly raided the city's supplies
as most of the able-bodied men were away fighting for the
Confederate States of America army. The city began booming
in late 19th century, prompted by Henry B. Plant building
the first passenger railroad line into the city 1888. Clearwater
was incorporated as a town in 1891 and James E. Crane became
the town's first mayor [1]. The town's reputation as a tourist
destination grew in popularity when Plant built the Belleview
Biltmore in 1897.
By the early 1900's,
Clearwater's population had grown to around 400 - ballooning
to nearly 1,000 in the winter. Clearwater was reincorporated,
this time as a city, on May 27, 1915, and made the county
seat for Pinellas County, which broke from Hillsborough County
in 1912. Also in 1915, a bridge was built across Clearwater
Harbor, joining the city with modern-day Clearwater Beach.
Remnants of the original bridge still remain as boating hazards
in the harbor's shallows.
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 city
of Clearwater is currently experiencing growth both in business
and residential subdivisions and communities. See
School links for
Elementary school, Middle School, High School, Colleges, and
Universties.
Buying
a home is not easy. As your real estate professional, we will
help you not only understand the complex real estate market
but also save you time and money. We mave moved and relocated
out-of-state families. Our focus is on your needs and will
find or sell your home accordingly. Our knowledge and professionalism
will make your real estate experience a breeze. Buyers
Tips - Sellers
Tips
Forecast
for Clearwater, FL- Tampa Bay Homes and Tampa Real Estate
1.
Midlife Junction
Somewhere between the child-rearing years and retirement lies
the Midlife Junction. Few households still have children.
Most of the labor force is still employed, but approaching
retirement. Almost a third are already drawing retirement
income. Most still own their homes, but many have moved into
multi-unit apartment buildings. The housing market is a mix
of single-family homes and low-density apartments, somewhere
between urban and rural. The residents of Midlife Junction
have a median age of 40 years and a median household income
of $42,900.
2. Old and Newcomers
Old and Newcomers are neighborhoods in transition, populated
by renters, either starting up or retiring. Many householders
are in their twenties or over the age of 75. The median age,
36 years, simply splits the difference. Spread throughout
metropolitan areas of the US, these neighborhoods have more
single-person and shared households than families. Many have
moved recently. Mid- or high-rise apartment buildings constructed
in the 1970s dominate the housing market.
3. Aspiring Young Families
Aspiring Young Families are attracted to the large, growing
metropolitan areas in the South and West, with the highest
shares in California, Florida and Texas. These are mainly
young, start-up families, married couples or single parents,
with children. Although young, with a median age of 30 years,
almost half have already purchased start-up homes, with a
high percent of townhouses. Half are renters, living in newer
multi-unit buildings.
Source: ESRI Business Information Solutions
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