Introduction to Palm Harbor, Florida
Palm Harbor is an unincorporated community located in the northern part of Pinellas County, Florida. It is situated on Florida's Gulf Coast, about 23 miles northwest of Tampa and 25 miles north of St. Petersburg. Surrounding communities include Tarpon Springs (to the north), Dunedin and Clearwater (to the south), Oldsmar (to the east) and Ozona (to the west).
Palm Harbor History
Palm Harbor and its neighboring community of Ozona were originally settled by J.C. Craver in 1877. Known at first as Sutherland (a contraction of Southern Land and Development Company, the group responsible for the original formation of the community in 1888), the community's name was switched to Palm Harbor in 1925. Despite its humble beginnings in citrus farming, Palm Harbor has in recent years become one of the most affluent communities in the Tampa Bay area.
Arts and Entertainment in Palm Harbor
Palm Harbor is home to the North Pinellas Historical Museum, an historic home built around 1915 by Judge Thomas William Hartley, one of the area's early settlers. The museum features a variety of exhibits on the history of Palm Harbor and surrounding communities, focusing on the period comprising first settlement in the 1800s up to the present day. Outdoor recreation is also plentiful in Palm Harbor. Due to its direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, Palm Harbor offers facilities for fishing, boating and diving. For land recreation, the Pinellas Trail offers 34 miles of jogging, biking, strolling and other forms of outdoor activities. There are also public parks for barbecues and picnics, as well as fields for baseball, softball and soccer.
The Tampa Bay area offers a wide variety of popular attractions, including the following:
- Adventure Island (Tampa).
- Busch Gardens (Tampa).
- The Florida Aquarium (Tampa).
- Gulf Coast Museum of Art (Largo).
- Florida Museum of Natural History (Tampa).
- Florida Strawberry Festival (Plant City).
- Florida International Museum (St. Petersburg).
- Gasparilla Pirate Festival (Tampa).
- Lowry Park Zoo (Tampa).
- Salvadore Dali Museum (St. Petersburg).
- The Florida Botanical Gardens (Largo).
The Tampa Bay area is also home to some of Florida's top sports teams, including football's Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays (MLB) and hockey's Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL). Baseball of the minor league variety can be found in Tampa, home of the Tampa Yankees (Class single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees) and in Clearwater, home of the Clearwater Threshers (Class single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies). Springtime visitors can catch some Grapefruit League action at the following nearby Spring Training sites:
- Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater (Philadelphia Phillies).
- Legends Field in Tampa (New York Yankees).
- Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg (Tampa Bay Devil Rays).
