Gulfport Florida History - A Family Community

By Published On: April 20th, 2022

Gulfport Florida History – A Community

[fusion_dropcap boxed="yes" boxed_radius="0" class="fusion-content-tb-dropcap"]P[/fusion_dropcap]ublished on 04/20/22: Let’s talk about Gulfport! Who knows this charming waterfront city on Boca Ciega Bay? Our family loves this ‘Old Florida’ community for many reasons, plus it’s just 12 minutes from downtown St Pete!

Colt and I will be sharing our deep dive of Gulfport over a series of posts, starting today. Amy even makes a couple cameos, as she couldn’t resist joining us for some of the research. Restaurants, live music, beach, skate park, playgrounds, historic Inn, boat dockage, brewery, suggestions/tips and much more.

If you know someone who loves Gulfport, I’d love if you let them know about this series so they can follow along! A team effort, as your comments always provide great info for others to reference (including my real estate clients).

Brief History of Gulfport

First, a brief history of Gulfport. According to the Gulfport Historical Society, the Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez likely landed near present-day Gulfport in 1528. Fast forward to 1868 when James and Rebecca Barnett settled into the area and named it Barnett’s Bluff. In time, the city was referred to as Disston City, Bonifacio and Veteran City before officially becoming “Gulfport” on October 12th, 1910!

Did you know the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority launched their first streetcar in 1903? Know the first city they chose to connect? Yes, that would be Disston City, today’s Gulfport! So while Gulfport may have once been focused on fishing, from 1903 forward it also became a tourist destination, with a streetcar connecting the city to St. Petersburg.

Slice of Old Florida

Gulfport grew quickly from the 1990’s forward, however residents have taken care to preserve ‘Old Florida’ for us to enjoy. Brick lined streets with very tall oaks, original cottages, plus charming shops and restaurants. Never change, Gulfport.
Stay tuned as we lead you around this incredible area. Amy even cuddles a rescued skunk to sleep during the series!

Credit for older 📷: Gulfport Historical Society

Make sure to follow our @LovingStPete on Instagram and Facebook as well! Cheers 🏝🌞

As a local Gulfport Realtor, with over 25K people following my LovingStPete Guide on Social Media, I know our area well! You’ll receive up to $10K at closing when you use my LovingStPete Team to buy or sell a property! While I may tend to focus on waterfront and beach real estate, I can certainly help with any residential property. I’m a Florida native and St. Pete resident with a past that includes developing a vacation rental advertising business, ran for more than a decade and then sold to HomeAway/VRBO. I’d love to help you buy or sell a property, simply contact me.

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Written by : St Petersburg Realtor, Mike Braswell

Mike Braswell is a Tampa Bay Realtor, serving St Petersburg, Clearwater, all nearby beaches and more. Mike and his 6 year old son started LovingStPete in October of 2020 after a difficult year took its toll on local businesses. After being cooped up for portions of 2020 (lockdown) they decided to get out and explore, helping spread the good word about the local area he loves so much. Often even doing gift card giveaways to support local. LovingStPete is now followed by over 27 thousand people on social media! The majority of posts are informative on fun parks, activities, day trips, great restaurants, and in general provide a comprehensive tour of the area! His 6 year old son generally helps him gather the info, providing his wife some 'child-free' time in the process! A win-win, with his son being exposed to many great events and activities in the process.

Soon after receiving his bachelors in Management Information Systems, Mike developed and then operated a vacation rental advertising business for 10+ years as CEO/Owner. The business was eventually acquired by HomeAway/VRBO.

When not spending time with his beautiful wife and energetic son, Mike enjoys boating and is also an avid tennis player. An interesting fact about Mike is that he grew up on an avocado farm with over 15 varieties, some of which you can find in our local Publix/Winn Dixie as his dad still farms the same farm at 87 years old!

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