A downtown trolley downtown connects to all five of the city’s major museums
City: St. Petersburg
State: Florida
Best Cities Overall Rank: 97
About St. Petersburg:
St Petersburg holds a Guinness World Record for the highest number of consecutive days of sunshine — 768 — that began in 1967.
Additional important information: The Salvador Dali Museum is a major tourist draw. The trolley downtown connects to all five of the city’s major museums
County: Pinelas
Population: 245,314
Official website for city visitors’ bureau/city: Visitor’s bureau website
Newspaper with the largest circulation: St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg blogs:
Whoa, Momma!
New Southside
Personal Best
St. Petersburg‘s Facebook page: Follow St. Petersburg on Facebook
St. Petersburg‘s Twitter page: Follow St. Petersburg on Twitter
Education rank:27
High School graduation rate 2008: 71.30%
Blue Ribbon Schools, 2003-2009: 1
Blue Ribbon Schools per 100,000 people: 0.40
NEAYC-accredited preschools: 1
NAEYC schools per 100,000 people: 0.40
NAEP State proficiency reading, grade 8: 264
Pupil/Teacher Ratio: 15.30
Total Expenditures Per Student: $9,908
Health rank: 30
Quality children’s hospitals: 1
Hospitals per 100,000 people: 0.40
Quality Pediatricians: 6
Quality Pediatricians per 100,000: 2.44
Average number of Unhealthy Air Quality days between 2006-2008, by county: 0.33
Safety rank: 92
Violent Crimes, 2008: 3,368
Violent Crime Rate per 100,000: 1,372.93
Sex Offenders: 672
Sex Offenders per 100,000: 273.93
Economy rank: 94
Travel time to work, 2006-2008, in minutes: 22.10
Percent of labor force unemployed, January 2010: 13.1
Best Performing Cities Job Index: 1,295.94
Median Home Sale Price: $130,800
5-Year Home Value Index: -4.25%
Percent of homes sold for a loss: 44.30%
Recreation Rank: 53
Parkland acreage, 2008 (includes pools and playgrounds): 2,961
Parkland per 100,000: 1,207.02
Photo courtesy of BucsWeb