Gulfport Florida History – A Community

Published 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.