White sand is the reason most people come to Clearwater, a Gulf Coast city of about 115,000 in the Tampa Bay area. Clearwater Beach is regularly named among the best in the country, and the Pier 60 sunset gathering is a nightly ritual. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of Winter the dolphin, is a favorite with families, and the Phillies do their spring training here in February and March.
Residents split between the resort feel of the beach, the calmer suburban Countryside area and a revitalizing downtown around Coachman Park. Ferries to Caladesi Island State Park lead to a quieter, wilder beach. Tampa and St. Petersburg are each about 20 miles away. It is a moderately expensive place to live, and prices have softened as insurance costs climb and some condos struggle after the storms of 2024. Hurricanes and storm surge are the biggest concern, along with rip currents, summer heat and occasional red tide. The beach gets crowded on spring break and summer weekends, and some corridors like US-19 see more crime at night.
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- Known as
- Home of Clearwater Beach, consistently ranked among America's top beaches; Sparkling City by the Sea; Spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies; Home of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium
- Founded
- 1891 settled and named (Clearwater Harbor area); 1891 incorporated as a town; 1915 chartered as a city
- Languages
- English; Spanish; Greek; Russian; Portuguese; Arabic
- Airports
- St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE), about 10 miles east; Tampa International (TPA), about 17 miles southeast; Sarasota-Bradenton International (SRQ), about 50 miles south; Orlando International (MCO), about 105 miles northeast
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20%; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhops $2-5 per bag; counter service optional
About this data
Population is Census Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025) via QuickFacts; land area 26.08 sq mi, median value and rent from QuickFacts (ACS 2020-2024). Metro figure 3,418,895 is the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA figure supplied for this batch; the MSA is shared with Tampa and St. Petersburg and Clearwater is not the anchor city. Visitor and calendar links are from Visit St. Pete/Clearwater found in search, not load-tested. Elevation, coordinates, founding, events and months, hotel ranges, home prices, tipping, cost-of-living index, airport distances and 1BR rent are approximate or from general knowledge and lower confidence.
