Saint Petersburg is located on Pinellas Peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. It is linked by bridges with Tampa and Bradenton, and by causeways with a string of islets in the Gulf of Mexico. Saint Petersburg is on the Intracoastal Waterway, which passes between the west side of the peninsula and the offshore island chain. The city’s economy is based on the manufacture of electronic and aerospace equipment, boats, and medical goods, and activities associated with telecommunications, information services, and marine research; the city’s economy is bolstered by a strong tourism industry.

Saint Petersburg covers a land area of 60 sq mi, with a mean elevation of 44 ft. According to the 2005 census St. Petersburg, Florida has a population of 249,079, whites are 71.4 percent of the population, blacks 22.4 percent, Asians 2.7 percent, Native Americans 0.3 percent, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders 0.1 percent. The remainder are of mixed heritage or did not report ethnicity.