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Largo, Florida

City of Largo
Largo Public Library
Largo Public Library
Flag of City of Largo
Flag
Nickname(s): "The City of Progress"
Location in Pinellas County and the state of Florida
Location in Pinellas County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°54′34″N 82°47′14″W / 27.90944°N 82.78722°W / 27.90944; -82.78722Coordinates: 27°54′34″N 82°47′14″W / 27.90944°N 82.78722°W / 27.90944; -82.78722
Country United States
State Florida
County Pinellas
Incorporated June 6, 1905
Government
 • Type Commission-Manager
 • Mayor Woody Brown
 • City Commissioners Seat 1-6 Michael Smith, Jamie Robinson, Curtis Holmes, John Carroll, Samantha Fenger, Donna Holk
Area
 • Total 18.6 sq mi (48.1 km2)
 • Land 17.6 sq mi (45.6 km2)
 • Water 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
Elevation 3 33 ft (10 m)
Population (2014)
 • Total 84,500
 • Density 4,500/sq mi (1,800/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 33770 - 33779
Area code(s) 727
FIPS code 12-39425
GNIS feature ID 285346
Website www.largo.com

Largo is the third largest city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, and is part of the Tampa Bay Area. As of the 2014 Census estimate, the city had a population of 84,500, up from 69,371 2000.

Largo was first incorporated in 1905. In 1913, it became the first municipality in Pinellas County to adopt a council-manager government. It switched back and forth from "town" to "city" a few times, and became a city again in 1974. It was an exporter of agricultural products until the 1960s when the influx of people began to transform it into a bedroom community. From 1905 to 2010, Largo grew in area from 9/16ths of a square mile to about 19 square miles (48 km2), and in population from about 300 people to more than 70,000. Largo began as a rural farming community and became the third largest city in Florida's most densely populated county.

Largo is a sister city to Tosayamada, Kochi, Japan. In 2007, Largo had been named a National Arbor Day Tree City for the seventeenth year in a row.

The original inhabitants of the Largo area were the people. They are also known as the Safety Harbor culture from their archeological remains near present-day Safety Harbor. The Spanish came to Florida in the 16th century. In the 18th century, the Tocobaga had been virtually destroyed after years of exposure to European diseases, Spanish settlement efforts and warfare between Spain and England. The Largo area, like the rest of Pinellas County, was largely deserted. In 1763, Spain transferred sovereignty of Florida to The United Kingdom. In 1783, Florida fell to Spanish sovereignty once again until it was transferred to the United States in 1821. By 1845, a surveyor recorded the location of Lake Tolulu, apparently south of present-day East Bay Drive and roughly where the Largo Central Park Nature Preserve is today.

Among the first homesteaders in the Largo area were the families of James and Daniel McMullen around 1852. The McMullens and other settlers raised cattle, grew citrus and vegetables and fished. During the Civil War, many Largo area residents fought for the Confederate States of America. James and Daniel McMullen were members of the "Cow Cavalry" driving Florida cattle to Georgia and the Carolinas to help sustain the war effort. Other area residents served on blockade runners. Still others left the area to serve in the Confederacy's armies. After the war, Largo area residents returned to farming, ranching, and raising citrus. The Orange Belt Railway reached the area in 1888. By this time Lake Tolulu had been renamed Lake Largo, and residents of the community west of the lake adopted the name "Largo".


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