About the Greater Palm Harbor Area

A Great Place to Live

Welcome to Palm Harbor, where you find small-town friendliness in a thriving community. Situated on the Gulf of Mexico, about midway down the Florida penninsula, the charming community of Palm Harbor has a short but rich history, a prosperous present, and a most promising future.

Unlike most of coastal Florida, the terrain rises gently from the Gulf of Mexico to an average elevation of 25 feet, with some land as high as 80 feet above sea level. Residents can enjoy all the advantages of a major metropolis while living in an attractive suburban setting.

Palm Harbor’s economy has firm roots in retail business, the service industries, financial institutions, and the building trades. For companies or businesses where travel is a necessity, the community is convenient to the interstate highway system, and just thirty minutes from both an international airport and a major deep-water port.

For business people seeking a prime location, young families desiring a satisfying lifestyle, or retirees looking to enjoy life’s leisurely pleasures, welcome – you’ve made a great choice!

Come join us for a brighter tomorrow.

Palm Harbor

People began occupying the area now known as Palm Harbor as early as 1860. Between 1864 and 1925 Palm harbor went through three names and was a pioneer town, a farming center, a developer’s dream, a resort town and a college town.

Even before the Civil War, pioneers began to trek southward to Florida, including the Palm Harbor area. The year round warm weather made the area conducive to farming, citrus groves, and fishing. Warm mineral springs gave birth to spas and health resorts. Some citrus groves are still in existence, and fishing & farming still provide a livelihood to some area residents. For a day of relaxation, visit one of our resorts, parks, or nearby beaches.

For a step back in time, stroll down Florida Avenue in historic downtown Palm Harbor where many of the early buildings remain, open and welcoming just as they were in the beginning. Business services, beauty and barber facilities, dining, shopping and the Greater Palm Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce are located in the downtown area. Make a special visit to the North Pinellas Historical Museum at Belcher Road & Curlew for a look back at history.

East Lake

Located east of US 19 on East Lake Road, this unincorporated area is currently comprised of over 5,749 occupied households. The East Lake area has East Lake Community Library and is located in the East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District, which follows the identical boundaries as the East Lake Taxing District. Brooker Creek Preserve is located off of East Lake Rd. in the northeast corner of Pinellas County. This 8,000 acre preserve established by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners is truly a wilderness island in the middle of urbanization.

Crystal Beach

Located on the Gulf of Mexico, Crystal Beach is an older community with a mix of unique older homes as well as new houses. At the west end of Crystal Beach Ave. is Live Oak City Park.

The real history of Crystal Beach begins in 1912 when two gentlemen from Texas took over a development started by Mr. Avery and Mr. Rebstock & Co., which they named Crystal Beach after a place near their home in Canada. The Texans, Dr. J.D. Hanby and Mr. A.D. Powers, laid out the streets in squares, leaving a parkway and a road all along the Gulf so all residents could have access to the water. Their brochure read, “We will forever hold this strip of land as a park for the use of the residents of Crystal Beach.” Land was also set aside for Live Oak Park which at that time had a fountain and pool with fish in it. Crystal Beach has never been incorporated and the Community Club, which was organized in 1941, has been the surrogate government.

Ozona

Founded as a gulf-front fishing village and located west of Alt US 19 (just south of Crystal Beach), this community was first called Yellow Bluff for a high mound of yellow sand visible from the bay. It was settled by a couple of doctors from Chicago and St. Louis who brought down asthmatic patients and later made it their home. The story goes that the name Yellow Bluff was discarded because of the unpopularity at the time of any name suggestive of yellow fever. The doctors are said t o have suggested “Ozona” because of the invigorating gulf breezes. Ozona, older than Palm Harbor, has its own Post Office and elementary school. A focal point of Ozona is the Ozona Village Hall. Built in 1900 with money raised primarily from bake sales, the hall was and still is the social and political center of Ozona. The hall is home to OVIS (Ozona Village Improvement Society).