WELCOME TO CLEARWATER

The Clearwater landscape bears almost no resemblance to when people first lived here. 12,000 years ago, when the area was first settled, Florida had twice the land mass that it has now.

Explorers found many inlets and harbors up and down the Gulf Coast of Florida. Above is a map from the 1500s of the European explorer routes. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.

The History of Clearwater.

From its early days as a home to native Tocobaga Indians, to its current role as a tourist hub, Clearwater has always been a beautiful and hospitable environment. With its waterfront downtown, sugar-sand beaches, the home of the largest jazz festival in the Southeastern United States, the international religious retreat for the Church of Scientology and Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training, Clearwater is a place unto its own.