Gulfport is a small mainland city on Boca Ciega Bay in southern Pinellas County, bordered by St. Petersburg and South Pasadena, with a walkable Waterfront District on Beach Boulevard and a bay beach on Shore Boulevard. Downtown St. Petersburg is about 6 miles away by car, St. Pete Beach about 6 miles, and downtown Tampa about 27 miles.
Living in Gulfport
The settlement was called Barnett's Bluff in 1868 and Bonifacio in 1880. In 1884 Philadelphia financier Hamilton Disston planned a port town here called Disston City. The name Gulfport became official on October 12, 1910, when the city incorporated. Today it covers just under four square miles, about 2.8 of them land. Shops, galleries and restaurants with live music line Beach and Shore boulevards, and the downtown and waterfront are compact enough to explore on foot. The Gulfport Trolley and Looper provide rides to major events.
Events in Gulfport's Waterfront District
- Gulfport Tuesday Fresh Market: every Tuesday year-round on Beach Boulevard below 28th Avenue South, with more than 50 vendors selling produce, seafood, baked goods and prepared foods.
- Art walks: on the first Friday and third Saturday evenings of each month, local artists set up along Beach Boulevard with live music.
- GeckoFest: a free, day-long end-of-summer festival on the waterfront, held on September 5 in 2026, its 26th year.
- Plein Air Festival: artists paint outdoors around the city.
The beach, pier and marina in Gulfport
- Gulfport's bay beach, 5500 to 5800 Shore Boulevard South: covered pavilions you can reserve, volleyball courts, a playground, and the Recreation Center skate park.
- Williams Pier, at Shore Boulevard and 54th Street South: extends 521 feet into Boca Ciega Bay, open 24 hours with no fee, with lighting, benches and a fish-cleaning station.
- Gulfport Municipal Marina, 4630 29th Avenue South: 192 public wet slips, dry storage, two fuel stations with gas and diesel, and a ship store with bait and tackle. It also has a public boat ramp with 70 trailer spaces, and a 25-mooring field south of Williams Pier.
- Clam Bayou Nature Park, on Miriam Street South: 10 acres of mangroves and marsh on the Clam Bayou estuary, with trails, boardwalks, observation decks, docks and a canoe and kayak launch. Kayak rentals and boat tours leave from the marina.
- Other parks: a dog park at Chase Park and free tennis and pickleball courts at 27th Avenue and 53rd Street South.
Homes in Gulfport
Single-family houses make up most of Gulfport's homes, many built in the 1940s and 1950s, with newer houses mixed in. Condominiums are mostly in 1970s and early 1980s buildings, and about half of them are on the water. A smaller number of single-family homes also have water frontage. There are a few townhouses from the 1990s and 2000s.
