Timucua, Calusa, and Apalachee peoples originally inhabited the area. The Spanish explorers Pánfilo de Narváez (1528) and Hernando de Soto (1539) visited the region. Odet Philippe, a former surgeon in Napoleon I’s navy, planted citrus groves there in the mid-1830s. Fort Harrison was established (c. 1841) on the coastal bluffs, and settlers began arriving after a federal act making land grants was passed in 1842. A small farming and fishing settlement called Clear Water Harbor (named for the clear springs that once bubbled up offshore) evolved. Tourism developed after the arrival of the Orange Belt Railroad (1888). Urban and industrial expansion was rapid after World War II.
Tourism is still the main factor in Clearwater’s economy. Services (especially health care), high-technology industries, and manufacturing (notably medical equipment) are also important, and the region is a popular retirement area. The city is connected to Clearwater Beach, on a white-sand key (island), by the Garden Memorial Causeway. Clearwater Municipal Marina berths a sport-fishing fleet. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium rehabilitates injured marine animals. Caladesi Island State Park is just northwest of the city. The Clearwater Jazz Holiday, a large music festival, is held annually in October. The city also has a branch campus of St. Petersburg Junior College. Inc. town, 1897; city, 1915. Pop. (19902000) city108, 98,784787; Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater MSAMetro Area, 2,067395,959; (2000) city, 108,787997;