TO THE POINT: City Councilman Bennett of Pinellas Point. Credit: Alex Pickett

Perhaps no other area of St. Petersburg is as dynamic and constantly transforming as the south side. Though historically known as the African-American section of the city — in part due to segregation laws in the early 20th century that prevented blacks from living north of Central Avenue — South St. Pete holds some of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city, from the historic, hilly Roser Park district to the shotgun houses in Midtown to the brand-new mansions in Pinellas Point. The residents of South St. Pete are just as eclectic — yacht owners, schoolteachers, snowbirds, elected officials and black revolutionaries.

While boaters and outdoor enthusiasts have enjoyed the southern tip of the city for decades, formerly depressed areas closer to the city's center are now becoming hot destinations. Since the renaissance in St. Pete's downtown, many Southside neighborhoods like Old Southeast and Bartlett Park have enjoyed a resurgence, attracting new homeowners charmed by the area's old bungalows, brick-lined streets, many parks and proximity to Tampa Bay and I-275. The Midtown area has largely rebounded from the negative attention garnered after the 1996 riots, and new restaurants and shops are constantly opening up in the main corridors of Fourth Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 34th Street.

Though crime and blight still plague large pockets of South St. Pete, gentrification has taken root and communities are becoming more integrated. By renovating historic corridors like 22nd Street, city and community leaders are working hard to shed Midtown's bad rep and make the area a destination point for residents living in other neighborhoods.

And on nearly every block you can still find folks sitting on their porch, chatting up their neighbors or firing up the barbecue. That relaxed attitude may be South St. Pete's main attraction.

Local notables

Karl Nurse, former Council of Neighborhood Associations president and environmental advocate; Eric Deggans, The St. Petersburg Times' media critic and president of the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists; Omali Yeshitela, leader of the controversial International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement; Jamie Bennett, two-term St. Pete City Councilman and longtime member of the Greater Pinellas Point Neighborhood Association; Gypsy Gallardo, community activist and founder of Power Broker magazine.