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St. Petersburg Then & Now retells the history of the area in images comparing its beginnings to present day.

As the ""Sunshine City"" of St. Petersburg forges onward with new and exciting developments, a legacy of landmarks still remains. The founding fathers envisioned St. Petersburg as a city with great potential for progress and growth. Over the past century, St. Petersburg has far exceeded these vast expectations.

After seeing its golden age in the 1800s and early 1900s, Amelia Island slipped into a calm and quiet slumber for most of the 20th century; nevertheless, the local paper mills provided an important economic base that brought people and jobs to the area.

It did not take long for people to discover the majestic beaches of the island, and growth followed. Companies specializing in resort development soon arrived, and the island became a popular vacation destination. Throughout that transformation, local residents worked hard to keep the small-town feel, natural surroundings, and historic relevance intact.

The Spanish landed in Florida in 1513 and established St. Augustine in 1565, over four decades before the Virginia Company settled Jamestown and five decades before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

Henry Flagler transformed the sleepy port into a winter resort for the affluent, and the quaint college town still displays some of the nation's oldest and most beautiful architecture.

New Smyrna Beach is beloved by residents and visitors alike for its small-town charm and fascinating 250-year history.

In the last century, the city has evolved from a sleepy Southern beach town to a vibrant seaside destination.

Cocoa Beach welcomes millions of visitors every year, but the city has always managed to keep a small town atmosphere.

In 1940, it was a cozy little waterfront town with less than 50 people. A few years after World War II, America's space race began, and the city was never the same.