Gulfport (Florida)

Gulfport is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, bordering St. Petersburg and Boca Ciega Bay. The population of Gulfport was 12,029 at the 2010 census. Gulfport is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, the 19th largest MSA in the country.The town was originally named Disston City in 1884 when Hamilton Disston purchased land in the area. The United States Postal Service would not recognize the name as it conflicted with a town in Hillsborough County. Instead, it was named Bonifacio. In 1890, the town name was changed to Veteran City. In 1910, the name officially changed to Gulfport."Old Florida" is a phrase often evoked in describing Gulfport's waterfront district, with its mix of small-scale cottages and small independent shops, restaurants and other businesses, situated among mature oak trees and brick-paved streets.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8sqmi, of which 2.8sqmi is land and 1.0sqmi (26.30%) is water.