Largo

Largo is the third largest city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, and is part of the Tampa Bay Area. As of the 2014 Census estimate, the city had a population of 84,500, up from 69,371 in 2000.Largo was first incorporated in 1905. In 1913, it became the first municipality in Pinellas County to adopt a council-manager government. It switched back and forth from "town" to "city" a few times, and became a city again in 1974. It was an exporter of agricultural products until the 1960s when the influx of people began to transform it into a bedroom community. From 1905 to 2010, Largo grew in area from 9/16ths of a square mile to about 48km2, and in population from about 300 people to more than 70,000. Largo began as a rural farming community and became the third largest city in Florida's most densely populated county.Largo is a sister city to Tosayamada, Kochi, Japan. In 2007, Largo had been named a National Arbor Day Tree City for the 28 year in a row and is the only city in Tampbay that is a Sterling Tree City.HistoryBeginnings of the areaThe original inhabitants of the Largo area were the Tocobaga people. They are also known as the Safety Harbor culture from their archeological remains near present-day Safety Harbor. The Spanish came to Florida in the 16th century. In the 18th century, the Tocobaga had been virtually destroyed after years of exposure to European diseases, Spanish settlement efforts and warfare between Spain and England. The Largo area, like the rest of Pinellas County, was largely deserted. In 1763, Spain transferred sovereignty of Florida to The United Kingdom. In 1783, Florida fell to Spanish sovereignty once again until it was transferred to the United States in 1821. By 1845, a surveyor recorded the location of Lake Tolulu, apparently south of present-day East Bay Drive and roughly where the Largo Central Park Nature Preserve is today.