By the turn of the century, communities surrounding Clearwater were prospering. Tarpon Springs, to the north, was founded in 1891 by a former Arizona governor. Dunedin, which claims to be the oldest town on the West Coast of Florida south of Cedar Key, had its start in 1870 with the opening of a general store and was incorporated in 1889.

Largo got its name from a 500-acre lake first called Big Lake and then Lake Largo, after the Spanish word for “large” or “long”. Eventually the lake was drained to provide more farmland for the community.

In 1869, Daniel McMullen, one of the original seven McMullen brothers who settled in this area, homesteaded in Largo. Gideon Blitch, “Uncle Jimmy” Kilgore, George Hammock, Robert Whitehurst, the Johnsons, the John S. Taylors, the Campbells, Belchers, Ulmers and Cobbs were all pioneers in Largo.

Palm Harbor was originally called Sutherland after permission for their first post office was granted in 1888 under that name. The town boasted two beautiful hotels, the larger becoming Southern College in 1902 and continuing until it burned down in 1921. A small nearby community now known as Ozona, for “pure air,” provided an additional attraction for tourists.

The Great Freeze hit the Tampa Bay area in the 1894-95 winter and stands as one of the worst disasters in Florida's early history. Carolyn May's History of Florida tells the story: “The freeze of 1894 and the storm of 1895 will be remembered as the coldest days ever known in Florida. The orange crops were destroyed and many groves were killed. Many growers and gardeners lost their entire income.”