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But a poll discovers that older folks are happier with Largo's quality of life than younger residents.
By ERIC STIRGUS
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 21, 2000
LARGO -- They just love Largo -- especially the older ones.
The majority of the city's 70,000 residents adore Largo Central Park. They're delightedwith the shopping opportunities in the city. They like Largo's location, only a short drive from the beach. And they are happy with the city library.
But a St. Petersburg Times poll revealed something of a happiness divide among Largo residents: Older people tend to be more happy with the quality of life in Largo than younger folks.
Overall, about six of 10 residents are "very satisfied" with the quality of life in Largo, according to the poll of 400 residents conducted between July 27 and Aug. 2.
"It's just a good location," said Pete Palmieri Jr., 39, a moving company owner who moved from Connecticut in 1985. The father of two lives on Third Avenue NE, near three public schools, the park, the library and the Highland Recreation Center, where he works out.
But although about seven out of 10 residents older than 65 say they're "very satisfied" with the quality of life in Largo, not quite five in 10 of those between the ages of 18 and 44 feel that way.
Residents 45 and older are more satisfied with the city's parks and recreation services than younger residents. Older residents feel safer. They also are more content with the entertainment options in town. The poll, completed by the Times research division, has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
One explanation may be that older residents generally have lived in Largo longer than their younger counterparts and have seen the city's progressive growth. A solid 43 percent of those 65 and older have lived in Largo more than 20 years.
They are people like Mary Knowland, 75, who came here in 1963 and remembers when Ulmerton Road was two lanes in each direction. In those days, she had to stop her car to wait for the pigeons to cross Walsingham Road.
"It's been a very comfortable place to live," she said.
Knowland said she has been pleased with what she called the "gradual growth" of Largo. She worries that as the city works to upgrade the downtown corridor by leveling the row of storefronts along the north side of West Bay Drive between Missouri Avenue and Clearwater-Largo Road, Largo may lose some of its character.
"That's supposed to be considered progress, but I think you can overdo it," she said.
On the other hand, 38-year-old Katherene Hall thinks the area could use a facelift.
"Some of the buildings in the downtown area look kind of old," said Hall, who moved to Largo 10 years ago. "I think improvement would be a good thing."
Sixty-four percent of Largo residents agree, saying the downtown area needs to be developed.
City commissioners grappled with meeting the needs of younger residents as well as older ones at a retreat in late June. While some commissioners talked about creating more activities for teenagers, a few spoke of providing more recreational opportunities for the city's senior citizens.
With the city's population about evenly divided among mostly older mobile home residents, middle-aged homeowners and younger renters, City Manager Steven Stanton said meeting the needs of all three groups has become quite a challenge in recent years.
"You have competition for resources and at different points, they will assert themselves with different needs," he said.
Stanton lamented that the city has been slow in getting around to building a skate park. Forty-two percent of those who answered a 1997 Times poll said they wished the city had facilities for inline skating or skateboards.
The age divide also is seen in residents' feelings about personal safety. Although 52 percent of residents 65 and older said they feel "very safe" in Largo, 36 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 44 responded that way.
Acting police Chief Judy Gershkowitz thinks the difference stems from older residents' greater exposure to Largo officers. Many are retired and involved in neighborhood associations.
Another factor, she said, is the many seniors who volunteer for the Police Department. Nearly half of the department's 119 volunteers are 65 or older.
"They have a closer relationship with our police officers," she said.
At the retreat, commissioners spent an hour discussing where to build a new library. They ranked the library as the most important issue on their agenda that weekend. Late last year, a consultant told the city its 36,000-square-foot library was undersized. By the year 2010, the Largo Library would need 93,000 square feet of space.
Commissioners have discussed borrowing as much as $4-million to build a new library. At a work session in July, commissioners reached consensus on building a new facility on the east side of Largo Central Park.
Residents, however, are not so sure a new library is needed. The poll shows only 47 percent think Largo needs a new library. Forty-four percent disagree.
Those results surprised Mayor Bob Jackson, who said support for a new library ultimately will depend upon how city officials plan to pay for the building.
"It's going to be a hard sell," he said.
Knowland, who goes to the library frequently with her grandchildren, said the facility is undersized.
"It's being so well used," she said. "It needs more space."
Hall, a frequent visitor to the library, said she doesn't understand why the city needs a new library. However, she said she wouldn't object to one.
Stanton suggested that the city is going to have to do a better job of explaining why Largo needs a new library. The city estimates that only half its users live in Largo.
The results showed most residents between age 18 and 44 are against the effort to build a new library, while the majority of older residents supported the plan.
More than half of residents say they are "very satisfied" with shopping in Largo. About four out of five Largo residents say they are satisfied with the city's recreational services.
The poll found the top concern among Largo residents is road construction. In particular, they mentioned the current widening of West Bay Drive. Residents say they're ready for it to be finished.
"It's going to be a blessing," Palmieri said.
-- Information from Times files was used in this report.
Largo was incorporated in 1905. Some say the city was named for Lake Largo, a 50-acre body of water that was filled in the 1930s. Others say it was named for Largo, Scotland, by Scottish immigrants who settled the northern part of the county.
Famous Largo folks: Brad Radke, baseball player for the Minnesota Twins; Sandra Mortham, former Florida secretary of state; Terrence Mann, Broadway star
Population: 68,328
Median age: 47
Residential land: 6,288.3 acres
Housing units: 40,751
Mobile homes: 12,132
Parks: John R. Bonner Nature Park, Ulmer Park, Lake Villa Park, McMullen Park, Northeast Park, Northwest Park, Sunshine Park, Woodrow Avenue Park, McGough Nature Park and Largo Central Park.
Recreation facilities: Bayhead Tennis & Athletic Complex, Belcher Soccer Complex, Highland Recreation Complex, Largo Sports Complex, Southwest Sports Complex, and Whitesell Softball Complex, Largo Golf Course and Largo Community Center.
Theater and music: Largo Cultural Center
Aquatic Facilities: Southwest Pool and Highland Pool (currently closed for renovation)
Shopping: Bay Area Outlet Mall, Largo Mall, Tri City Plaza