The city of Clearwater is celebrating 100 years since its founding, and the city has come a long way from where it began.

These days, Clearwater is known for beaches and entertainment, and it's often associated with the word "vacation."

With sunny, warm weather in March, tourist Kelly Fawcett-Mathers and her family traveled from chilly Canada to hit the beach.

"The beaches are beautiful here, the white sand, and this is an area here we really want to visit this year," Fawcett-Mathers said as her daughters gathered shells and waded in the water.

Things have certainly changed in Clearwater over the years as it became an international tourist destination.

Historian William Wallace points to a time before the causeway was built.

"The only way to get to the beach was swim or take a boat," Wallace said.

Historic postcards show  a bathing pavilion with dressing rooms where Pier 60 is now. The miles of sugar sand still line the shores today.

According to the Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce, nearly 1 million people visited Clearwater Beach in 2013. And it grows in popularity every year.

Many visitors also come for the sports. In the 1920s, spring training helped take tourism to another level: first with the Dodgers and later with the Phillies.

“Clearwater has always seen the value in sports tourism, training and development of athletes, and tying that in with the hospitality industry,” said Clearwater Parks and  Recreation Director Kevin Dunbar.

Dunbar said sports give the city a yearly economic boost of $200 million.

The city is also looking forward to hosting major sailing competitions, as Clearwater Sailing Center is now an official Olympic training center.

In 2005, a rescued dolphin that lost its tail in a crab trap began attracting visitors to Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The dolphin, named Winter, has since inspired two movies.

CMA officials now hope to expand to a new facility downtown, as their guests grow by the thousands.

“In 2006. we did 75,000 people, and we’ll do over 800,000 this year,” said the aquarium's chief executive officer, David Yates.

The city's tourism industry has also faced challenges. One of the biggest setbacks was the gulf oil spill of 2010.

“People feared that there was oil on our beach as well," said Darlene Kole, head of the Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce. "People from Europe and all over the world, they just knew that oil had affected Florida."

Marketing campaigns fought back, and the tourists returned. Hundreds of thousands are once again taking boat tours, eating up local seafood, and relaxing on the beach.

From 1915 to 2015, so much is changed. Still, one thing remains the same: the beautiful sunsets and beaches.