ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg has been recognized by realtor.com as one of the top 10 cities in the United States for LGBTQ people to live.
- St. Pete ranked 3rd on list behind Atlanta (#2), San Francisco (#1)
- City scored perfectly on Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index
- St. Pete among most affordable cities to buy a home on the list
- More Pinellas County stories
The article details why each city is on the list, along with the median home list price. St. Petersburg ranked third, behind Atlanta and San Francisco. The list was released just after St. Pete's recent Pride Weekend.
GayStPete House is mentioned in the article as an option for visitors heading to St. Pete. It’s a bed and breakfast located on 5th Avenue.
"I tried to keep the name simple when I opened it," said owner Brian Longstretch. "GayStPete House is pretty direct. So I don’t know why we got mentioned but I’m pretty happy about it."
Longstretch opened the bed and breakfast 10 years ago. Also a realtor, he says he’s sold more than 100 houses to people who have stayed at GayStPete House over the years.
“The comment I get a lot from my guests who stay here is that, ‘I’ve never been to a city where so many people just say 'hi' out of the blue,'” said Longstretch.
St. Petersburg also ranked high on the list because the city scored perfectly on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.
“We’re really excited about that," said Jim Nixon, the LGBTQ Liaison for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman’s Office. "It’s one of the things that sets the pace for this city. It moves us forward to make sure we have those inclusive policies.”