St. Petersburg is the fifth-largest city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area. St. Petersburg was founded in 1888 by John C. Williams, who purchased the land, and by Peter Demens who brought the railroad industry into the area. With an average of some 361 days of sunshine each year, and a Guinness World Record for logging the most consecutive days of sunshine (768 days between 1967 and 1969), it is nicknamed "The Sunshine City".Located on the Gulf of Mexico, the average water temperature is typically around 76 °F (24 °C).