Seminole may be the "youngest" incorporated municipality in Pinellas County, but the community has a long and established history. Voters approved the creation of the city on November 15, 1970, and over the last 40-plus years Seminole has expanded through responsible patterns of development and annexation as the area has become a preferred residential and business destination in Greater Tampa Bay. The city's name honors the Native Americans who came to Florida during the 18th century. Settlers began to arrive in the Seminole area in small numbers after the Civil War, attracted by the excellent drainage and higher elevation along the ridge. Agricultural opportunities expanded with the opening of the Tampa and Gulf Coast Railway in late 1914, and citrus groves soon proliferated. The area's residential development accelerated after the Second World War.