Indian Rocks Beach, often called IRB, is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, occupying the barrier island of Sand Key along the Gulf of Mexico. It is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area and sits within a chain of Gulf beach communities that runs north from Clearwater Beach toward Madeira and Treasure Island. The city was incorporated in 1956, and its identity has always been tied to the shore. The city is small — roughly 3,700 residents — and deliberately low-key, with a laid-back, old-Florida feel that contrasts with the larger, more developed resorts nearby. It offers more than two miles of Gulf beach and 26 public beach accesses, making the shoreline unusually accessible. Tourism is the primary industry, and the island supports a mix of homes, condominiums, and vacation rentals, along with beachfront restaurants and shops. Indian Rocks Beach is known for its walkability and its Gulf sunsets. Residents and visitors move easily on foot or by bike, and the community's compact scale keeps most things close. Water activities — swimming, fishing, boating, paddleboarding — are central to daily life, and the Intracoastal Waterway on the island's east side adds boating access and waterfront homes. The city tends to appeal to beach lovers, retirees, second-home owners, and families drawn to a relaxed Gulf-coast setting, with the amenities of Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Tampa all within a short drive across the bridges. Residents value the combination of a genuine beach-town atmosphere, easy mainland access, and a scale that has resisted overdevelopment, and the island has kept its small-town character for decades.