| Sarasota County, Florida | ||
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Location in the state of Florida |
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Florida's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 14 May 1921 | |
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| Seat | Sarasota | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
725.18 sq mi (1,878 km²) 571.55 sq mi (1,480 km²) 153.63 sq mi (398 km²), 21.19% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
379,448 664/sq mi (256.38/km²) |
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| Website | www.scgov.net | |
Sarasota County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 372,057.[1] Its county seat is Sarasota, Florida.[2]
Sarasota County is a member of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, which plans for state roads in the two-county area. It also is part of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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Sarasota County was created in 1921. After acquisition by the United States as a territory and once Florida obtained state status, the area now included in the county had been governed by Hillsborough County, then Manatee County as the state was divided into smaller and smaller governmental organization. Manatee County was carved up to allow the creation of three more counties as well.
Although the name was associated with the area from the beginning of European contacts the origin of the name, Sarasota, is unknown. It may be named for a word in the indigenous Calusa language, whose meaning may be Point of Rocks or Place of the Dance. Some believe a fanciful story created for a popular early twentieth-century pageant held in Sarasota, that it was named after the daughter of famous explorer Hernando de Soto's daughter Sara.
According to the Florida League of Cities FLC, the name first appeared in print as "Zarazote" on a 1763 land grant map.
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 725.18 square miles (1,878.2 km2), of which 571.55 square miles (1,480.3 km2) (or 78.81%) is land and 153.63 square miles (397.9 km2) (or 21.19%) is water.[3]
Sarasota County is part of the Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota DMA. Most of the television stations are located in Saint Petersburg or Tampa except:
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 12,440 |
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| 1940 | 16,106 | 29.5% | |
| 1950 | 28,827 | 79.0% | |
| 1960 | 76,895 | 166.7% | |
| 1970 | 120,413 | 56.6% | |
| 1980 | 202,251 | 68.0% | |
| 1990 | 277,776 | 37.3% | |
| 2000 | 325,957 | 17.3% | |
| 2010 | 379,448 | 16.4% | |
| [5][6] | |||
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 325,957 people, 149,937 households, and 94,460 families residing in the county. The population density was 570 people per square mile (220/km²). There were 182,467 housing units at an average density of 319 per square mile (123/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.65% White, 4.18% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 4.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 89.7% spoke English, 4.4% Spanish, 1.3% German and 1.0% French as their first language.
Census Estimates for 2005 show the county population as being 87.5% non-Hispanic whites, 6.3% Latinos, 4.5% African-American and 1.1% Asian.[8]
In 2000 there were 149,957 households out of which 18.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.00% were non-families. 30.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.61.
In the county the population was spread out with 16.20% under the age of 18, 5.00% from 18 to 24, 21.70% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 31.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 90.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,957, and the median income for a family was $50,111. About 5.10% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.70% of those under age 18 and 4.50% of those age 65 or over.
The per capita income for the county was $28,326. Females had a median income of $25,721 versus $32,114 for males.
Joseph Daniel Anderson was one of the pioneers of the Sarasota area. He established his homestead in the Forked Creek area in 1886 and became an early leader in what now is southern Sarasota County (having been Manatee County from 1855 until 1921).
The following is a transcript from a Sarasota County historical marker that was erected in a park dedicated to Anderson on Manasota Key.