Bradenton Beach, Florida

Bradenton Beach is a city on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,171 at the 2010 census, and 1,278 in the 2018 U.S Census estimates.[5] It is part of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city occupies the southern part of Anna Maria Island and is one of three municipalities on the island. The others are Holmes Beach in the center and Anna Maria in the north.

Bradenton Beach, Florida
City
City of Bradenton Beach
Bradenton Beach
Seal
Motto(s):  Blessed With History, Hospitality, Spirit
Location in Manatee County and the U.S. state of Florida
Bradenton Beach, Florida Location within the state of Florida Show map of Florida Bradenton Beach, Florida Bradenton Beach, Florida (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 27°28′16″N 82°41′59″W
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Manatee
Settled	1892
Incorporated (city)	1952
Government
• Type	Weak Mayor-Commission
• Mayor	Robert (Bob) Bartelt
Area [1]
• Total	1.19 sq mi (3.08 km^2)
• Land	0.52 sq mi (1.33 km^2)
• Water	0.67 sq mi (1.74 km^2)
Elevation	-10 ft (-3 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,171
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	1,279
• Density	2,483.50/sq mi (958.24/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	34217-34218
Area code(s)	941
FIPS code	12-07975[3]
GNIS feature ID	0279312[4]
Website	www.cityofbradentonbeach.com

History

Bradenton Beach was originally referred to as Cortez Beach since it was close to Cortez.[6] Construction on a wooden bridge to the mainland would begin in the summer of 1921. The 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane that October would destroy 80% of the bridge that was built up to that point. Despite a majority of the bridge being destroyed, it would later be completed sometime in June 1922; 8 months later.[7] Bradenton Beach started to be known as its present-day name during the mid 1920s as the Florida land boom was occurring. Real estate developers saw this as a way to convince possible buyers that it was closer to Bradenton.[8] Sometime in early 1926, a county bond was approved to build a wooden bridge linking Bradenton Beach to Longboat Key with the bridge being finished in August. However, the bridge was only open until October after a hurricane damaged it. On March 6, 1932, the bridge would be swept away during a high tide. It would not be replaced until 1957.[9]

A post office called Bradenton Beach has been in operation since 1941.[10]

Bradenton Beach would later be incorporated in 1952.[8] The main wooden bridge to the island from Cortez would be replaced by a concrete one in 1957 as local residents wanted a stronger bridge. A parade lead by an elephant was hosted by the city to display it strength and to convince the local residents as well. To offset the cost of bridge, the local government made it a toll bridge until 1964 when it was reimbursed. Cars were charged 30¢ entering the island and no toll was put in place on those leaving the island.[7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) (50.00%) is water. However, according to the Bradenton Beach government website, it has an area of five square miles.[11]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1960	1,124		—
1970	1,370		21.9%
1980	1,603		17.0%
1990	1,657		3.4%
2000	1,482		−10.6%
2010	1,171		−21.0%
Est. 2019	1,279	[2]	9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

At the 2000 census,[3] there were 1,482 people, 803 households and 391 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,704.9 per square mile (1,040.4/km²). There were 1,762 housing units at an average density of 3,215.9 per square mile (1,236.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.52% White, 0.27% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.

There were 803 households of which 11.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.2% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85 and the average family size was 2.40.

10.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 35.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.

The median household income was $32,318 and the median family income was $46,583. Males had a median income of $26,146 compared with $20,772 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,850. About 3.9% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Library

The Tingley Memorial Library is located at 111 2nd Street, North, behind City Hall.[13] It was built with a $600,000 bequest from the estate of Beulah Rebecca Hooks Hannah Tingley (1893–1986) and is maintained without the use of public funding. In 2000, Beulah Tingley was declared a "Great Floridian" by the state and a plaque attesting to that honor was placed above the front door of the library.[14]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 4, 2019.
6. "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
7. Favorite, Merab (September 30, 2018). "Sunday Favorites: Camping at Turtle Beach". thebradentontimes.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
8. Grimes, David (November 23, 1979). "The Legends Behind Manatee Names". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. pp. 3B. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
9. "The History of Longboat Key". Longboat Key History. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
10. "Manatee County". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
11. "City of Bradenton Beach Florida". Cityofbradentonbeach.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
14. Archived November 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

External links