The best of both worlds--urban and rural--aptly describes the Bradenton/Manatee County area of Florida. Wedged between cultural powerhouses, Tampa Bay on the north and Sarasota on the south, the Manatee County communities of Bradenton and Palmetto and its island villages of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Longboat Key offer residents a quiet, country charm and laid-back pace of living, but they're conveniently close to cultural riches like opera, symphony, ballet, theater and fine art.
 Locals and snowbirds enjoy 150 miles of shoreline that includes frontage on the Gulf of Mexico, the Manatee River, Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay. Hernando DeSoto was a very early visitor--arriving in 1539. Later visitors proved both more generous and more appreciative than the avarious conquistador. Today about 520,000 visitors arrive each year. Many return to live and work here, others to retire here, still others for the winters only, but all appreciate the combination of sophisticated entertainment and culinary choices combined with the region's tranquil pace.
Housing choices abound--from existing homes that sell for $50,000 to $1 million or new homes ranging from under $100,000 to over $1 million in one of many new developments. Real Estate Trends cites Manatee County as among the Top 25 counties in the country for growth, and the housing market is responding with growth of its own. Manatee Association of Realtors says 62 percent of the current residential inventory is comprised of single family homes; condos account for 27 percent. During 1999, the median sales price for existing homes in the metropolitan area was $129,400, a 9 percent increase from 1998. According to the Manatee Association, a house selling for that price would probably be two or three bedrooms, two baths and approximately 1,500 square feet in size.
Manatee County is part of the two-county, Sarasota-Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
Population: 528,803
Median age: 45.4
New citizens: 4,320
New job creation: 3.7
Unemployment rate: 2.8 (August, 1999)
Cost of living: 100.29
Per capita income: $25,669 in 1998 (MSA)
Median household effective buying income: $31,416
It doesn't get much better than this: Bradenton's average annual temperature is 74.5 degrees Fahrenheit. In January, the average temperature is 66.8 degrees; in July, it's 82.5 degrees. Yearly rainfall amounts to 53.5 inches, but the rain often arrives on summer afternoons in time to cool things off.
Tourism, manufacturing and a sizable retirement community contribute to Manatee County's strong economic climate and provide someinsulation against economic adversity. The 10 largest employers are Manatee County School Board (4,662), Tropicana North America (4,100), Manatee County Government (1,509), Columbia Blake Medical Center (1,357), Manatee Memorial Hospital (1,473), Wellcraft Marine (950), Freedom Village Group (810), GTE Directories, Corp. (750), Hi-Stat Manufacturing (685, Beall's, Inc., Retail stores & Corp. headquarters (639).
An estimated 7,000 people work in Manatee County's agricultural industry, which records more than $300 million in annual sales. The top agricultural commodities, vegetable crops and livestock, flourish on 59 percent of the county's nearly 300,000 acres of farmland. Out of Florida's 67 counties, Manatee ranks first in cabbage production and second in cucumber and tomato crops. Manatee County is also home to of one of the nation's largest growers of cut flowers.
Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the school Board Of Manatee County web site. There you'll discover everything you'll need to know about Florida schools -- in general and in particular. All you need is the name of your county and the names of the schools students from your neighborhood attend.
Use links from the DOE home page for general information about entrance requirements, immunizations and so forth.
For the nitty-gritty details that really matter, click on the logo for the "Florida School Indicators Report."
Interstate Highway 75 runs north and south through western Manatee County. U.S. Highway 41 almost parallels I-75; it's even farther west, close to the coastline and heavily traveled. Numerous trucking companies serve manufacturing concerns, and railroad freight service is available via CSX. A local mass transit system is also in place. The CAT (actually MCAT) is short for Manatee County Area Transit. Buses travel from Palmetto on the north to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in neighboring Sarasota on the south. Standard fare is an affordable $1, with discounts for 60-plus and disabled riders on regular routes. A special Handy-Bus features door to door rides for citizens over 60 and disabled residents of any age who make arrangements a day in advance. Greyhound schedules five departures and four arrivals daily. The Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport, just north of Sarasota's city limits, serves approximately 1.7 million passengers with about 50 daily flights provided by eight major carriers and seven commuter lines. Attractive and busy, the Tampa International Airport is also convenient--less than an hour away from Bradenton. Over 5 million tons move through Port Manatee's docks yearly. It's the closest international port to Mexico and has its own foreign trade zone designation. Eight berths can accommodate vessels as long as 850 feet.
A county with 27 miles of white-sand beaches and 150 miles of waterfront will appeal to anyone who loves the sand and surf, the sandpipers and seagulls, the manatees and dolphins. Fifteen manatee watch sites along the county's rivers and bays have been identified and listed. For the naturalist, the sea is never boring and never the same. Egmont Key, owned mostly by the federal government, is a nesting site for rare leatherback turtles. Shells of all kinds cover the beaches of the remote key, accessible via Miss Cortez' daily wildlife adventure trip. One of the area's best beaches is Bean Point at the northern tip of Anna Maria Island. Off Longboat Key, visit Beer Can Island (a.k.a. Greer Island Park), whose misleading name might cause you to miss its many beauties. It's wild and wonderful--and also inaccessible by automobile. To appreciate the importance of mangroves to Florida's eco systems, take a stroll on Leffis Key, where planting mangroves succeeded in re-creating the natural shoreline. For the natural beauty of interior Florida and its wildlife, visit Myakka State Park, about 30 miles southeast of Bradenton and 11 miles east of I-75 on Route 72. Cabbage palms, laurels, live oaks and longleaf pines adorn the home territory of Florida creatures of the wild--opossum, armadillo and wild pigs. Myakka rates as Florida's largest state park. Camping and canoeing are available. Tram tours and airboat rides provide options for those who want to go beyond nature trails. Another place to get up close to natural wonders is the Lake Manatee State Recreation Area on Route 64 east of I-75. It's a 556-acre setting surrounding a lake almost five times as large.
"Go fish" isn't a game in this county, it's an invitation. Fishing and boating are particularly popular. Numerous marinas, yacht basins, charter boats, boat ramps and fishing piers make it easy to indulge these recreational activities. Other popular activities and sports include canoeing, kayaking, diving, snorkeling, soccer, softball and shuffleboard. Tennis and golf rank high among individual sports. Golf shops, driving ranges, public and private golf courses abound; so do parks and playgrounds, recreation centers and tennis courts. The world-renowned Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, where the likes of Monica Seles, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi have trained, is here; so is the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Center--and plenty of public courts. Want to sit back and watch? Auto racing at the DeSoto Speedway, dog racing, horse racing and jai alai are available. The Pittsburgh Pirates train at Pirate City, then play their Grapefruit League home games at McKechnie Field, both in Bradenton. Across the bridge in St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays play big league baseball. Also convenient are the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and the Florida Sharks of the U.S. Basketball League. For football fans, there's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League and the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League.
The only antebellum plantation house in south Florida, the Gamble Mansion in Ellenton, was saved by the Daughters of the Confederacy and is operated by the state's park service. Other places of historical interest include the DeSoto National Memorial, the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum and the Manatee Village Historical Park, an area with houses, a courthouse, a school and a church built in an earlier era. Special seasonal events include Scottish Highland Games and the Manatee County Fair in January; in February, the Florida Fishing College brings fisher folk to Palmetto and the Gulf Coast Senior Games occur in Bradenton. Manatee Heritage Days are in March; the Florida Heritage Festival takes place in April. Also in April, Palmetto hosts the Children's Parade. The Fourth of July features great fireworks near the Manatee River bridge in Palmetto; the Taste of Manatee fills the Rossi Waterfront Park in Bradenton each November. Kids like visiting Snooty the Manatee at Bradenton's South Florida Museum, playing mini golf at Smuggler's Cove or learning at the Mote Marine Science Aquarium, just south of Longboat Key, in neighboring Sarasota. Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa is a tad farther, but a favorite with the younger crowd. Also available are commercial fun machines such as Pirates Cove in Bradenton (go-carting, arcade games, batting cages) or Dream Machine and Discovery Zone in Sarasota. If the kids wouldn't mind a little drive, take them to Pelican Pete's Playland in Englewood, rumored to be an ideal birthday-party place. Adults enjoy Bradenton/Manatee County because it's comparatively uncrowded but close to a double treasure trove of cultural riches in Tampa and Sarasota. Additionally, there's some home-grown culture, too. Longboat Key Art Center attracts 1,100 members and sponsors eight exhibits and two special events during the season. Galleries abound, especially on the barrier islands. There's even a 90-member musical group, the Sarasota-Manatee Community Orchestra. Bradenton's Manatee Players perform at the Riverfront Theatre, and a 45-year-old theatrical tradition, the Island Players, entertain audiences on Anna Maria Island.
Galleries, boutiques and shops loaded with island-style casual clothes predominate on Longboat Key, Anna Maria Island and Sarasota's St. Armand's Circle, the latter in neighboring Sarasota. Bradenton's DeSoto Square Mall offers numerous choices to local shoppers at its convenient U.S. Highway 41 and Cortez Road location. For bargain shopping, sample Ellenton's more than 100 often upscale discounters at the Gulf Coast Factory Shops. Numerous shopping plazas and strip malls provide additional retail outlets. If you can't find what you want here in Manatee County--an unlikely occurrence--shop in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater or Sarasota. All are nearby.
Country music fans enjoy the Sundance Social Club, Ace's Lounge and Joyland. Try the Lost Kangaroo Pub or Skipper's Bar and Grill in Bradenton for after-work relaxation. For eating out, ethnic choices--Greek, Chinese, Mexican, Australian, Italian and Thai among them--are plentiful. Captain Brian's features fresh fish. For historical and waterfront ambience, select Bridge Tender Inn. Sample the food at DJ's Fine Dining for contemporary cuisine. A popular sports bar is Palmetto's Fumble Inn. For laughs, try McCurdy's Comedy Club.
Bradenton's beach bars jump, beginning in the late afternoon. Many eateries and pubs offer great sunset views almost incidentally. For music, drinks and fun food on Anna Maria Island, arrive by boat at Rotten Ralph's at the Galati Yacht Basin. Or sample the offerings at Marina Bay, The Sandbar (island music, sunsets), D. Coy Ducks, Dry Dock Inn (live bands, favored by the young) and Beachhouse (formerly Harbor House), family-friendly yet featuring live entertainment nightly along with a plentiful menu. Also worth trying for dinner on Anna Maria--Beach Bistro and Sign of the Mermaid Restaurant.
More than 8,000 students attend Manatee Community College, part of the public, two-year, coed junior college system. Many more people of all ages enroll for enrichment activities. The Bradenton campus is located in south Manatee County; the Venice campus is in neighboring Sarasota County. Another educational resource located in Bradenton is the University of Florida's Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences Research and Education Center, which develops and publicizes information on commercial crops, particularly tomatoes. Educational resources nearby, although not in Manatee County, include the University of South Florida in Tampa and its highly rated honors college--New College--located in Sarasota. Eckerd College, a private, liberal arts four-year institution is based in St. Petersburg but maintains a Sarasota presence through its Program for Experienced Learners. Small at 300 students, the University of Sarasota specializes in graduate programs in education and business administration. Art and design majors study in an established and recognized studio-based school at the Ringling School of Art and Design. The Stetson University College of Law is in St. Petersburg; the University of Tampa and Tampa College are within easy commuting distance from Bradenton/Manatee County.
Lots of Manatee's 68,000 seniors remain active in retirement. Besides sports and hobbies, they help others by volunteering to tutor homeless children, help at libraries, hospitals and schools, and visit shut-in seniors living at institutions for the deaf and blind or in seniors-only communities. More than 800 regularly involve themselves in activities associated with the Manatee County Council on Aging's Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). A private coalition of for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations created the Manatee Aging Network. It refers seniors or their caregivers to more than 150 local establishments providing elderly services such as adult day care, counseling, companions and recreation. The Manatee County Division of Human and Community Services uses state and federal funds earmarked for seniors and administered by the Area Agency on Aging to provide services and information and referrals. Special programs exist to aid low-income elderly. For help or guidance, regardless of income, call the Elder Helpline in Manatee County. The number is 941/742-5818. You will reach an information and referral specialist familiar with all the senior services and programs in the county. (Photos supplied by Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau; photo of sunset over Anna Maria Island by J. Brandt-Engst)
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