Sandy is an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Manatee County
Manatee County is a county in the Central Florida portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county s ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The community was previously known as Sandy Branch and Stephen.
History
Sandy is a small agricultural community in the
Myakka area located south of another small community,
Edgeville. Earliest records of the community show that in 1883, a post office was established there with Thomas A. Stephens as postmaster. At that time, the community was called Stephen, likely in reference to the Stephens family. The post office was closed and moved to Pine Level within only a couple years. Early newspaper records show that after the post office closed, the community became known as Sandy Branch, but by the late 1890s, it was more widely known as just Sandy. In 1889, the post office reopened again under Postmaster Thomas A. Stephens, who also opened the first general store that year.
By 1900, Sandy was home to 164 people. By this time, the community had grown enough to warrant its own society section in the Manatee River Journal newspaper.
In 1913, a new building was constructed for Sandy School. The same year, the post office was closed.
References
Populated places in Manatee County, Florida
{{ManateeCountyFL-geo-stub